Day 34, Rule 34

The game: Anaheim vs. Columbus Blue Jackets.

Why I chose it: Ulterior motives, mais oui. My favorite Swiss goalie is back in the net against a team on the rise.

The rule: Section 5, Officials. Rule 34, Official Scorer.

Number of sections in the rule: 5.

Definition: This outlines the general duties of the Official Scorer, along with the awarding of goals and assists, listing of line ups, where the Scorer must sit and his role in helping the Penalty Timekeeper. The Scorer awards the points for goals and assists and his decision is final. A goal is awarded to the last player on the scoring team to touch the puck prior to the puck entering the net. An assist is awarded to the player or players (maximum two) who touches the puck prior to the goal scorer, provided no defender plays or possesses the puck in between. The Official Scorer also provides to the League the Official Report of Match form, the Score Sheet and the Penalty Record forms.

A simple thing I didn't know but should have because I have no other productive hobbies besides hockey: 34.3, Lineups: It is the policy of the National Hockey League that the Coach of the visitng club provide to the Official Scorer, a list of eligible players, his starting line-up and designated Captain and Alternates, within five (5) minutes of the completion of the warm-up (twenty (20) minutes prior to face-off). This twenty minutes gives the Official Scorer time to obtain the completed home team line-up, return it to the visiting Coach and provide a copy of both line-ups to the Referees. The Official Scorer shall have an off-ice crew member assist him in order to save time and complete these duties.

The final score: Anaheim 3, Columbus 1.

Morals of the story:

The game: On paper, the Official Scorer has one of the less eventful but more important jobs in the NHL. He fills out a lot of paperwork, but he is also the final word on points for goals and assists. It looks like the kind of job anyone could do, right? Not if that someone doesn't give a hoot about detail or know much about numbers. This job is a lot like that of an executive assistant in a major corporation. They have the job nobody would want, but it's the one that if it dried up tomorrow, most of the company wouldn't be able to function.

Life: How cool would it be to have your own Official Scorer to keep track of achievement of your goals, assists and the fact that you showed up every day at work and did your job? They could turn in all the official paperwork to your employer, friends and neighbors every day, so there would be a written record that you were in fact there and didn't squander your precious time, and most importantly, to award the achievement of your goals and assists. We spend our days doing seemingly ordinary things that don't often lead to milestones or significant progress, but we probably achieve more than we think. Next time you think a day is just something to survive and you didn't get all the things on your "to do" list done, try writing it down. You might accomplish more than you think.

Next up on 12/13: Section 5, Officials. Rule 35, Game Timekeeper.