Hockey 101
Hockey 101 – Types Of Penalties
Today I am going to give you all a brief rundown of the types of penalties that can be called on the ice. You will see the bolded penalty and a quick description (in as simple english as I could get). So – if you ever wondered why a call was made or what that player is off the ice … read along!
Minor Penalty (2 minutes)
Any player, other than the goalie, will have to be off the ice for 2 minutes without a substitute player in their spot.
A “short-handed” situation happens when one team does not have the same amount of players as the other team on the ice. The team with the least amount of players is “short handed.”
If the team with more players scores during the 2 minute penalty … the penalty is over and the player is allowed to return to the ice. The “short handed” situation is over.
Bench Minor Penalty (2 minutes)
Same as a Minor Penalty – however, instead of the penalty being for a specific player. It is usually called for a specific reason and any player can serve the penalty in the penalty box.
Double Minor Penalties (4 minutes)
Any player, other than the goalie, will have to be off the ice for 4 minutes without a substitute player in their spot. The offending team is serving two, two minute penalties consecutively.
If the other team scores during the double minor, one of the penalties is canceled, however, the other 2 minute penalty will still need to be satisfied.
Coincidental Penalties (various times)
This happens when a player on each team receives a penalty resulting from one incident. The two teams playing will then play 4 on 4 (4 players on the ice from each team). Since neither team is short handed, if a goal is scored the penalty is not ended. The players serving these penalties will also need to remain in the penalty box until the next stoppage of play after their penalty has been satisfied.
In this video you can see how there were many many many coincidental penalties called … mostly fighting and game misconduct, none the less, this is a good example of how coincidental penalties are ruled.
Major Penalty (5 minutes)
This is a more severe penalty and needs more severe circumstances to be awarded. However, when a Major penalty is handed out – the offending player will be ruled off the ice for five minutes. The player will remain in the penalty box for the full 5 minutes, even if a goal is scored.
When one player receives a Major and Minor penalty at the same time, the major penalty will be served first.
Misconduct Penalty (10 minutes)
Any player receiving a misconduct penalty will be ruled off the ice for 10 minutes. The coach is able to replace that player with another player immediately. This does not result in a short handed situation. The player receiving the Misconduct penalty will remain in the penalty box until the first stoppage in play after the penalty has been satisfied.
Once we reach this level of penalties – the NHL introduces fines associated with each penalty. According to the rules, any player receiving a misconduct penalty will also be fined one hundred dollars($100). All fines are paid to the NHL Players Relief Fund.
Game Misconduct Penalty (Remainder of the game)
Any player receiving a Game Misconduct will immediately be removed from the ice and not allowed to play the rest of the game. A substitute player will be allowed to replace the player at the same time.
The player will be fined $200 and the incident will be reviewed by the commissioner who will have the authority to levy further fines or suspensions.
For instance – Daniel Carcillio was given a cross checking penalty (2 min), instigating penalty (2 min), fighting penalty (5 min) and a Game Misconduct penalty in this video – after review, the league suspended him 4 games for his actions.
Match Penalty (Remainder of the game)
Just like Game Misconduct, a Match Penalty is ruled and the offending player must leave the ice immediately and report to the dressing room for the duration of the game. A match penalty is ruled when a player deliberately attempts to injur or deliberately injurs an opponent during play.
Penalty Shot (One on One shot on goal)
A penalty shot is awarded when a scoring opportunity is lost due to a foul committed by the defending team. If a player is carrying the puck into the offensive zone and there are no defensive players between him and the goalie – if a defending player causes the puck carrier to lose a shot because of a penalty (minor or major) – the player carrying the puck will get a penalty shot.
NHL Rules state:
There are four (4) specific conditions that must be met in order for the Referee to award a penalty shot for a player being fouled from behind. They are:
(i) The infraction must have taken place in the neutral zone or attacking zone, (i.e. over the puck carrier’s own blue line);
(ii) The infraction must have been committed from behind;
(iii) The player in possession and control (or, in the judgment of the Referee, clearly would have obtained possession and control of the puck) must have been denied a reasonable chance to score (the fact that he got a shot off does not automatically eliminate this play from the penalty shot consideration criteria. If the foul was from behind and he was denied a “more” reasonable scoring opportunity due to the foul, then the penalty shot should be awarded);
(iv) The player in possession and control (or, in the judgment of the Referee, clearly would have obtained possession and control of the puck) must have had no opposing player between himself and the goalkeeper.
