Read the play, not the puck

Craft note: practice advice, not a rule.

New officials follow the puck like a spectator. Experienced ones watch the players who are about to matter: the defender who will be beaten, the forward cutting to the net, the players behind the play after the whistle.

Try this in your next game: when the puck is moving up ice, glance at the space it is heading into before it gets there. You will arrive at the line or the goal line a stride earlier, and the stride is what makes a call look right.

After the whistle, keep your eyes on the players, not the puck. Most trouble starts in the two seconds after play stops.