Penalty A penalty is a sanction taken against a player during a game to punish inappropiate behaviour . Said sanction is usually enforced by sending the offending player in the penalty box for a set number of minutes , minutes during which the player can not participate in the play on the ice . While various leagues have a different set of rules , most recognize several common degrees of penalty and common infractions . The statistic used to track penalties was traditionally called Penalty Infraction Minutes ( PIM ) , although the alternate term Penalties in Minutes has become common in recent years . Enforcement . Penalties are mostly called by the referee s ; linesmen may only call certain obvious technical infractions such as " too many players on the ice " . When a penalty is called , the official will raise an arm in the air to signal an infraction has occured . Depending on how the play goes , two things may happen : A delayed penalty is one in which the a penalty is called but play is not yet stopped because the opposing team retains the puck . The goaltender of the non - offending team will often go to the players ' bench upon seeing the arm signal to allow an extra attacker on the ice until the play is stopped , which may help them score a goal . In the National Hockey League , a goal scored on a delayed minor penalty call voids the penalty . On major penalty calls and match penalties , this rule does not apply , and if a goal is scored on the delayed call , the penalty will nevertheless be enforced in the usual manner . When the play stops , the offending player ( s ) is sent to the penalty box to serve their penalty . They are not allowed to leave the box until the penalty has expired . It is possible for two or more players of a same team to be in the penalty box at the same time , resulting on even few players on the ice left for the offending team to play with ; however , no matter how many players are penalized at the same time , the offending team may never have fewer than three players on the ice ( additionnal penalties will be delayed and enforced when the earlier one expires ) ; we speak of a " five - on - three " in this situation . Obviously , the opposing team may also be penalized while being on power play ( having more players on the ice than the opposition ) ; this may result in the two teams playing at " four - on - four " or " four - on - three " for a while ; it could even go down to " three - on - three " , but this situation is very uncommon . Goaltenders may be assessed penalties ; however , they can ' t be sent to the penalty box . These penalties will be served by another player of their team who was on the ice at the time of the infraction . Short - handed teams may move the puck freely without risking such penalties as icing . Therefore , being short - handed in the last minutes of a game may benefit the penalized team , as they may attempt to score empty net goal s without risking an icing call if they miss the net in doing so . Types of penaties . Five types of penalties are recognized by the National Hockey League : these are minor penalty , major penalty , misconduct , game misconduct and match penalty . The enforcement of these penalties may be complicated ; this section presents the basic principles . Minor penalty . Minor penalties are by far the most common penalties ; these are assessed for common infractions . They result in a two or four minutes visit to the penalty box , during which the player ' s team is short - handed . A goal scored by the opposing team ends the penalty ; a goal scored by the offending team does not end it . However , if more than one minor penalty is assessed to one team and a goal is scored against it , only the earliest penalty will be ended by so . In the NHL and U . S . college hockey , if minor penalties are assessed to one player on each team at the same time ( " coincidental " ) while teams are at full strength , the teams will each play with four skaters in " four - on - four " play . Since neither team is short - handed , a goal in four - on - four play does not end either penalty , instead , it halves the penalty time . In USA Hockey and IIHF , however , coincidental minor penalties result in normal full strength hockey , and the players may not return to the ice until the first stoppage in play after the penalties expire . Bench minors are minor penalties which are assessed against the team as a whole ; any player other than the goaltender may be selected to serve a bench minor . For certain offences , a player may be assessed a double minor , which simply entails serving two consecutive minor penalties . They are typically issued for instances of high - sticking which result in injury . Though not part of official USA Hockey rules as of 2005 - 2006 [ update ] , some " in - house " amateur or non - checking leagues instruct referees to call a double minor for stick penalties such as high - sticking , slashing , tripping with the stick , hooking or cross - checking , regardless of whether an injury was sustained as a result . If a goal is scored during the first penalty of a double minor , the first penalty expires and the second immediately begins . If a goal is scored against the offending team on a delayed penalty that is to be a double minor , the first penalty is negated and the second is enforced as a normal minor . Common infractions which incur a minor penalty include : cross - checking , high - sticking , holding , holding the stick , hooking , interference , roughing , slashing , delaying the game and tripping . Major penalty . A major penalty is a stronger degree of penalty for a more severe infraction of the