Why are icing waved off

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In the NHL the defender must touch the puck before an offensive player in order to validate the icing call. If the offensive player gets there first then play would continue. In many other leagues the icing call is automatic and play is blown dead as soon as the puck crosses the goal line.

The race is not to the puck but to the corner face-off dots. If the defending player is ahead in the race to the dots then an icing infraction is called. This is known as hybrid icing. One piece of hockey trivia related to icing hockey is that the WHA big league from the seventies never adopted the rule of allowing opposing team to ice the puck while shorthanded. Icing would still be called. The rule was introduced in and it was believed that it was a reaction to the powerhouse Montreal Candiens whose Power Play was explosive.

Icing would be waved off if the player clears the puck passed their own blueline rather than from center line standard rule. Make sure to check out this video of Snoop Dogg explaining the rules of icing.

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When is Icing Called Off? Goal is scored If the puck crosses the goal line and enters the net, the play is determined to be a goal. Puck played or intended to be played by goalie If the puck makes contact with the goalie at any time while the play is still alive, the referee will wave off the infraction. Opposing player deemed able to play the puck In some cases, the referee will wave off the icing if they feel the opposing player could have reached the puck before it crossed the goal line.

Shorthanded If the defensive team is on the penalty kill and clears the puck down the ice past center line , icing will not be called. Types of icing There are 3 known types or variations of icing: Hybrid As described earlier, hybrid icing is the current variation adopted by the NHL and other pro sports leagues. No-touch Icing Automatic Icing No-touch icing is very popular in recreational or amateur sports leagues.

History of Icing in Hockey Icing was adopted at the NHL level in to penalize teams that were clearing the puck as a delay tactic. In European professional leagues, some lower-level North American professional leagues ECHL and Central Hockey League , and most amateur leagues worldwide, play is stopped for icing once the puck crosses the goal line. This is called automatic or no-touch icing. In the NHL and AHL , along with many North American professional leagues, a player on the opposing team other than the goaltender must touch the puck to cause the stoppage of play.

If the puck is first touched by the goaltender or a player on the team that iced the puck, icing is waved off cancelled and play continues. The icing rule can lead to high-speed races for the puck. While an icing call is pending, the linesman raises an arm to indicate that a potential icing call may be made. If the icing is waved off, the official lowers his arm and gives the washout signal extending both arms sideways from the body at shoulder height.

The s era World Hockey Association professional league never adopted the NHL rule of allowing shorthanded teams to ice the puck while engaged in the penalty kill. In , USA Hockey is considering eliminating the shorthanded icing rule, having tested its elimination in Massachusetts and Alaska in the to seasons.

If you watch European hockey or some lower-level North American leagues such as the ECHL, play is stopped immediately after the puck crosses the goal line. This practice is called automatic or no-touch icing. Get more insight into no-touch icing here. Like any almost rule, there are exceptions, and the following are scenarios in which icing is waved off:. The rule was introduced to keep teams that were either outmatched and just trying to survive, or teams that were ahead in scoring late in the game, to waste time by continually dumping the puck down the ice in a defensive gambit.

This would make for a rather boring game. Until the season, NHL teams would often use icing as a way to stop the clock to substitute tired players for fresh players off the bench, however, the league altered the rule to outlaw this practice to speed up game play.