Editing Ice hockey (section)

===Officials===
{{Main|Official (ice hockey)}}
A typical game of hockey is governed by two to four ''[[Official (ice hockey)|officials]]'' on the ice, charged with enforcing the rules of the game. There are typically two ''linesmen'' who are mainly responsible for calling "offside" and "[[Icing (ice hockey)|icing]]" violations, breaking up fights, and conducting faceoffs,<ref>{{cite web|author=National Collegiate Athletic Association|title=Ice Hockey 2008–2010 Rules and Interpretations|url=http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/IH10.pdf|page=HR–53|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107011552/http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/IH10.pdf|archive-date=November 7, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> and one or two ''referees'',<ref>{{cite web|author=National Collegiate Athletic Association|title=Ice Hockey 2008–2010 Rules and Interpretations|url=http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/IH10.pdf|page=HR–52|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107011552/http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/IH10.pdf|archive-date=November 7, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> who call goals and all other penalties. Linesmen can report to the referee(s) that a penalty should be assessed against an offending player in some situations.<ref>{{cite web|author=National Collegiate Athletic Association|title=Ice Hockey 2008–2010 Rules and Interpretations|url=http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/IH10.pdf|page=HR–54|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151107011552/http://www.ncaapublications.com/productdownloads/IH10.pdf|archive-date=November 7, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The restrictions on this practice vary depending on the governing rules. On-ice officials are assisted by off-ice officials who act as goal judges, time keepers, and official scorers.
[[File:Montreal - Burlington 3 decembre 2011 021.jpg|thumb|Officials working under a four-official system. Orange armbands are worn by the referees to distinguish them from the lineswomen.]]
The most widespread system is the "three-man system", which uses one referee and two linesmen. A less commonly used system is the two referee and one linesman system. This system is close to the regular three-man system except for a few procedure changes. Beginning with the National Hockey League, a number of leagues have implemented the "four-official system", where an additional referee is added to aid in the calling of penalties normally difficult to assess by one referee. The system is used in every NHL game since 2001, at [[Ice Hockey World Championships|IIHF World Championships]], the [[Olympics]] and in many professional and high-level amateur leagues in North America and Europe.

Officials are selected by the league they work for. Amateur hockey leagues use guidelines established by national organizing bodies as a basis for choosing their officiating staffs. In North America, the national organizing bodies [[Hockey Canada]] and [[USA Hockey]] approve officials according to their experience level as well as their ability to pass rules knowledge and skating ability tests. Hockey Canada has officiating levels I through VI.<ref>{{cite web|author=Hockey Canada Officiating Department|title=How to Get Started – Officials|url=http://hockeycanada.com/index.php/ci_id/63557/la_id/1.htm|access-date=April 14, 2010|archive-date=July 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711172738/http://www.hockeycanada.com/index.php/ci_id/63557/la_id/1.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> USA Hockey has officiating levels 1 through 4.<ref>{{cite web|author=USA Hockey Officiating Program|title=USA Hockey officials registration program|url=http://www.usahockey.com/uploadedFiles/USAHockey/Menu_Officials/Registration%20Rules.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512093248/http://www.usahockey.com/uploadedFiles/USAHockey/Menu_Officials/Registration%20Rules.pdf|archive-date=May 12, 2013}}</ref>