If you really think about it, hockey itself is a very strange game. It’s exhilarating and a joy to play, but when you really deconstruct the game, it is a little funny to think about. A bunch of players skating around and chasing a piece of rubber with bent sticks? Imagine trying to explain that to someone who has never heard of hockey before! Well isn’t it fitting then that a strange game like hockey has some really strange rules that the players must abide by? We know about all of the normal rules that come up during a broadcast, but what about some of the more absurd rules that we rarely ever get to hear about? Let’s take a look at some of the strangest rules in the sport of hockey!
Goalies must use white tape on their stick
Does it get any more absurd than controlling the colour of the tape that a goaltender can use for their stick? Well, apparently it is something the NHL is serious about because it is right in the official NHL rulebook. NHL Rule 10.2 states that ‘In the case of a goalkeeper’s stick, there shall be a knob of white tape or some other protective material approved by the League’. Why is the league so specific about the colour of the goalie’s stick tape? Likely to give the ref or goal judge a clear and unobstructed view of where the puck is. When you put it that way, it makes sense. If there is a scramble in front of the net, one could mistake the knob of the goalie’s stick for the puck. So, as strange as the rule might seem, it actually works in the goalie’s favour.
Teams Can Only Have One Goaltender on the Ice
What? This seems pretty obvious doesn’t it? Why would a team ever think to have more than one goalie on the ice? Wait, when you say it like that, it’s brilliant! Can you imagine the anarchy on the ice if a team were allowed to send out a second goaltender? Imagine a 5 on 3 penalty kill with one skater and two goaltenders guarding the net. It would make for some pretty entertaining games and a major change in strategy. Actually, goal scoring would be way down in hockey if there were two goalies guarding the net so it is probably for the best that NHL Rule 5.3 exists in the NHL rulebook.
If No Refs or Linesman Are Able to Officiate, Players Can Take Over
These rules just keep getting more absurd the more you read them. But this is another rule that is officially in the NHL rulebook. The exact wording states that: if, through misadventure or sickness, the Referees and Linesmen appointed are prevented from appearing, the League will make every attempt to find suitable replacement officials, otherwise, the Managers or Coaches of the two Clubs shall agree on Referee(s) and Linesman(men). This is a long way of saying that if there are no officials and the league cannot find any replacements, then players from each side will have to officiate their own game. It brings me back to the days of street hockey where you call your own penalties and high sticks. Now I know this would probably never actually happen in an NHL game, but it’s hard to imagine how players would be able to stay unbiased. Would you call a penalty on your own teammate? Or call back a goal for your own team?
Too Many Men? It Could End Up in a Penalty Shot
Wait, isn’t too many men on the ice just a regular minor penalty? Well yes it is and it isn’t. If there are too many men on the ice accidentally then it is a minor penalty. There are those who have done it on purpose in the past though, and the league has had to change their rulebook accordingly. Legendary coach Roger Neilson would push the boundaries of the NHL rulebook all the time. In this case, Nielsen would continue to send out players while killing off a 5 on 3 penalty, knowing that his team couldn’t be penalized anymore. There have been other times when coaches have purposely interrupted a breakaway or an odd-man rush by sending another defender over the boards. It seems like a smart strategy doesn’t it? So smart that the league had to incorporate this rule to penalize teams with a penalty shot if they send too many men onto the ice intentionally.
A Team Cannot Just Bring a Goalie in for a Penalty Shot
So say your team has just intentionally sent too many men over the boards and were penalized with a penalty shot against. How can this coach mess with these officials even more? By trying to switch out their goalie for the backup goalie who is sitting on the bench. That seems like it is breaking the rules, right? Well, technically you can swap out your goalie for a penalty shot, you just can’t swap back after the penalty shot is over. Coaches will have to wait until the next whistle or stoppage in play if they wish to bring their starting goaltender back into the net. Why is this? I’m not really sure and with this rule, I couldn’t even come up with a logical reason from the league. Interestingly enough, coaches can switch goaltenders during the shootout when a game is not resolved during an overtime period. If the coach knows that one goalie handles penalty shots better than the other, then switching to that goalie in the shootout makes sense. The new goalie would also be fresh, having not played for the previous 65 minutes of game action!
