Who must be on the team's bench staff, and how many?

A team listed on the Official Game Report can have no more than five registered team officials on the Players' Bench, and only players in uniform and those officials may occupy it (Playing Rules 2026-28, Rules 2.1 (b) and 1.9 (c)). The officials listed must include at minimum:

• one Coach that meets the Member's certification requirements; and
• one Hockey Canada Safety Person (HTCP in Ontario).

The glossary says team officials may include the Coach(es), Manager, Trainer, Equipment Manager, Team Doctor, President or other administrators within the team. The By-laws 2026-27 define Team Officials as the persons involved in the management of a team, including the coach, manager, safety person/trainer, equipment manager, team physician, president and other members of the executive or board.

Referees do not decide on the certification of team officials. Any irregularities are reported to the Member or league delegate for further action (Rule 2.1 (b), Interpretation 1).

During a game, team officials are restricted to the area of their Players' Bench. Leaving it is a Bench Minor for Unsportsmanlike Conduct (Rule 1.9 (d)).

Sources: Hockey Canada Playing Rules 2026-28 (https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Officiating/Downloads/2026-28-hc-rulebook-e.pdf) and By-laws 2026-27 (https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Corporate/About/Downloads/2026-27-bylaws-e.pdf).