Official
Who is an official in hockey?
How to understand the hockey term official?
What is the meaning of an official?
An official in hockey is a person who regulates the play of the game. The on-ice officials for hockey include the referee and linesman, but there are also many off-ice officials including goal judges, video goal judges, scorers, statisticians, and game and penalty timekeepers. The officials are responsible for enforcing the rules of hockey and for maintaining order during the game.
All on-ice officials are required to wear black pants and black and white striped shirts. Referees can be differentiated from linesmen by the identifying red or orange armbands worn on their sleeves. Referees are responsible for assessing penalties during the hockey game due to a violation of the rules. In some leagues, linesmen may also call certain penalties, like “too many men [on the ice]”. Goal judges are located outside the rink at each end, behind the goals, or in higher seats where they have a clear view of the goal.
They are responsible for pressing a button to turn on a red light when a goal is scored. Video goal judges are located in a media room in the arena and have access to re-watching a previous play to determine whether or not it was deemed a goal. Statisticians and scorers may be located at ice level or upstairs near the media boxes overlooking the ice.