page_title: Hockey Canada Officiating Program
section_title: List of infractions
hierarchical_section_title: Hockey Canada Officiating Program / Penalties / List of infractions
caption_attribution_description: An ice hockey referee signals a penalty for high sticking.
context_page_description: The Hockey Canada Officiating Program is the governing body for on-ice officials for all ice hockey games played under the jurisdiction of Hockey Canada. The Hockey Canada Rulebook provides in-depth explanation and examples of all rules governing hockey in Canada.
  The Hockey Canada Officiating Program guides the development and utilization of Officials through all levels of hockey governed by Hockey Canada. The 6-tier level system, is the foundation for the training and development of amateur hockey officials across Canada. Designations of Levels I through III allow the officiating of most minor hockey. Designation of Levels IV though VI allow the officiating of international, semi-professional, and professional levels of hockey.
  Hockey Canada has categorized the hockey into four basic streams, each with different priorities. They include:
  Initiation
  Recreational
  Competitive
  Program of Excellence
context_section_description: Under most jurisdictions of hockey, you will see these penalties being called in almost every aspect of the game.
  Abuse of officials 
  Arguing with, insulting, using obscene gestures or language directed at or in reference to, or deliberately making violent contact with any on or off-ice official. This generally is issued in addition to other penalties or as a bench penalty against a coach or off-ice player, and is grounds for ejection under a game misconduct or match penalty in most leagues including the NHL.
  Aggressor penalty 
  Assessed to the player involved in a fight who was the more aggressive during the fight. This is independent of the instigator penalty, but both are usually not assessed to the same player (in that case the player's penalty for fighting is usually escalated to deliberate injury of opponents, which carries a match penalty).
  Attempt to injure
  Deliberately trying to harm an opponent (and/or succeeding). This type of infraction carries an automatic match penalty.
  Boarding
  Pushing an opponent violently into the boards.
  Butt-ending (or Stabbing)
  Jabbing an opponent with the end of the shaft of the stick. Double minor or major and game misconduct.
  Butt-ending (Hooking)
  Holding or hooking an opponent with the end of the shaft above the hand.  Minor penalty for Butt-End hooking.
  Charging
  Taking more than three strides or jumping before hitting an opponent.
  Checking from behind
  In hockey governed by Hockey Canada, checking an opponent from behind carries an automatic Game Misconduct in addition to any other time penalty the player receives.  If the victim of the check is unable to defend themselves, an automatic Match penalty is assessed.
  Cross-checking
  Hitting an opponent with the stick when it is held with two hands and no part of the stick is on the ice.
  Delay of game
  Deliberately stalling the game (for example, deliberately shooting the puck out of play, holding the puck in the hand, refusing to send players out for a faceoff, or even repeated deliberate offsides).  As part of the rule changes following the 2004–05 NHL lockout, NHL officials also call an automatic delay of game penalty to goaltenders that go into the corners behind the goal line (outside a trapezoid-shaped area just behind the net) to play the puck. Some delay of game offenses, such as taking too long to send players to take a faceoff, are not punished with a penalty: instead, the official may choose to eject the center of the offending team from the face-off circle and order him replaced with another player already on the ice.
  Elbowing
  Hitting an opponent with the elbow.
  Fighting (Fisticuffs)
  Engaging in a physical altercation with an opposing player, usually involving the throwing of punches with gloves removed or worse. Minor altercations such as simple pushing and shoving, and punching with gloves still in place, are generally called as Roughing.
  Goaltender Interference
  Physically impeding or checking the goalie. Visually impeding the goalie's view of the play with your body, called "screening", is legal.
  Head-butting
  Hitting an opponent with the head. Based on force, minimal impact is a minor, severe impact is major and game misconduct. Intent to injury is Match.
  High sticking
  Touching an opponent with the stick above shoulder level. A minor penalty is assessed to the player.  If blood is drawn(NHL), a double-minor (4 minutes) is usually called. They may also assess a double-minor when blood is not drawn(Jr. Hockey), but he believes that the player was sufficiently injured(Injured = major and game misconduct) or that the offending player used excessively reckless action with his stick.  If a player, while in the action of "following through" on a shot, strikes an opposing player in the head or face area with his stick, high sticking is still called (new 2008-2010 season).  A penalty is not called when the puck is hit by a high stick, but play will be stopped and the ensuing faceoff will take place at a spot which gives the non-offending team an advantage. Also, a goal that is scored by means of hitting the puck with a high stick wi
caption: A referee signals a penalty for high sticking
exif: {"Image Make": "Panasonic", "Image Model": "DMC-FZ7", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "QuickTime 7.2", "Image DateTime": "2007:08:18 08:13:28", "Image HostComputer": "Mac OS X 10.4.9", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "242", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "614", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "5630", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/80", "EXIF FNumber": "4", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "200", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2007:08:17 17:30:02", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2007:08:17 17:30:02", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "33/100", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "3", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "72", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area"}