Gross Misconduct Penalty
This rule is exactly like the Game Misconduct penalty – however, this rule covers players, coaches, trainers and managers. Anyone receiving this penalty will be suspended for the duration of the game and fined $200. The case will also be referred to the NHL commissioner for further action.
Anything I miss … please, feel free to add your comments below.
Any player, other than the goalie, will have to be off the ice for 2 minutes without a
substitute player in their spot.
A “short-handed” situation happens when one team does not have the same amount of players
as the other team on the ice. The team with the least amount of players is “short
handed.”
If the team with more players scores during the 2 minute penalty … the penalty is over
and the player is allowed to return to the ice. The “short handed” situation is over.
Bench Minor Penalty (2 minute penalty)
Same as a Minor Penalty – however, instead of the penalty being for a specific player. It
is usually called for a specific reason and any player can serve the penalty in the
penalty box.
Double Minor Penalties (4 minute penalty)
Any player, other than the goalie, will have to be off the ice for 4 minutes without a
substitute player in their spot. The offending team is serving two, two minute penalties
consecutively.
If the other team scores during the double minor, one of the penalties is canceled,
however, the other 2 minute penalty will still need to be satisfied.
Coincidental Penalties (various times)
This happens when a player on each team receives a penalty resulting from one incident.
The two teams playing will then play 4 on 4 (4 players on the ice from each team). Since
neither team is short handed, if a goal is scored the penalty is not ended. The players
serving these penalties will also need to remain in the penalty box until the next
stoppage of play after their penalty has been satisfied.
In this video you can see how there were many many many coincidental penalties called …
mostly fighting and game misconduct, none the less, this is a good example of how
coincidental penalties are ruled.
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Major Penalty (5 minutes)
This is a more severe penalty and needs more severe circumstances to be awarded. However,
when a Major penalty is handed out – the offending player will be ruled off the ice for
five minutes. The player will remain in the penalty box for the full 5 minutes, even if a
goal is scored.
When one player receives a Major and Minor penalty at the same time, the major penalty
will be served first.
Misconduct Penalty (10 minutes)
Any player receiving a misconduct penalty will be ruled off the ice for 10 minutes. The
coach is able to replace that player with another player immediately. This does not
result in a short handed situation. The player receiving the Misconduct penalty will
remain in the penalty box until the first stoppage in play after the penalty has been
satisfied.
Once we reach this level of penalties – the NHL introduces fines associated with each
penalty. According to the rules, any player receiving a misconduct penalty will also be
fined one hundred dollars($100). All fines are paid to the NHL Players Relief Fund.
Game Misconduct Penalty (Remainder of the game)
Any player receiving a Game Misconduct will immediately be removed from the ice and not
allowed to play the rest of the game. A substitute player will be allowed to replace the
player at the same time.
The player will be fined $200 and the incident will be reviewed by the commissioner who
will have the authority to levy further fines or suspensions.
For instance – Daniel Carcillio was given a cross checking penalty (2 min), instigating
penalty (2 min), fighting penalty (5 min) and a Game Misconduct penalty in this video -
after review, the league suspended him 4 games for his actions.
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Match Penalty (Remainder of the game)
Just like Game Misconduct, a Match Penalty is ruled and the offending player must leave
the ice immediatetly and report to the dressing room for the duration of the game. A
match penalty is ruled when a player deliberately attempts to injur or deliberately injurs
an opponent during play.
Penalty Shot (One on One shot on goal)
A penalty shot is awarded when a scoring opportunity is lost due to a foul committed by
the defending team. If a player is carrying the puck into the offensive zone and there
are no defensive players between him and the goalie – if a defending player causes the
puch carrier to lose a shot because of a penalty (minor or major) – the player carrying
the puck will get a penalty shot.
