IIHF FROZEN GAME PUCK GUIDELINES
In an effort to provide the players with the best possible puck each and every shift, the following procedure to ensure that a frozen puck is in play at all times. The ‘Frozen Puck Procedure’ is designed and use for application for all top category Championships (WM, WW, W20, W18 WW18) plus both the men’s and the women’s tournaments at the Olympic Winter Games. he procedure will be as follows:
1. The penalty box attendant is to open the penalty box door at a whistle when the puck has been in use for more than 2 minutes of actual playing time. at 17:34 – a new puck at 16:10 – a whistle, same puck at 15:12 – a whistle, new puck
2. As the Linesmen will not be aware of the actual time that a puck has been in play it will be the job of the Penalty Box Attendant to open the penalty box door to signal to a linesman to come and get a new puck. The Linesman will pick it up for use at the upcoming face off.
3. Before the opening faceoff of each period the Linesman will come to get a puck just before the face off is to take place.
4. During a Snow Cleaning Service, the Linesman will not come to get the new puck until the conclusion of the service.
5.If for any reason there is a lengthy stoppage of play (altercation, ice repair, broken glass, etc.) and it is evident that the puck in play has been out of the freezer for an extended length of time the Penalty Box Attendant is to signal the Linesman to get a new puck as play is about to resume. In order to successfully implement this procedure, the Scorekeeper (Supervisor of the Off-Ice Officials) is to ensure that:
1. The arena has a freezer in the penalty box that maintains a temperature of between -8 C and -12 C. The ideal temperature being -10 C.
2. Before the start of the game fifteen (15) pucks are taken from the freezer and taken directly in a hard plastic cooler to the penalty box freezer.
3. It is the responsibility of the Organizer to ensure at least eighty (80) official game pucks are ready for each game. It is important that these freezers be set at -12 C. This will ensure the pucks delivered to the Scorekeeper (Supervisor of ice officials) are frozen and ready for game use.
4. At the start of the 2 nd period and at the start of the 3 rd period an additional fifteen (15) frozen pucks are taken from the teams’ freezer and taken directly to the penalty box freezer.
5.The penalty box attendant leaves all frozen pucks in the penalty box freezer until immediately before a puck is needed for play
6.When a puck that has been used in play has been returned to the penalty timekeeper it should not be returned to the penalty box freezer but should be returned to the Organizer at the end of each period. The temperature of the freezer at the timekeeper area must be set lower than -10 C but not lower than -12 C. This will allow for opening and closing of the lid of the freezer when putting a new puck into play. With these temperatures, the bounce factor of the puck will be reduced. Organizers should check and monitor the temperature of the puck freezers to ensure the set point is not lower than -12 C.