Learning the Rules of Ice Hockey: The Six Types of Penalties

The sport of ice hockey can be a little bit tricky to completely understand to those who are not familiar with the game. One aspect that tends to confuse people is the fact that there are many different types of penalties that players can be assessed. These penalties tend to fall into six different categories: minor penalties, bench minor penalties, major penalties, misconduct penalties, match penalties, and finally penalty shot penalties.

The most common type of penalty is the minor penalty. If a player receives a minor penalty, then they are required to leave the ice and enter the penalty box for two minutes. For the most part, a player receives a minor penalty whenever he or she breaks a minor rule, such as slashing or hooking.

A bench minor penalty applies mostly to play between whistles. The majority of bench minor penalties are given to coaches that verbally abuse the referee and continue to argue a call; however, they can also be assessed for other reasons such as too many players on the ice. This type of penalty also requires a player to go to the penalty box for two minutes.

A major penalty is a most serious penalty. A major penalty requires the player receiving it to sit for five minutes, instead of two like a minor penalty. A major penalty is usually assessed most often when players fight. However, it can also be given to players that take penalties such as slashing or head checking if the referee deems it appropriate.

A misconduct penalty is yet another type of penalty in ice hockey. A player receiving a misconduct penalty is required to serve ten minutes in the penalty box; however, the team is not penalized and continues to skate with all of their players, as opposed to being short handed.