NHL Rules state:
There are four (4) specific conditions that must be met in order for the Referee to award
a penalty shot for a player being fouled from behind. They are:
(i) The infraction must have taken place in the neutral zone or attacking zone, (i.e.
over the puck carrier’s own blue line);
(ii) The infraction must have been committed from behind;
(iii) The player in possession and control (or, in the judgment of the Referee, clearly
would have obtained possession and control of the puck) must have been denied a reasonable
chance to score (the fact that he got a shot off does not automatically eliminate this
play from the penalty shot consideration criteria. If the foul was from behind and he was
denied a “more” reasonable scoring opportunity due to the foul, then the penalty shot
should be awarded);
(iv) The player in possession and control (or, in the judgment of the Referee, clearly
would have obtained possession and control of the puck) must have had no opposing player
between himself and the goalkeeper.
Gross Misconduct Penalty
This rule is exactly like the Game Misconduct penalty – however, this rule covers players,
coaches, trainers and managers. Anyone receiving this penalty will be suspended for the
duration of the game and fined $200. The case will also be referred to the NHL
commissioner for further action.
Hockey 101 – Roughing (Rule 51)
Defined:
Roughing is a punching motion with the hand or fist, with or without the glove on the hand, normally directed at the head or face of an opponent. Roughing is a minor altercation that is not worthy of a major penalty to either participant. (An altercation is a situation involving two players, including goalkeepers, with at least one to be penalized).
Basically the roughing call is the “catch all” call for the NHL. If the ref can not make out what has happened in an altercation – He’ll call roughing. Mostly it will be when you see players get in a skirmish, but not really a “fight” … however, you will see roughing called when there is a “punching motion.”
*note – an actual punch can result in a Fighting call even if the player punching misses the opponent.
Roughing is another one of those fun “interpretation” calls. In a game that encourages physical contact, this is a call that allows the refs to keep the game in control. Ref’s use this call to set the boundaries in the level of hitting and physicality. Once a Roughing call is made – the players on the ice take note of what happened and why and they use that as what the refs will call an “acceptable” level of physical play.
Hockey 101 – Charging (Rule 43)
Charging in the NHL is a very vague rule that gives the on ice official a lot of latitude in their interpretation. It is even stated that the on ice official must make the call “at his discretion … based on the degree of violence of the check, to a player or goalkeeper guilty of charging an opponent.” Charging and checking are similar in the way they are viewed – Its more the outcome of the event / intent by the player that I find to be taken into consideration. Charging is in the rule book and mainly discussed when the topic of “Head Injuries” is on the table. NHL owners and General Managers have discussed the severity of Head Shots for quite a few years, last year they were discussing this topic at their yearly meeting in Naples, Florida – in an attempt to design rules and regulations around the hits to the head and creating guidelines for suspensions and fines.
I am sure most of us remember the devastating hit Brandon Sutter took from Doug Weight (and recently the hit Richards hit on David Booth) … Here is an example of a horrendous hit to the head :
So … to get back to the topic of “Charging” … Here are a couple examples, watch how the players doing the hitting are adding a bit more emphasis on the hit, to give it a “degree of violence.”
Steve Downie charges Dean McAmmond
Steve Ott charges Gregory Campbell
NHL Rule book states:
A minor or major penalty shall be imposed on a player or goalkeeper who skates or jumps into, or charges an opponent in any manner. Charging shall mean the actions of a player or goalkeeper who, as a result of distance traveled, shall violently check an opponent in any manner. A “charge” may be the result of a check into the boards, into the goal frame or in open ice.
Note: A goalkeeper is NOT “fair game” just because he is outside the goal crease area. The appropriate penalty should be assessed in every case where an opposing player makes unnecessary contact with a goalkeeper. However, incidental contact, at the discretion of the Referee, will be permitted when the goalkeeper is in the act of playing the puck outside his goal crease provided the attacking player has made a reasonable effort to avoid such contact.
Hopefully the league and owners and GM’s will be able to come up with some type of guideline that will help the officials with these type of calls … however, when you are dealing with the “interpretation” of a rule, its hard to put something in writing. I believe, what is needed to reduce these types of incidents, is a higher level of accountability between players. I am not talking about goons mixing it up on the ice … but players being accountable to themselves and their team mates by playing a respectable game is the first step! Then … if that does not work … the league should fine the player, Coach, GM and Owner – I think that will wake them up!
Hockey 101 – Boarding (Rule 42)
Boarding is a very serious penalty and can sometimes be missed or misscalled by an official. “Boarding” is the action of any player who checks an opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to be thrown violently in the boards. Now, if you have watched 5 minutes of hockey ever in your life, you are probably saying right now “But wait – they are ALWAYS crashing each other into the boards!” Well – here are two videos you can watch that should show the difference between a good hard check into the boards and an illegal hit known as Boarding.
