Ice Hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics

Perhaps the largest difference in the 2010 Olympic ice hockey tournament from past years was that the games were played on a smaller NHL-sized rink (61 m × 26 m or 200 ft × 85 ft) as opposed to the international standard of 61 m × 30 m (200 ft × 98.4 ft). This not only saved the organizing committee $10 million, but also allowed for more people to attend the matches. A somewhat less noticeable change was the introduction of the four-official system in the men’s games (two referees and two linesmen), although the women’s game maintained the three-official standard (one referee and two linesman). The matches were played at the University of British Columbia Winter Sports Centre (6,800 seats) and Vancouver’s General Motors Place (18,810 seats), which was temporarily renamed “Canada Hockey Place” due to Olympic sponsorship rules.