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.

Officiating – The Job (PDF)