Linesmen Stance

• Feet shoulder width apart
• On foot from the dot
• Puck held belt high
• Puck held in close to the body

Players Positioning

• Square to end boards
• Visiting team stick down first
• Toe of stick touching ice in white area in dot
• All other players outside of the circle and onside

Common violations during face off

• Lined up inside of circle or offside
• Center leaves and talks to winger
• Center cheats
• Not set up within the 5 seconds after linesmen blows whistle

Common faults of linesmen during face offs

• Too close to the dot
• Feet too far apart
• Bent over
• Presenting puck
• Knees not flexed

TIPS FOR LINESMEN DURING FACEOFFS

• Be ready ahead of the players
• Communicate with players
• Eye contact with referee and partner before puck drop
• Linesmen on blue line responsible for watching players behind linesmen Involved in the face off.

• Linesmen dropping puck will check players behind him before he blows the whistle
• If a player is ejected from the face off - blow whistle and advise offending team why
• Back linesmen will blow his whistle if he sees a violation behind the linesmen dropping the puck. Hand signal will indicate the violating team

PUCK DROPPING

• Out and down in one motion
• Ensure puck lands flat
• Don’t’ telegraph the puck drop

LINESMEN EXITING THE FACEOFF

• Back away from face off towards the boards
• Do not turn around to get to the boards- skate backwards
• Avoid players where possible
• Be aware of where the puck is
• If your path to your line is blocked by the play  - stay put – do not enter the center ice area. Wait until the play clears to return to your line.
• Once you return to your line, release your partner with eye contact and a nod