Darcy Tucker gets boarded by Jordin Tootoo
Milan Lucic checks Mike Van Ryn through the glass
The NHL Rulebook definition is:
A boarding penalty shall be imposed on any player or goalkeeper who checks an opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to be thrown violently in the boards. The severity of the penalty, based upon the degree of violence of the impact with the boards, shall be at the discretion of the Referee.
There is an enormous amount of judgment involved in the application of this rule by the Referees. The onus is on the player (or goalkeeper) applying the check to ensure his opponent is not in a vulnerable position and if so, he must avoid the contact. However, there is also a responsibility on the player with the puck to avoid placing himself in a dangerous and vulnerable position. This balance must be considered by the Referees when applying this rule.
This is another one of those “soft” rules that rely on the position and judgement of the officials. My general rule of thumb for this penalty is if one player is hit on the numbers (from behind) and thrown into the boards (which would mean he was at least a foot or two away from the boards) violently … then Boarding should be called.
The penalty for this could be a minor (2 minutes) or major (5 minutes) … a Match Penalty can also be handed down if the officials belive the action was a deliberate attempt to harm the one being hit.
Hockey 101 – Hooking (Rule 55)
Hooking, broken down is … “Impeding the progress of another player by “hooking” them with the blade of your stick.” I could stop there – however, this is another one of those “interpretation” rules. Its up to the on ice official if a player has impeded another player by hooking them with the blade of his stick. I have had this called on me quite a few times in error (Looking at you Highfield!) In my defense, I believe there IS a difference in “impeding” and “manipulating the play” – allow me to explain!
If I were to take my stick and use it as a “hook” to either slow down the player with the puck or maneuver the player with the puck, then I would happily pat the referee on the shoulder and commend him for making a good call on the ice while I skate over to the penalty box. HOWEVER, if I am attempting to gain control of the puck and my stick “accidentally” touches the other player then why should I be punished? I am only trying to play a good and honest game of Hockey … and with that … the Persecuted Rests!
Now – back to hooking! A hooking call can also be called if a player uses the shaft of the stick above the upper hand to hold or hook the opponent. A good rule of thumb is if you take your stick off of the ice and use it as a tool to help you gain control over an opponent you will get a whistle. As with any of these “soft penalties” there is room for interpretation … is the blade of your stick pointing down or up, is the shaft between the opponents’ body and stick, you also need to be aware of the other player and his ability to project a non-penalty and make the ref think differently. Like when you are attempting to gain control of the puck and your stick “accidentally” gets caught under the opponents arm and they clamp down on your stick so you get called for hooking … yea, it has happened before – but I am not bitter!
Most of these “soft penalties” (Holding, Hooking, Interference and Tripping) are all dependent on the position of the ref, the angle of infraction and the ability of one player to sell it! The season starts on October 1 … check out a game or two and see if you can spot the penalty or the Oscar winning performance.
Hockey 101 – Tripping (Rule 57)
So there you are, on the edge of your couch … yelling at Patrick Marleau skating the puck up the boards – he dekes right, he dekes left (usually by now the puck has been stolen and the other team has a 3 on 1 breakaway … but in this instance … ) Patrick is up the ice and *boom* he is down! *said in my best John Madden voice* – whistle blows, the play is stopped!
I consider tripping to be one of the “soft” penalties in hockey … soft meaning the calls can be interpreted on the ice and the ref’s have to make a split second decision. According the the NHL Rule Book, Tripping is defined as:
“A player or goalkeeper shall not place the stick, knee, foot, arm, hand or elbow in such a manner that causes his opponent to trip or fall.
Accidental trips which occur simultaneously with a completed play will not be penalized. Accidental trips occurring simultaneously with or after a stoppage of play will not be penalized.
If, in the opinion of the Referee, a player makes contact with the puck first and subsequently trips the opponent in so doing, no penalty shall be assessed.
A minor penalty shall be imposed on any player or goalkeeper who shall place his stick or any portion of his body in such a manner that it shall cause his opponent to trip and fall.”
