The basic role of the official can be broken down into two simple words --"safe" and "fair". By viewing and officiating the game with these two words in mind, an official should be able to call a game that is acceptable to all of the participants.

There is no good excuse for an official not to penalize any infraction that threatens the safety of another participant and Hockey Canada calls upon all officials to strictly enforce these types of infractions.

The word "fair" does allow some flexibility in determining which infractions will and will not be penalized. Any infraction that takes away a good scoring chance should be penalized. However, some infractions, although obvious infractions by the wording in the rule book, can be overlooked if no advantage is gained. Remember that it is the "spirit" or "intent" of the rule that determines an infraction, not the literal wording. This will be interpreted differently in each game, depending on the official, the level of play and the style of play. As officials develop their officiating skills, their "feel for the game" and "judgement" will help them determine the officiating style needed in each game.

Infractions after the whistle should also be penalized accordingly, with emphasis placed on penalizing the instigator of such activity

 Hockey Signals

Boarding:	Checking(shoving) an opponent so the he is thrown violently into the boards. Referee smacks right fist into upheld left palm
Cross-Checking:	A check(shove) delivered with both hands on the stick and no part of the stick on the ice. Referee pushes parallel fists away from his chest.
Misconduct:	Penalty to any player except the goaltender that results in removal from the game for a 10-minute period. Referee places his hands on his hips.
Tripping:	Using a stick, knee, foot, arm, hand or elbow to cause an opponent to trip or fall. Referee pushes left hand, palm down, towards the ice and lifts left knee.
Charging:	Running into, jumping into or charging an opponent. Referee makes two fists and rotates them around each other.
Interference:	Interfering with the progress of an opponent who is not in possesion of the puck. Referee crosses his fists over his chest.
Holding:	Holding an opponent from moving with hands or stick or any other way. Referee grabs his left wrist with his right hand.
Slashing:	Blocking or trying to block and opponent by "slashing with the stick". Referee makes a chopping motion with his right arm.
High-Sticking:	Carrying the stick about the normal height of the shoulders. Referee holds his fists one on top of the other up near his head.
Elbowing:	Using an elbow in any way to foul an opponent. Referee holds his left forearm perpendicular to his bicep and points to his left elbow with his right hand.
Hooking:	"Hooking" a stick around an opponent to try to block his progress. Referee makes pulling motion to the side with his arms. It mirrors a hooking motion.
Spearing:	Stabbing an opponent with the point of the stick blade while the stick is being carried in one or both hands. Referee makes poking motion with both hands.
Icing:	Shooting the puck untouched from beyond the red line (center ice) past the opponent's goal line and then being touched first by the opposing team. Though it's technically not a penalty, it does have a hand signal, left arm straight up in the air.