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34 // APRIL 2021 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM W h e n i t c o m e s t o t h e r u l e s o f t h e g a m e , o n e s i z e definitely does not fit all. And that can be confusing for the players on the ice, their parents in the stands and coaches behind the bench who may assume that the rules enforced during a National Hockey League game are similar to those used in a youth game. The reality is that USA Hockey, the National Federation of High Schools, the NCA A, junior hockey, the International Ice Hockey Federation and the NHL all have their own separate and distinct rule books. When rule books run anywhere from 96 to 221 pages, keeping up with all the nuances from one governing body to another can be challenging even for those whose job it is to keep the peace. For everyone else it can be downright confusing. "They always assume the NHL way is the right way," said Dave LaBuda, the USA Hockey national referee-in-chief, referring mostly to parents. "Watching their son or daughter's game, they will see a rule applied differently." LaBuda pointed to aggressive penalties (roughing, slashing) and restraining ones (hooking, holding) as prime examples. At the lower levels, there's zero tolerance. Things are looser at higher levels of the game. "People ask, 'Why is it different?'" LaBuda said. "Once I explain why, there's a buy-in to it. Unfortunately, enough people don't ask that question, and therefore they assume the amateur officials made a wrong call." Sometimes, all these different rules can trip up referees, especially if they're officiating a college matchup one day and a junior game the next day. PHOTOS BY USA Hockey Magazine Archive SET OF RULES PL AYING BY THEIR OWN When It Comes To Maintaining Law And Order On The Ice, Different Leagues Can't Always Find Common Ground // By Tom Worgo "Are we ever going to have the same rule book as the NHL? No. There are things that are acceptable for a 10 or 12-year-old or even 16-year- old that won't work in the NHL." —Matt Leaf, director of USA Hockey's officiating education program