The reason this rule is in place is to give players a “reasonable scoring opportunity.” You will see many tripping instances when an offensive player carries the puck into the neutral or attacking zone and beats the defensemen towards the goal. The defensemen (not wanting to look like he just had his lunch fed to him) will then try to “gain possession of the puck” in a way that trips the player with “Control of the puck.” In the NHL rule book – “Control of the puck” means the act of propelling the puck with the stick, hand or feet. If while it is being propelled, the puck is touched by another player or his equipment, or hits the goal or goes free, the player shall no longer be considered to be “in control of the puck”.
Bottom line is … if you do not have the puck and you are trying to keep the attacking player in front of you. Make sure you hit the puck first before you take out the guy with the puck!
We also have the Penalty Shot to watch out for – According to the NHL Rule Book:
“When a player, in the neutral or attacking zone, in control of the puck (or who could have obtained possession and control of the puck) and having no other opponent to pass than the goalkeeper, is tripped or otherwise fouled from behind, thus preventing a reasonable scoring opportunity, a penalty shot shall be awarded to the non-offending side. Nevertheless, the Referee shall not stop play until the attacking side has lost possession of the puck to the defending side.
In order for a penalty shot to be awarded for a player being fouled from behind, the following four (4) criteria must have been met:
(i) The infraction must have taken place in the neutral or attacking zone (i.e. over the puck carrier’s own blue line).
(ii) The infraction must have been committed from behind.
(iii) The player in possession and control (or, in the judgment of the Referee, the player clearly would have obtained possession and control of the puck) must have been denied a reasonable chance to score. The fact that he got a shot off does not automatically eliminate this play from the penalty shot consideration criteria. If the foul was from behind and he was denied a “more” reasonable scoring opportunity due to the foul, then the penalty shot should be awarded.
(iv) The player in possession and control (or, in the judgment of the Referee, the player clearly would have obtained possession and control) must have had no opposing player between himself and the goalkeeper.”
As always – I hope this helps … if you have anything to add to the post please, feel free to leave a comment below (Bill Highfield)!
Hockey 101 – Offside (Rule 83)
How many times have you been emotionally and physically invested into a game? It could happen at anytime … the goalie makes a cartwheel save, a defenseman completely undresses the attacking team on a 2 – 1 breakaway … the puck is turned over … they head down the ice and all of a sudden, everyone stops skating and the Ref is standing there pointing to a round dot on the ice. What Just Happened??? I am surprised at how many people do not understand what being “Offsides” actually is. Down and Dirty – According to the NHL Rule book … Rule 83 reads:
“Players of the attacking team must not precede the puck into the attacking zone. The position of the players skate, and not that of his stick will be the determining factor in all instances in deciding an off-side. A player is off-side when both skates are completely over the leading edge of the blue line involved in they play.”
This is one of those “Oh Come On” rules … sometimes its blatantly obvious and sometimes others may just disagree. Take a look at this picture: 
I used 2 instances (Figure A & B) to explain how this “Blue Line” works. In Figure A you will see the direction of play is coming down the ice towards the goal. The puck MUST be the first one across the blue line … and when they say “blue line” … they mean the whole blue line. So in Figure A the puck is not “across the blue line” until the complete puck is over the farthest edge of the blue line in the direction of play. If you can see white ice between the puck and the edge of the blue line, then it is “good” and you can cross into the other teams “defensive zone.” If the puck is on the blue line and anyone on your team skates into the defensive zone first, and then the puck enters … WHISTLE … Offsides!
Same goes for figure B … the whole blue line is in play here also. If you are in the other teams zone and the puck comes out, it must clear the farthest edge of the blue line. If the puck crosses the outside edge or is “cleared,” then the ref will raise his arm and gesture a “delayed call” until every attacking player has cleared the defensive zone, at that point he will lower his arm.
There are two types of offside calls, immediate and delayed. With immediate offside, play is dead the instant an offside violation occurs. This is used mainly in USA Hockey youth leagues. Play is stopped immediately if a player from the attacking team touches the puck in the attacking zone while he or any of his teammates is offside. Delayed offside allows the defending team a chance to move the puck out of their zone. The play remains offside until the puck enters the neutral zone, meaning if any attacking player in the defensive zone touches the puck – Offsides! Tag-up offside is a variation of delayed offside. In a delayed offside, if each attacking player who is offside “tags up” by making skate contact on or behind the neutral zone, the delayed offside becomes negated. The skate must come in contact with the blue line and all players must be cleared from the zone at the same time before the “tag up” is satisfied. You can not clear the zone with your skate in the air!
