IIHF OFFICIAL RULE BOOK 2022/23

I I HF OFF I C I AL RULE BOOK 2022 / 23

9

OUR VALUES

PRINCIPLES OF THE GAME No proper game can be played without the Game Officials (Referees and Linespersons), and they must command the respect of all players, coaches, parents, and associations involved at all levels of play. To love ice hockey and to want to play ice hockey starts with showing respect for the Game Officials who oversee the game. They have spent years developing their skills, which include being as good a skater as the players. As well, they have had to hone their own subset of skills - quick movements to stay out of the way of play, understanding and interpreting play whi le moving at top speed in a variety of directions, applying the rule book properly under pressure and at a moment’s notice. And although the main responsibility for this respect of play lies with the players, it is vital to the game’s safety and success that it includes the coaches, parents, federations, associations, and leagues under whose supervision the game is played. In the end, the final score is the deciding factor in determining who wins and loses the game. But the spirit of fair play is even more important because it enables the game to succeed and grow and develop, in both countries where ice hockey is an ingrained part of its culture and ithers where it is an emerging sport with growing roots.