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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