Hope this helps … don’t forget … keep your head up!
Hockey 101 – Icing (Rule 81)
So – today we are talking about Icing. It has taken me 3 years and many, many, many, many games to teach my wife when to recognize an icing call and why. I am hoping this explanation will help you all grasp the concept of icing and why it is a penalty. There is currently a great debate going on regarding the rule of icing in and among the NHL purists … and I will explain that later on in the post (in other words … Keep Reading!). I will first give you a “literal” definition of the penalty, then I will show you an example (in picture form) and then I will fill you all in on the great debate. With that said … the definition (this is not taken out of the NHL Rule book) …
Icing in ice hockey occurs when a player shoots the puck across at least two red lines, the opposing team’s goal line being the last. When icing occurs, a linesman stops play. Play is resumed with a faceoff in the defending zone of the team that committed the infraction. A player on the opposing team (other than the goaltender) must touch the puck to cause the stoppage of play. If the puck is first touched by the goaltender or a player on the team that iced the puck, icing is waved off (cancelled) and play continues. While an icing call is pending, the linesman raises an arm to indicate that a potential icing call may be made. If the icing is waved off, the official lowers his arm and gives the washout signal (extending both arms sideways from the body at shoulder height). As an FYI … In European professional leagues, some lower-level North American professional leagues (ECHL and Central Hockey League), and most amateur leagues worldwide, play is stopped for icing once the puck crosses the goal line. This is called automatic or no-touch icing, currently in the NHL, the icing rule has lead to high-speed races for the puck which has shown to increase the possibility of injury to the players. (See YouTube video below)
Icing is always waved off in the following situations:
1. The team committing the icing is shorthanded.
2. The linesman believes a player on the opposing team (other than the goalkeeper) could have played the puck before it crossed the goal line.
3. In the NHL, the linesman deems the icing is the result of an attempted receivable pass.
So … if you were to look at the ice and imagine an icing call it would look like this …
Now … for the down and dirty … Lets say I was standing on the A (Left of center ice [Red Line in the middle]) and I shot the puck down the ice, across the Red Line at Center Ice, Blue Line and across the goal line where the other A is. That would be icing … but if I were standing at position B and shot the puck down the ice across the Blue Line and the goal line, that would not be icing. It’s all about the center line (Red Line) … if a player hits the puck across the Center Line and then the puck crosses two more lines (Blue Line & Goal Line) … and then, a player from the other team touches the puck first … That’s Icing! However, if a player from the same team touches the puck first icing is waved off and the game continues to play. (For reference, example B in the figure above is not icing since the puck was hit after it crossed the Center Line.) This example should be self explanatory … if you have questions please feel free to leave a comment.
Now that you know what Icing is and how to identify it … I will fill you in on a little debate going on among Hockey nuts (you know, those weirdo’s that have blogs and such). In the definition of Icing it made reference to “No-Touch Icing” being played in European leagues and some lower level North American leagues. The NHL does not currently have this provision, which means, when one team ices the puck there might be a race to the puck by players from either team. Whoever gets there first and touches the puck will decide if the play is stopped (player from the opposite team) or if it continues (player from the same team). This “Race To The Puck” is a dangerous position to be put into. There have been countless injuries to players who are charging full speed to get the puck and end up into the boards.
Here in this video you see The Wild’s Curtis Foster in a race with the Sharks’ Torrey Mitchell. Foster came out of this with a broken leg, but it could have been much worse when you watch the speed his head hit the board with.
In this scenario, had “No-Touch” Icing been in effect … the moment the puck crossed the goal line the play would have been stopped by the official. I personally think that a no-touch icing rule would not be a detriment to the sport. With a rule like No Touch Icing in place it would remove the risk of injury from the players … and that would be a good thing. Compare this to the old Nascar rule when a yellow flag (caution) was waved in a race … before they changed the rule the drivers would race to the start/finish line for position during the caution. Having the drivers go balls out to the line after a caution was shown to increase in the number of wrecks and driver injuries. Nascar then made the rule that as soon as a caution is thrown, the field is frozen … meaning, there will be no “racing to the line” … you keep the position you are in the moment it happens.
