On the ice, as in life, there are consequences for your actions. In hockey, the most common hockey rule violations can force a face-off, penalizing the team in control of the puck when it committed the violation. Other hockey penalties call for a player to be sent to the penalty box for a certain number of minutes, giving the opposing team a one-player advantage. A minor penalty is the lowest level of infraction in the game of hockey. More serious hockey penalties include double-minors, major, misconduct, game misconduct, match, penalty shot, and gross misconduct.

Different Hockey Rules for Different Leagues

Most fans know hockey rules as they pertain to the National Hockey League, the sport’s North American professional league. But different leagues, age groups, and affiliations do not observe the NHL rules precisely. Hockey rules and penalties are tailored t0 the league, with NHL, college, junior, and youth hockey players each observing their own set of rules. There are also differences between leagues in the United States, Canada, and countries around the globe. In almost all cases, the hockey rules and penalties are tailored for safety concerns. Youth hockey follows the USA Hockey rules, but local youth leagues can make adjustments to fit their needs as long as the changes don’t affect the safety of players. We’ll cover a few NHL rules and penalties later. For now, we’ll discuss general rules across all leagues.

Hockey Rule Violations That Aren’t Penalties

For the uninitiated, hockey may seem like a chaotic, mad scramble with no seeming order. But a closer look reveals finely detailed roles for each player, with rules that keep the game fair and safe. A few hockey rules don't result in penalties, but instead stop play and require a face-off to restart the action.

The most common of these occurs when a play is ruled offsides. That’s where an offensive player crosses the blue line from the neutral zone into the opposing team’s zone—called the attacking or offensive zone—before the puck enters the attacking zone. If an offensive player enters the attacking zone before the puck, the team on offense has to slow and reset the play, and allow all players to “clear the zone.”

Another play that brings a lot of whistles in hockey is icing, where a player shoots the puck the length of the ice crossing both the center line and the opponent’s goal line. In some leagues, like the NHL, icing is called only if an opposing player other than the goalie touches the puck. Icing is waived off if the team icing the puck is killing off a power play or if it is first touched by a member of the team that iced the puck. An official may also blow the whistle and stop play without a penalty if a puck becomes dislodged in a player's equipment, the goal netting, or goes out of play.

Minor Penalties in Hockey

Most of the penalties called in a hockey game will be minor, resulting in a two-minute trip to the penalty box. This leaves that team shorthanded, while the other team is on a “power play,” which means they have a one-person advantage. If the team on the power play scores, the remaining time on the two-minute penalty is erased and the player in the box is released, putting both teams back at full strength. Officials can issue double or triple minors resulting in four- and six-minute stays in the box. While there are many, many minor hockey penalties, a few are called regularly.

The most common minors include:

• High sticking – Making contact with an opposing player above the shoulder with your stick, whether intentionally or inadvertently. If the play results in an injury, the penalty can be increased.
• Holding – Grabbing a player’s body, sweater, or stick, or otherwise preventing them from getting to the puck.
• Hooking – Using the blade of the stick to hold an opponent and prevent movement.
• Cross-checking – A hit in which a player uses the stick, held with both hands, to check an opponent.
• Roughing – Striking an opponent during an altercation that the officials decide is not severe enough to earn a more severe penalty. If a player punches another with gloves on during a skirmish, officials will sometimes give a roughing penalty.
• Tripping – Causing an opponent to fall by tripping with a stick or body.

Major Hockey Penalties

A major hockey penalty can be assessed for some of the same actions in the minor category, but is, in the judgment of the officials, a stronger penalty for a more severe infraction. A major penalty comes with five minutes in the penalty box, during which that team plays shorthanded. A major penalty is not shortened if the team on the power play scores a goal. However, in the case of fighting, if both combatants receive fighting majors and are sent to the box, substitute players can step in, allowing both teams to play at full strength.

Some typical infractions that earn players a major hockey penalty include:

• Boarding – Checking, tripping, or pushing an opponent into the side or end boards.
• Spearing – Striking an opponent with the blade of the stick in a stabbing motion.
• Slashing – Striking an opponent with the stick; often seen as a chop to the lower body.
• Charging – A hit in which a player takes multiple strides to gain speed to punish an opposing player, or if a player leaves his or her feet to maximize the impact.
• Check from behind – A check that impacts an opposing player from behind, preventing the player from preparing for the impact.
• Check to the head – Any contact above the shoulder that puts the head at risk.
• Fighting - Many scrums break out around the net or after a whistle, but a fighting major is called when a player drops the gloves and throws blows at another player.

Misconduct Penalties in Hockey

A misconduct penalty comes with a 10-minute spell in the penalty box. However, while that player must sit in the box for 10 minutes, the team can substitute another player onto the ice and the teams remain at even strength. Misconduct penalties are often called in conjunction with another penalty, such as a fighting major, when an official believes a player needs time to calm down and tempers to cool.

Some of the actions that can result in a misconduct penalty include fighting off the ice, continuing to fight or attempting to continue a fight after it has been broken up and the parties have been separated, throwing equipment onto the ice, or speaking to an official with profanity or abusive language.