rules than a minor . Most penalties which incur a major are more severe instances of minor penalty infractions ; the exception is fighting which always draws a major . A player who receives a major penalty will remain off the ice for five minutes of play during which his team will be short - handed . A major penalty will not end if a goal is scored against the short - handed team . If major penalties are assessed to one player on each team at the same time , they may be substituted for and teams will not be reduced by one player on the ice . They will remain in the penalty box until the first stoppage of play following the expiry of the penalties . This commonly occurs with majors for fighting . Earning three major penalties in a game results in an automatic game misconduct penalty ; though a number of infractions that result in a major penalty automatically impose a game misconduct as well . Infractions that often call for a major penalty include - spearing , fighting , butt - ending , charging , and boarding . Misconduct penalty . A player who receives a misconduct penalty will remain off the ice for ten minutes . The player may be substituted for on the ice and may return to the ice at the first stoppage in play following the expiry of the penalty ( unless other penalties were assessed ) . In a game on 12 October 2008 between the Anaheim Ducks and Phoenix Coyotes , a penalty for " inciting " was assessed to the Anaheim Ducks after a fight . This penalty was for 10 minutes and so can be seen as a misconduct , though at the time only 3 tenths of a second remained in the game . No mention of this being a major penalty / misconduct was made . Game misconduct penalty . A player ( whether a skater or goaltender ) who receives a game misconduct penalty is ejected , and is sent to the team ' s dressing room . The player may be immediately substituted for on the ice ; however , in practice , game misconduct penalties are normally assessed along with five minute major penalties and another player will serve this penalty first . Regardless of the time of the penalty , the player is charged with ten penalty minutes for statistical purposes . This rule also applies to match penalties ( see below ) . Any player who is dismissed three times in an NHL season incurs a one - match ban , and further discipline is possible for subsequent ejections . Salary lost as a result of a ban is usually donated to a league - supported charity or program to assist retired players . Match penalty . A player who receives a match penalty is ejected . A match penalty is imposed for deliberately injuring or attempting to injure another player . Any player other than the goaltender must be chosen to go to the penalty box to serve a five minute major penalty during which he may not be substituted for on the ice . If the goaltender receives a match penalty , another player serves the time so that the team may immediately insert a backup . In practice , an NHL match penalty and game misconduct are virtually identical in application . Further , offending players are suspended from the next game their team plays , and often face hearings with the possibility of a lengthier ban . In NCAA hockey , a similar penalty called a game disqualification results in automatic suspension for the number of games equal to the number of game disqualification penalties the player has been assessed in that season . Penalty shot . " Main article : Penalty shot " A penalty shot is a special case of penalty for cases in which a scoring opportunity was lost as a result of an infraction ( like being tripped or hooked while on a breakaway ; or a player covers the puck with their hand inside the crease ) . The player who was deprived of the opportunity , or one chosen by the team , is allowed an unchallenged opportunity to score on the opposing goaltender as compensation . Apart from their use as a penalty , penalty shots also form the shootout that is used to resolve ties in many leagues and tournaments . Gross misconduct penalty . Similar to a game misconduct , gross misconduct penalties were eliminated from the NHL rulebook on June 20 , 2007 . It was imposed for an action of extreme unsportsmanlike conduct , such as abuse of officials or spectators , and could be assessed to any team official in addition to a player . Infractions which garnered a gross misconduct now earn a game misconduct . The penalty had last been assessed in 2000 . Stacked penalties . When two players on one team are in the penalty box at the same time , it becomes a 5 on 3 situation . When a third player of the same team gets a penalty before either of the other two have expired , it remains 5 on 3 and it becomes a stacked penalties situation . This means the third penalty will start when one of the others expire , whether the time expires or the opposing team scores on the powerplay . This is because there can be no fewer than three skaters for each team on the ice at one time . List of infractions . In the NHL , infractions that result in penalties include : 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 while the player is facing the boards . Butt - ending ( or Stabbing ) . Jabbing an opponent with the end of the shaft of the stick . It carries an automatic major penalty and game misconduct . Charging . Taking more than three strides or jumping before hitting an opponent . Checking from behind . Hitting an opponent from behind is a penalty . It carries an automatic minor penalty and misconduct , or a major penalty and game misconduct if it results in injury . See checking . Clipping . Delivering a check below the knees of an opponent . If injury results , a major penalty and a game misconduct will result . 