I've got a question on referee positioning for anyone who can answer it. I play league hockey, and in our game last night, we had a referee who kept positioning himself on the halfboards about 10 feet up from the goal line in our defensive zone, between our D and our forwards. He must have knocked down at least a half-dozen clearing attempts before my brother, who plays defense, asked him why he was positioned there and to get out of the way. Referee responded that he could stand wherever he wanted to and we had to go around him. I've never seen a ref position himself there, and if he was supposed to be covering the blue line, he was out of position to call off-sides. By standing where he was, he essentially eliminated our ability to clear the puck up the boards on our right wing.
Should he be standing there? If not, and he's the high ref in the zone, where should he be?
Chris Mykrantz
Grosse Pointe, MI
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