Hits to the head
Shaft to the neck
| Correct Call: | If the shaft is just resting there, No call. If there is a punching motion, Cross Check, 1 minute Non Releasable if the brunt of the force is directed into the neck or head area. If there is no punching, but the offensive player’s movement is impeded, 30 second hold. If the check started legal on his back, and then drove up into the head or neck, the same criteria above applies. | |
| For this not to be a penalty: | If there is no punching motion or impeding of the offensive player. | |
| Game Level: | This should be called at every level. However on lower skilled games or with two hot tempered players or teams, good game control would be to call this as strict as possible. |
Check to the head
| Correct Call: | Cross check to the head. 1-3 minutes non-releasable. At the 8 second mark the white player lands a check to the head. This should land in the 1-2 minute area. | |
| For this not to be a penalty: | Check needed to land on the shoulder or chest. | |
| Game Level: | This should be called at every level. |
Check to the helmet
| Correct Call: | Cross check to the head. 1-3 minutes non-releasable. This should land in the 1-2 minute area. | |
| For this not to be a penalty: | Check needs to land in the chest area. | |
| Game Level: | This should be called at all levels. |
Body check into falling down player
| Correct Call: | This one is tricky. The defenseman clearly pulls back and tries to stop but does collide with the falling down attackman. We need to get consistent on this type of play. Reason this should be a penalty: The defenseman’s hands still make contact with the falling player’s head. Reason this should not be a penalty: The defenseman clearly tries to stop and should the falling attackman be considered a player that is turning? If the player didn’t fall, would the check have been legal? Even though contact comes after the shot, I don’t think it would have been unnecessary roughness, because the defensive player does pull back. |
Check that starts low, ends up in the neck
| Correct Call: | Cross check. 1 minute personal foul. This is one we have to be more consistent on. The check starts low but does end up in the neck. Per the rulebook, this should be a 1-3 minute non-releasable. How do we want to call this? | |
| For this to not be a penalty: | Keep the hands from sliding up into the neck. | |
| Game Level: | This could be called a more severe penalty on lower tiered games. |
High check into the helmet
| Correct Call: | Slashing. By definition this is in the head/neck area and should be a 1-3 minute non-releasable penalty. This should land in the 1 minute area. | |
| For this to not be a penalty: | If the defenseman’s stick was just up in the air and the offensive player ran into it, than this would not be a slash. | |
| Game Level: | This should be called at all levels. |
Shaft contact to helmet after faceoff
| Correct Call: | Although the shaft makes contact on the helmet, No call. Contact should be called a brush | |
| For this to be a penalty: | For this to be a slash, there should be a definitive blow or strike. | |
| Game Level: | This could be called a penalty on lower tiered games. But never on higher level games. |
Head to head Contact while playing defense
| Correct Call: | Although there is contact, No call. Contact does not appear to be intentional. | |
| For this to be a penalty: | More blatant and brute force contact needed. | |
| Game Level: | This could be called a penalty on lower tiered games. But never on higher level games. |
Crosscheck to head while falling
| Correct Call: | Crosscheck to the head & neck area. 1-3 minutes Non Releasable. Two minutes should be considered for this. | |
| For this not to be a penalty: | The check needs to be more on the chest, with the hands a little closer together. | |
| Game Level: | This should be called a penalty on all game levels. |