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 . Diving . Falling to the ice in an attempt to draw a penalty . 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 . A match penalty is called for doing so . High sticking . Touching an opponent with the stick above shoulder level . A minor penalty is assessed to the player . If blood is drawn , a double - minor ( 4 minutes ) is usually called . A common ( yet false ) belief is that blood drawn automatically warrants a double - minor . This is not the case ( it is , however , the precedent that has been in place for years ) . Referees may use their discretion to assess only a minor penalty even though blood was drawn . They may also assess a double - minor when blood is not drawn , but he believes that the player was sufficiently injured 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 not called unless the referee can determine that the player taking the shot was deliberately aiming to strike the opposing player . A penalty is also 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 will not be counted . Holding . Grabbing an opponent ' s body , equipment or clothing with the hands or stick . Generally a minor ; USA Hockey rules call for a major and a game misconduct for grabbing and holding a facemask or visor . Holding the stick . Grabbing and holding an opponent ' s stick , also called when a player deliberately wrenches a stick from the hands of an opposing player or forces the opponent to drop it by any means that is not any other penalty such as Slashing . Hooking . Using a stick as a hook to slow an opponent , no contact is required under new standards . Illegal Equipment . Using equipment that does not meet regulations , either by size ( length , width ) or number ( two sticks ) or other guidelines ( e . g . a goalie ' s facemask can no longer be the " Jason " - style form - fit mask , a player may not have a stick with a curve exceeding 3 / 4 " , nor may they play with a goalie ' s stick ) . If a player broke a stick , it is mandatory to drop the stick immediately and play without it until getting a replacement from the bench . Otherwise this penalty will be assessed to the offending player ( some game summaries call this " playing with a broken stick " ) . In addition , in the NHL a player may not pick a stick up off the ground after it has been dropped ( they can only receive a stick from another player or from the bench ; goalkeepers may not go to the bench but must have a stick carried out to them ) . This rule is generally not enforced in amateur leagues except for broken sticks or egregiously out - of - spec equipment as the cost of acquiring gear that meets NHL specifications " post - lockout " is prohibitive , especially for goalies . However , from 2009 onwards USA Hockey will enforce the NHL goal equipment specs , as will IIHF . [ dated info ] While allowing " big pads " until then , USA Hockey stated in their 2007 Official Rules and Casebook of Ice Hockey that they " strongly encourage " goaltenders to follow the new regulations before they take effect . Illegal Check to the Head . As of the start of the 2010 - 11 NHL season , any form of " lateral or blind side hit to an opponent , where the player ' s head is targeted and / or the principal point of contact " is punishable with a combination five - minute major penalty and game misconduct , due to the increasing concern following concussion injuries to NHL players following incidents such as David Booth and Marc Savard ' s concussions in the 2009 - 10 NHL season . A second incident of this type caused by the same player in a season ( or post - season playoffs ) results in an automatic suspension for the following game their team plays , with the potential for increasing durations of suspension from active play , for any subsequent checks to opposing players ' head areas . Instigator penalty . Being the obvious instigator in a fight . Called in addition to the five minute major for fighting . Interference . Impeding an opponent who does not have the puck , or impeding any player from the bench . Joining a fight . Also called the " 3rd man in " rule , the first person who was not part of a fight when it broke out but participates in said fight once it has started for any reason ( even to pull the players apart ) is charged with an automatic game misconduct in addition to any other penalties they receive for fighting . Kicking . Kicking an opponent with the skate or skate blade . Kicking carries a match penalty if done with intent to injure , but otherwise carries a major penalty and a game misconduct . ( Under Hockey Canada rules , kicking or attempting to kick an opponent always carries a Match Penalty regardless of intent . ) Kneeing . Hitting an opponent with the knee . Playing with Too Many Sticks . When a player plays with more than one stick . For example , if a goalie were to lose his stick and a player from his team skates over to pick up the goalie stick and then , while skating back to the goalie with both sticks , attempts to touch a live puck with either stick , will be called for Playing with Too Many Sticks . Roughing . Pushing and shoving or throwing punches that are not severe enough to be considered fighting . Also called in non - checking leagues when an illegal body check is made . Secondary Altercation . This infraction is not listed in the NHL Rulebook , but it is prevalent in the Central Hockey League ( USA ) and other minor leagues . It is most commonly issued when players engage in or attempt to engage in fight after the original fight ( between two separate players ) . This infraction carries an automatic