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1997 NHL Rulebook - Playing Rules
Rule 80. Start of Game and Periods

The game shall be commenced at the time scheduled by a "face-off" in the center of the rink and shall be renewed promptly at the conclusion of each intermission in the same manner. No delay shall be permitted by reason of any ceremony, exhibition, demonstration or presentation unless consented to reasonably in advance by the visiting team.

Home clubs shall have the choice of goals to defend at the start of the game except where both players benches are on the same side of the rink, in which case the home club shall start the game defending the goal nearest to its own bench. The teams shall change ends for each period of regulation time and, in the playoffs, for each period of overtime. (See Rule 83(a) NOTE Tied Games)

During the pre-game warm-up (which shall not exceed twenty minutes in duration) and before the commencement of play in any period, each team shall confine its activity to its own end of the rink. Refer to Rule 54(g) Fisticuffs.

Twenty minutes before the time scheduled for the start of the game, both teams shall vacate the ice and proceed to their dressing rooms while the ice is being flooded. Both teams shall be signalled by the Game Timekeeper to return to the ice together in time for the scheduled start of the game.

At the beginning of the game, if a team fails to appear on the ice promptly without proper justification, a fine shall be assessed against the offending team, the amount of the fine to be decided by the Commissioner. At the beginning of the second and third periods, and overtime periods in playoffs (0:00 on the clock), clubs must be on the ice or be observed to be proceeding to the ice. For failure to comply, a bench minor penalty for delay of game shall be imposed.

At the end of each period, the home team players must proceed directly to their dressing room while the visiting team players must wait for a signal from the Referee to proceed only if they have to go on the ice to reach their dressing room. Failure to comply with this regulation will result in a two-minute bench minor for delay of game.

� 1997 - 2000
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