"If, through misadventure or sickness, the Referees and Linespersons appointed are prevented from appearing, the League will make every attempt to find suitable replacement officials, otherwise, the Managers or Coaches of the two Clubs shall agree on Referee(s) and Linesperson(s). If they are unable to agree, they shall appoint a player from each side who shall act as Referee and Linesperson; the player of the home Club acting as Referee and the player of the visiting Club as Linesperson."
"The rule gained prominence after being dug up by Islanders fan Nicole Shirman last week, surprising even NHL players. Today I learned that if the officials don't show up to an NHL game for whatever reason and nobody can agree on replacements, both teams just ... pick a player. The player from the home team acts as referee while the visiting player gets to be a linesman. This is an actual NHL rule."
The NHL rulebook contains an obscure provision that permits games to continue with player-appointed officials when regular referees and linesmen are unavailable. Under Rule 31.11, if the league cannot secure suitable replacement officials and the two teams' managers or coaches cannot agree on alternatives, each team must appoint a player to officiate. The home team's player serves as referee while the visiting team's player acts as linesman. These temporary officials are immediately replaced by regularly appointed officials if they arrive during the game. This rule recently gained widespread attention after being discovered and shared on social media, surprising many NHL players who were unaware of its existence.
Read at RMNB
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