game misconduct penalty . Slashing . Swinging a stick at an opponent , no contact is required under new standards . Slew Footing . Rarely called , as it is easily concealed . Tripping an opponent by using your feet . Most of the time simply called as " Tripping " ; Slew footing as a penalty in fact does not exist in the USA Hockey rulebook as of 2005 - 2006 [ update ] . Spearing . Stabbing an opponent with the stick blade . It carries an automatic major penalty and game misconduct . Starting the wrong lineup . This very rare bench minor penalty is called when the offending team fails to put the starting lineup on the ice at the beginning of each period , the exception being injuries . For this penalty to be called , the captain of the non - offending team must bring this breach of the rules to the referee ' s attention immediately at the first stoppage of play . Also the penalty may be given if a player is not put on the scoresheet at the beginning of the game and plays . The only way for this to be called is if the official scorer notifies the referee of this oversight . Substitution infraction ( Illegal Substitution ) . This rare bench minor penalty is called when a substitution or addition is attempted during a stoppage of play after the linesmen have signalled no more substitutions ( once the face - off is set ) or if a team pulls its goalie and then attempts to have the goalie re - enter play at any time other than during a stoppage of play . Too many men on the ice and / or starting the wrong lineup can also simply be called a substitution infraction . Too many men on the ice . Having more than six players ( including the goalie ) on the ice involved in the play at any given time . " Involved in the play " is key ; players that are entering the ice as substitutes for players coming off may enter the ice once the player returning to the bench is less than five ( 5 ) feet from his team ' s bench ( Rule 74 . 1 ) ; at that point the returning player is considered out of the play , even if the play passes in front of the bench , unless he actively makes a move for the puck . Players entering the ice are part of the play as soon as their skates touch the ice . Tripping . Using a stick or one ' s body to trip an opponent , no contact is required under new standards . Unsportsmanlike conduct . Arguing with a referee ; using slurs against an opponent or teammate ; playing with illegal equipment ; making obscene gestures or abusing an official . Can carry either a minor , misconduct , game misconduct or match penalty , depending on the gravity of the infraction ( for instance , using obscene language to a referee initially results in a minor , but making an obscene gesture to an opponent , fan or official carries a game misconduct . ) Also , in some leagues the penalty progression is different for players and team officials ( for example , in the USA Hockey rulebook players get a minor for their first infraction , a misconduct for their second and a game misconduct for their third , whereas the option of a misconduct is removed for coaches ; in addition , after each penalty for a team official , the penalty count resets itself ) . Unsportsmanlike conduct may also be called if a player drops gloves and stick in preparation for a fight , but the non - offending player does not drop the corresponding equipment and has committed no action ( verbal or physical harassment ) to attempt to instigate a fight . As of April 14 , 2008 , following a Devils - Rangers playoff game , the NHL ruled that standing in front of an opposing goalie and engaging " in actions such as waving his arms or stick in front of the goaltender ' s face , for the purpose of improperly interfering with and / or distracting the goaltender " will draw a minor unsportsmanlike conduct penalty , a rule interpretation inspired by the play of Sean Avery against Martin Brodeur . Other leagues typically assess penalties for additional infractions . For example , most adult social leagues and women ' s hockey leagues ban all body checking ( a penalty for roughing or illegal check is called ) , and in most amateur leagues , any head contact whatsoever results in a penalty . Penalty as strategy . Coaches or players may occasionally opt to commit an infraction on purpose . In some cases , it is hoped that the infraction can be concealed from the officials , avoiding a penalty . Gordie Howe was one player renowned for his ability to commit infractions without being called . Hockey players that opt to commit an infraction despite the punishment do so in order to degrade the opposing team ' s morale or momentum , or boost their own . This is most common with fighting , because the likely coincidental penalties do not result in a hindrance for their team . Hockey players also sometimes commit infractions with the hope of drawing the other player into a committing a retaliatory infraction , and being penalized , while not being caught themselves . Hockey players known as " pests " specialize their game in the strategy of trying to draw opponents into taking a penalty . Another common reason to commit an infraction is as last resort when an opposing player has a scoring opportunity , when a penalty kill is the preferable alternative to the scoring opportunity . NHL penalty records . The record for the most penalty minutes in one season is held by Dave Schultz of the Philadelphia Flyers with 472 in the 1974 - 75 NHL season . The record for most penalty minutes in a career is held by Tiger Williams who had 3 , 966 over 14 years . The active penalty minute leader is Chris Chelios from the Detroit Red Wings , who has accumulated 2 , 873 PIM over 25 seasons .