We’ve been resisting asking our linesman buddy a million questions while she is at the Olympics, so we are thrilled that she took some time to share some details with us.
PyeongChang Hockey Prep – As told by JT:
So the past two days have been very busy, so I have been a bit tardy adding any posts! Thursday was a busy day, but was mostly filled with meetings and a on-ice test game. We started our day with the handing out of apparel, which included a new IIHF winter jacket with the Olympic logo on the sleeve, a track suit, a hoodie, a polo, Olympic jersey, and helmet with visor. I am glad I brought an extra duffel and left space in my suitcase! And yes ladies, the first thing I did was remove all stickers from the helmet 😉
Next we had a three hour meeting at the arena where we will be playing. The rink is new and super well done. There are two ref rooms, one drying room for our gear (that is going to smell awesome in the near future), and a standby room with a tv to watch the game. The standbys cannot sit in the stands, and for each game there is a ref and linesman ready to go in the event there is an injury. I can’t discuss the specifics of the meeting, but of course it was related to refereeing the Olympics!
I know a lot of people have been asking to know when I referee, but I am not allowed to post anything until two hours before the assignment as that is when it is released online to the public. They are very strict about this rule. The games are at 4:40 and 9:10pm. Which is quite late, but may be because then fans in North America and Europe can watch the game.
The coolest thing I learned though, is that we will all be wearing microphones. For the referees, it has a dual purpose. First, they have to announce all penalties and coaches challenges. There are two coach challenges, the first is for goalie interference. They can only challenge goalie interference if they still have a time out. If there is less than a minute left in the game, or in overtime, then all goals will be reviewed regardless of whether or not there is a time out left. The second challenge is the off-side challenge (eek!), which can be used on any goal. However, if it is ruled it was not off-side, then the team gets a bench minor penalty! This is the first time there is a coaches challenge at the winter games. The second purpose for the mic, is that all of us have been issued new whistles and the mic picks up our whistles and stops the clock immediately. So no human related delays, which is super cool. So it will be a super accurate clock!
If looking for me on the ice, I am number 53 and a linesman of course.
Last part of the day was the test game at the rink, which was played between two local mens teams. It was to practice coach challenges, the microphones, and arena related incidents such as injuries and broken glass. A different crew got to skate each period to check out the ice, and practice using the mic. I did not have to skate, so I watched instead. Above I took a panorama of the rink to give everyone an idea of what it looks like. After the test game we returned to the hotel at about 1230am and got our new helmets prepared for our ice time the next day. Needless to say, it was a long and tiring day. Tomorrow is an on ice session, meetings, and the opening ceremonies! Very excited!