Hockey Penalties Explained: Types, Ref Calls, and Whats Not

As a coach-turned-blogger who has argued with referee for 12 years, here’s the quick truth, hockey penalties are time-outs for grown-ups. You break a rule, you sit. Your team goes shorthanded, the other team gets a power play.

I’ve watched all of them, and I’ve shouted about most of them. In my experience, the team that stays calm on the penalty kill usually wins the long game.

What a Penalty Actually Does

You commit an infraction. The referee raises an arm. If your team doesn’t touch the puck right away, play continues on a delayed call. Then you go to the box for two, four, or five minutes. Your team plays 4-on-5 or worse. That’s it. The game turns on special teams. Goals swing momentum. Coaches age five years per minor. I say that with love.

If you want the formal, textbook description, I’ve always pointed friends to this solid breakdown of ice hockey penalties here, what a penalty is and how it works. It’s dry, sure. But accurate.

Types of Penalties You’ll Actually See

I’ve seen kids, pros, beer leaguers, everyone commit the same nine sins. Some are lazy. Some are mean. Some are both. Here’s my cheat table.

Type	Typical Minutes	Example	Impact
Minor	2	Hooking, tripping, slashing	Standard power play against you
Double Minor	4	High-sticking with blood	Two back-to-back minors; brutal swing if they score twice
Major	5	Boarding, charging, fighting	Full five minutes; doesn’t end on a goal
Misconduct	10	Mouthy or reckless behavior	Player sits, team stays 5-on-5 unless paired with another penalty
Match	5 + ejection	Intent to injure	Suspensions likely; enjoy paperwork
Delay of Game	2	Puck over glass, cover puck in trapezoid	Self-inflicted pain; coaches groan in unison
Too Many Men	2 (served by a player)	Bad change, confusion	Bench penalty; my personal least favorite

What About Icing and Offside?

Not penalties. Icing and offside stop play, but nobody goes to the box for them. In my teams, I kept barking “don’t ice the puck on the kill” because you can’t change after some icings at higher levels. If you want the nuts and bolts, here’s the icing rule explained with the no line change wrinkle.

The Stuff Referee Actually Look For

Referees are human. They can miss things. But their eyes go to predictable places. Sticks, hands, feet, and boards. If your stick makes someone fall or lose a step, that’s a problem.

• Hooking: Stick around the waist or hands, steals stride. Lazy penalty.
• Tripping: Stick or leg takes out feet. Always looks worse in slow-mo.
• Interference: Hitting someone without the puck. Play the puck, not the ghost of the puck.
• Cross-checking: Stick shaft to the back. Big no with numbers on the boards.
• Boarding: Driving a player into the boards. Dangerous, and referee are strict.
• High-sticking: Stick up high, contact to head or face. Blood, usually four minutes.
• Roughing: “I lost my cool” in two minutes or less.

Want the rulebook straight from the source? I bookmark this for disagreements on the bench, NHL rules, signals, and definitions. Helps me win arguments sometimes.

Minor vs. Major: How It Changes a Game

A two-minute minor? Manageable. Kill it with tight lanes, clear the puck, change smart. A double minor? That’s where coaches get a little pale. A five-minute major? That can flip a game. One or two goals later, the bench energy shifts. I’ve seen teams survive it with a heroic penalty kill and I’ve seen them unravel.

Also, all those whistles and special teams time do stretch the night. If you’re planning a snack run, check how long NHL games really take when the box door is busy and spoiler, longer than you think.

The Penalty Box: The Quiet Place You Don’t Want to Be

I’ve sat guys who were sure they were innocent. The box doesn’t care. It’s a tiny glass room, and it feels even smaller after a dumb stick foul. Some players reset in there, some stew, some chirp. Me? I stare at the clock like it owes me money.

Why Some Calls Feel Inconsistent

This sport isn’t math class. Context matters. A borderline hook becomes a penalty if it takes away a scoring chance. A hit that’s fine at open ice can be dangerous into the boards. Referee consider speed, angle, and result. I’ve coached kids to think “Would I want this hit on my teammate?” If the answer is No, don’t do it.

When to Take a Penalty (And When Not To)

When to Take a Penalty

Sometimes you absolutely should. If it’s a breakaway and you’re caught, a smart hook might save a goal just avoid a clear scoring chance that earns a penalty shot. If your goalie is down and the puck is headed in, tie someone up. I’m not saying be a villain. I’m saying be a realist.

