In a gold-medal game, every play is looked at under a microscope — and Team USA appeared to get a break at a crucial point.
With both Team USA and Canada making a change in the third period on Sunday at the Winter Olympics, the Americans got a little mixed up at their bench with an extra player stepping on the ice.
Players on Team Canada had their arms in the air after Jack Hughes played the puck with the extra player on the ice, which they believed should have been called, but the referees did not agree.
Under IIHF rules, during a line change, the player coming off the ice must be within this distance of the bench before their substitute enters the ice; failing to meet this requirement can result in a bench minor penalty at the official’s discretion.
“If either the entering or exiting player touches the puck or checks an opponent while both are technically on the ice, too many players, is called. However, if a player is simply struck by the puck accidentally during the swap, play continues without a penalty.”
It also states that a player leaving the ice is considered “off” as soon as they have at least one skate on the bench, whereas a substitute is only considered “on” once both skates touch the ice surface.
Canadian Gord Dwyer and American Chris Rooney were the refs in Sunday’s game.
This is not the first time Canada has dealt with a too-many-men controversy during the men’s hockey tournament at the Olympics, as Czechia had an extra man on the ice while scoring to take a 3-2 lead in the quarterfinal game.
