Why do they not pick up broken sticks on the ice???

[AmericanDream]

Watching the Stars/Sens game, and there are broken sticks on the ice the players keep tripping on, if we care about player safety and that nothing should interfere with play, why on Earth are refs not rushing to pick these up?? Imagine baseball allowing broken bats to sit on the field during play, anyone find this so stupid that they are not picking these up???

 

[Karl Eriksson]

Sundin used to just throw the sharp ends into the crowd.

 

[adsfan]

I believe that there used to be a rule that broken sticks could not be picked up until a whistle. I have seen players in the AHL sweep sticks to the boards to minimize the danger. I have seen trailing AHL linesmen pick up part or all of a stick and hand it to the respective bench.

 

[Roomtemperature]

Bats sit on the field during a play. You have the person on deck clearing them out not the umpire if the batter left them out. Happened Saturday, someone slide over the bat when I was watching
The refs don't want to leave their position to miss a call to clear out the stick

 

[AmericanDream]

Bats sit on the field during a play. You have the person on deck clearing them out not the umpire if the batter left them out. Happened Saturday, someone slide over the bat when I was watching
The refs don't want to leave their position to miss a call to clear out the stick

a bat will sit in the field of play for 1 play or pitch only...hockey it stays until a damn whistle, it was in and out of the zone multiple times with people tripping over the stick or avoiding it completely, no reason when they play left the zone the trailing ref couldnt pick the damn pieces up...

 

[Altimus]

distracts the ref and linesman from doing their actual job if the play stays in the zone.

 

[TheAngryHank]

Keep your head down and watch for those sticks

 

[Cellee]

distracts the ref and linesman from doing their actual job if the play stays in the zone.

Exactly.

They are watching the play.

 

[Ms Maggie]

a bat will sit in the field of play for 1 play or pitch only...hockey it stays until a damn whistle, it was in and out of the zone multiple times with people tripping over the stick or avoiding it completely, no reason when they play left the zone the trailing ref couldnt pick the damn pieces up...

Baseball play effectively halts between pitches, well actually when the pitcher has the ball. Umpire can then signal that play should stop until bats off field. Not an option in hockey where play is designed to be continuous.

 

[maacoshark]

Watching the Stars/Sens game, and there are broken sticks on the ice the players keep tripping on, if we care about player safety and that nothing should interfere with play, why on Earth are refs not rushing to pick these up?? Imagine baseball allowing broken bats to sit on the field during play, anyone find this so stupid that they are not picking these up???

In the past I have seen linesmen pick up broken sticks. They dont seem to do it anymore.

 

[Paris in Flames]

I've definitely seen linesmen pick up or kick away sticks from critical areas in the past. Honestly don't know what their official protocol is or if it's recently changed.