When Should You Never Take a Penalty?

Offensive-zone lazy hooks. After-the-whistle face washes. The referee always catch the second punch. Always. That’s not cynicism. That’s data.

Power Play vs. Penalty Kill: How I Teach It

• Power play: Puck movement first, shot second. Make the PK skate.
• Penalty kill: Angles and sticks in lanes. Don’t chase. Clear hard, change fast.
• Faceoffs: On the kill, win it back and rim it out. Simple beats fancy.

The Weirdest Penalty to Coach Through: Too Many Men

Too many men. It’s chaos on a bad line change. I once watched us get this call twice in one period. That’s on me as a coach. Trust me, nothing humbles you faster than handing the other bench two free power plays because your winger wanted to take one more lap.

Highlights And Lessons From Bad Calls

I rewatch the messes. It’s how you cut bad habits fast. Want to see how penalties swing momentum in real games? I’ll point you to curated Match Analysis where you can track a call, the Analysis, and the shift after.

The Underwater Cousin That Made Me Grin

Yes, underwater hockey is real. No, they don’t have a penalty box with scuba chairs. I fell down a rabbit hole on it last summer and I’m still amused by the gear. If you like offbeat rule sets, check this tidy guide to underwater hockey rules. Different sport, same human chaos.

How Field Hockey and Ice Hockey Differ on Penalties

I’ve had parents ask why some games talk about quarters. That’s field hockey. Ice hockey plays three periods, field hockey uses quarters. If you’re curious how they differ, this explainer on Periods in hockey is simple and helpful.

Penalty Signals: Ref Hand Gestures Decoded

• Goalie interference: You can’t crash the crease. Contact with the goalie is a quick whistle and sometimes a coach’s challenge drama.
• Delay of game–puck over glass: Defenseman panics, flips it out. That’s two minutes. Intent doesn’t matter.
• Instigator on fights: Start it, you may get extra. It’s not the WWE. Mostly.

What Happens Right After a Penalty Kill

Signal	Meaning	Remember it like this
Arm across chest	Cross-checking	“Stick across the ribs” mime
Fist to head	Roughing	“Knock it off” gesture
Point to face	High-sticking	“Too high, buddy”
Hands making T	Interference	“Blocked the route”
Hand over head	Boarding	“Slammed the boards”

One More Thing About Rhythms and Restarts

After a kill, I like to throw out speed. The other team just burned gas on the power play. Hit them with pace. After we take a penalty? I want clean clears, quiet changes, and zero hero plays. Fancy gets you benched when shorthanded. I’ve done that speech more times than I’ve sharpened skates, which is saying something.

Rabbit Hole For The Rule Nerds

If you want to dive deeper than my cranky wisdom, there’s the official stuff, and then there’s the game flow stuff. The official stuff matters more than my opinion, obviously. But, yeah, I’m still going to argue about it from the bench.

Quick Comparisons That Help Newbies

• Penalty vs Icing: Box vs faceoff. One hurts more.
• Minor vs Major: Ends on a goal vs doesn’t. Big difference.
• Misconduct vs Penalty: You sit for 10, but your team isn’t down a man unless paired with a minor.
• Five-on-three: Don’t take back-to-back minors unless you enjoy chaos.
• Delay of game: Not a vibe. Teach your D to glass-and-out cleanly.

And yeah, if you’re still comparing notes, the formal penalty signals and timing quirks are covered well enough in the standard encyclopedias and rule guides. I’ve seen enough to know the game rarely reads the manual mid-scrum.

FAQs

What’s the fastest way to explain a penalty to a new fan?

Someone broke a rule, they sit in the box, their team plays with fewer players for a short time, and the other team gets a power play. Simple as that.

Why do some penalties end after one goal and others don’t?

Minors end if the power-play team scores. Majors keep running the full five minutes, even if two or three goals go in.

Can a team get two penalties at once?

Yep. Double minor is four minutes. Or two players at once gives a 5-on-3. That’s when coaches start bargaining with the universe.

Is icing a penalty?

No. It’s a stoppage and a faceoff back in your zone. But at higher levels, the icing team can’t change, which makes it feel like a mini punishment.

Do goalies ever serve penalties?

Goalies get penalties, but a skater serves the time for them. The goalie stays in the crease because we like functioning games.

Oh, and if you’re still amused by how many ways we can mess this up in this sport, same. I’ll be over here, muttering about stick discipline and celebrating a clean penalty kill like it’s a holiday.