Game Misconduct Penalties

A player assessed a game misconduct penalty is ejected from the contest and sent to the dressing room. Game misconducts are often assessed along with another penalty, such as a five-minute major. The game misconduct is added in the official’s ruling. For example, when a player is assessed a major for boarding an opposing player, but that player suffers an injury, the infraction can be upgraded to a game misconduct, resulting in an ejection.

The penalty goes into the books as a 10-minute penalty, but the team can immediately substitute another player and the teams remain at even strength. However, if the game misconduct is paired with a five-minute major, another player from the team will be sent to the box to serve the five minutes.

A player who earns three game misconducts in a season in the NHL, or two such hockey penalties for stick infractions, boarding, or checking from behind, automatically gets a one-match ban.

In addition to a penalty that results in an injury, other examples of hockey penalties that can earn a game misconduct include leaving the penalty box before the penalty is up, striking a spectator, leaving the penalty box during an on-ice fight, racial slurs, attempting to injure nonplayer personnel like a coach, or returning to the ice after being ordered to the dressing room.

Hockey Match Penalties

A match penalty is essentially an ejection from the game. It goes in the scorebook as a 10-minute penalty, but the player is immediately sent to the dressing room. The player’s team must play shorthanded for five minutes just as with a major penalty. A match penalty is used when a player intentionally hurts, or tries to hurt, another player. Other infractions that can result in a match penalty include stick offenses, checking from behind, boarding, biting, checks to the head, or punching and injuring an unsuspecting player.

The Most Recent Additions to the NHL Rulebook

Offense. More offense. We need more offense.

That’s what the Board of Governors lamented when they met in Las Vegas to discuss potential NHL rules for the 2019–20 campaign. By the time training camps opened in September of 2019, players had started adapting their style of play to those new on-ice regulations. To the astonishment of few, the alterations focused on offense and player safety. These rules were much-needed updates to the game and after one season, they were cemented as official NHL law. Let’s take a look at the most recent additions to the NHL rules so you know what to look for while in the stands:

1. Coach's Challenges Expanded

Head coaches enjoy more freedom to request reviews of contested plays via video replay. Traditionally, a high degree of scrutiny has surrounded calls for offside and goalie interference. Now, NHL coaches have an unlimited number of challenges per game so they can confirm contested plays, such as hand passes, high sticks, and out-of-play pucks in the offensive end. But coach’s challenges now come with greater risk: the first failed challenge results in a two-minute penalty, while each subsequent failed challenge results in a four-minute penalty.

The NHL Situation Room in Toronto continues to assume all responsibilities for reviews during the final minute of regulation and overtime.

2. Wearing Helmets

Tipping a hat to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the league’s top watch dogs adopted the NHL helmet rule, which is similar to the IIHF’s restriction. When a player’s helmet comes off during play for any reason, they are responsible for immediately retrieving it or exiting the ice. If they fail to do so and aren’t near the puck, they can be whistled for a minor infraction.

The major difference between the NHL helmet rule and the one the IIHF employs is that a helmetless skater in the NHL can remain on the ice if he is directly involved in the play. Also, if a player intentionally removes the helmet of an opponent, he could be subject to a roughing penalty.

3. Penalties for Unsuccessful Coach's Challenge

As many have already discovered, coaches must be confident they’re right when they issue a challenge to referees. If not, there could be momentum-changing consequences. If an NHL coach’s challenge is not upheld, a two-minute delay of game minor penalty will be issued to the offenders. Coaches do not want to recklessly hand power plays to opponents. For each ensuing failed challenge coaches incur during one game, a double minor will be called.

4. Line Changes

Two of the more significant NHL line change rules were designed to introduce additional scoring opportunities by taking advantage of tired defenders. Now, coaches will not be able to orchestrate line changes in the defensive zone after their goalies freeze the puck on shots from outside their zone. This prevents defenders from knocking their net off moorings in a deliberate attempt to stop play.

5. Awarded Goals

Speaking of that old goalie trick, if a pressured goalie knocks the net from its pegs to eliminate a breakaway scoring threat, it could now cost his club a goal.

6. Selecting Face-Off Circles

Coaches now select which side they want the next face-off to commence following icing calls and at the start of man-advantage situations. This allows coaches, who are anticipating an offensive-zone face-off, opportunities to position their face-off specialists on the strong side of their sticks for puck drops.

7. Puck Out of Play

Instead of executing a face-off outside the blue line when a player skates into the offensive zone and subsequently causes a stoppage of play, NHL rules now call for the resumption of action to begin in the offensive zone.

8. Referees’ Review of Penalty Calls

These NHL rules also expanded the responsibilities for on-ice officials. Following all major (non-fighting) and match penalties, officials are required to conduct video reviews. This delay in action is required so the referees can accurately assess calls to confirm the penalties. During reviews, the officials also have the discretion, if warranted, to reduce five-minute major infractions to two-minute minor penalties. Regardless of what the officials see during reviews, they will not be allowed to completely wave off a call.