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NHL Assists ECHL In Adoption Of New Standard Of Rules Enforcement

September 6, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release


PRINCETON, N.J. - The ECHL announced that in its continuing role as the primary development league for the National Hockey League and the American Hockey League that it will have its officials adopt the new standard of rules enforcement in 2006-07.

ECHL Vice President of Hockey Operations Rod Pasma traveled to the National Hockey League office in Toronto to develop a video presentation used to prepare ECHL players, coaches and officials for a new standard of officiating under the one-man referee system.

Pasma outlined the new enforcement procedures to ECHL coaches at their annual meeting and in conjunction with ECHL Director of Officiating Gord Broseker and ECHL Officiating Consultant Bryan Lewis will educate league referees and linesmen at preseason camps for officials.

"We followed the NHL very closely last season and have seen the positive effect that the new standard has had on their game," said Pasma. "We are grateful to the NHL hockey operations and officiating departments for their assistance in developing a similar standard of rules enforcement geared toward the one-referee system.

"This change will help ease the transition for players and officials as they move up to the AHL and the NHL, but even more important is the faster and more enjoyable game for our fans," he added.

"The NHL is pleased that the ECHL has adopted the new standard of rule enforcement. It is an exciting change and one which will improve the game all around," said Walkom. "We look forward to working with the ECHL's hockey operations department, officiating department and on-ice staff to make the transition to the new standard as easy as possible for the ECHL."

Sixteen former ECHL officials will be in the NHL in 2006-07 with Chris Ciamaga, Mike Leggo, Wes McCauley, Dean Morton, Dan O'Rourke, Brian Pochmara, Kevin Pollock, Chris Rooney, Justin St. Pierre, Ian Walsh and Dean Warren working as referees and Steve Barton, Brian Mach, Tim Nowak, Jay Sharrers and Mark Wheler working as linesmen.

About The ECHL

The league officially changed its name to ECHL on May 19, 2003.

The Premier 'AA' Hockey League, the ECHL has affiliations with 23 of the 30 teams in the National Hockey League in 2006-07. There have been 303 former ECHL players who have gone on to play in the NHL after playing in the ECHL, including a record 47 in 2005-06 and 158 in the past five seasons, and there were 13 former ECHL coaches behind the benches of NHL teams in 2005-06.

The ECHL has affiliations with 22 of the 27 teams in the American Hockey League in 2006-07 and for the past 17 years there has been an ECHL player on the Calder Cup Champion. The ECHL has had more players called up to the AHL than all other professional leagues combined each of the past four seasons with 1,646 call ups involving almost 1,000 players.

The ECHL raised its average attendance for the third straight year in 2005-06 drawing 3,934,794 for 900 games which is an average of 4,372 per game, an increase of more than nine percent from 2004-05 and the largest per-game average since 1999-2000. Six teams surpassed 200,000 and nine teams averaged 5,000 per game for the first time since 1999-2000 as the league welcomed 39 sellout crowds and 13 of the 22 returning teams raised their average attendance from a year ago.


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