Hockey 101 – Fighting (Rule 47)
If you sit down and look at the NHL Rule Book you will notice that A) It’s 312 pages long and B) It’s boring as hell! I started thinking today that it would be interesting to do a quick series on the rules of hockey and clear up some misconceptions of the sport. My goal is to break down some of the rules in the book, help us all learn something more about this great game and at the same time, help new-comers understand the guidelines and regulations for the sport. I find it interesting when I engage in conversations with friends regarding my passion of Hockey the conversation eventually turns to the physical and violent nature of the sport. I remember years ago becoming so upset when someone would say the sport I love was promoting violence by allowing its players the freedom to fight. I am sure everyone has heard the joke – “I went to a fight, and a Hockey game broke out!” Well … I would like to take a moment and go over a few things about fighting and its role in the NHL.
Fighting is illegal in the NHL … I will say it again … ILLEGAL in the NHL!!! Along with the North American Junior League and other North American minor leagues. When a fight occurs in these leagues a 5 minute major penalty is called. The difference between these leagues and the rest of the sporting world is they do not eject players for fighting. However, fighting is punishable by ejection in the Peewee, College and European leagues, Olympic competition, and in women’s hockey at any level. So in order to have a fully educated discussion regarding the violence in the NHL these few things here will help you in your next conversation.
Let’s now break down why players fight. Fighting has evolved over time and has become a strategic element to the game. Fighting in Hockey has been around since the 19th Century when it started being used for intimidation and control. There was an increase in fighting after 1918 when the blue lines were introduced and the forward pass in the neutral zone was allowed. Once that started, the sport became more physical because the puck handlers would have to play closer together and would become more of a target in a confined space. In 1922, the NHL adopted Rule 56 titled “Fisticuffs” – rather than ejecting a player from the game they would be charged with a 5 minute major penalty, hence the term “Five For Fighting.” The NHL has done away with “Fisticuffs” and Rule 47 and currently discusses fighting in Rule 47 … titled “Fighting.”
I personally think fighting has an important role in hockey and brings withit an effect that coaches can use to change the momentum of a game. Fighting is still used to show dominance and also to protect the star players or snipers. Fighting is covered in the NHL rule bookand has 22 sub-sections to the rule (47.1 through 47.22) the only larger rule in the NHL rule bookis on Signals (33 sub-sections), and on the other side, the 3rd largest rule in the rule book has only 11 sub-sections. So if you think the NHL condones fighting, your wrong already. I said it before, Fighting is illegal in the NHL. The reason you see the Ref’s stand around and watch the fights is partly for safety (theirs and the players fighting) and partly so the players can do what they were sent out to do. Even though fighting is illegal … it still has its purpose. The rules state that the referees have a large margin of interpretation when it comes to stopping an altercation – basically saying “It’s their call to make.” Just because the ref does not stop a fight immediately, does not mean it is ok to do what the players are doing, there are repercussions and there will be penalties handed out … After!
Comparing the NHL and NFL against each other is hard to do. The only thing they have in common is they are both professional leagues. When we talk about violence, it seems people have become desensitized to certain levels seeing how the harder the hit and the slower the player is to get up increases the excitement during a normal football game. Football fans do not look at their sport as violent – “It’s Football … that’s how it is played.” Football players use force and strength to advance their play. Hockey players use finesse and speed to advance the puck. The violence in football is not noticed because the whole game is violent – after all, the only thing they do is run and tackle. I believe, by its nature, football is the most violent sport (with the exception to boxing and MMA [if you want to call those sports]). When I make comments like that in group discussions I usually witness a few sighs, a couple “You’re kidding right” and at least one major eye roll. I am then met with the statement “Well at least they don’t fight in football!” — And that’s all they got! If hockey is more violent than football, why are the NFL padding and helmets so much bigger and made to protect more of the body?
If you get a chance, open up the NHL Rule Book and scroll down to Rule 47 and see what the NHL says about fighting … keep in mind, fighting is illegal in Hockey … but when a fight breaks out, there are rules, 87 of them to be exact and 85 of them are not as defined as fighting. I think Rule 47 is an interesting read … check it out! If you disagree, or agree, or have a different opinion – Please let us know in the comments section.