Rule / Situation of the week
Be the Referee!!!
Welcome to our Rule/Situation(s) of Week!
Welcome back! This week’s column will try to try to explain who’s player needs to serve a penalty or multiple penalties assessed to a goalkeeper. As you know, goalkeepers do not serve their own penalties in the penalty box! So every time they are assessed a minor, double minor, major or misconduct penalty, a player from his team as to serve his penalty in the sin bin for him. When being assessed a game misconduct or a match penalty, the goalkeeper’s penalty time on the clock shall still be served by a player of his team while he will also be ejected from the game. The rule of thumb to know who serves a goalkeeper’s penalty is that it needs to be a player from his team that was on the ice at the time of the infraction and this penalty needs to be served immediately. There’s a few situations where the player serving the penalty or a portion of the penalty doesn’t need to be a player who was on the ice at the time of the infraction, let’s go over a few situations to better understand this process.
SITUATION #1
Team A goalkeeper is assessed a minor penalty for tripping. Who serves the goalkeeper’s penalty?
ANSWER
The minor penalty must be served by another member of his team who was on the ice when the offense was committed. Rule 27.1 A goalkeeper shall not be sent to the penalty bench for an offense which incurs a minor penalty, but instead, the minor penalty shall be served by another member of his team who was on the ice when the offense was committed. This player is to be designated by the Manager or Coach of the offending team through the playing Captain and such substitute shall not be changed.
SITUATION #2
Both teams are playing at full strength. At the same stoppage of play, Player A21 is assessed two minutes for interference on the goalkeeper and two minutes for roughing. Player B1 (the goalkeeper) is assessed two minutes for slashing and player B25 is assessed two minutes for roughing. What is the on-ice strength? Who serves the penalty for the goalkeeper?
ANSWER
The on-ice strength is five skaters against five skaters. Rule 19.1 and 19.5 The minor penalty assessed to the goalkeeper must be served by another member of his team who was on the ice when the offense was committed (even though no penalty times go up on the penalty time clock). A penalized player may not serve a goalkeeper’s penalty. Rule 27.1
SITUATION #3
During a stoppage of play where fighting penalties are assessed to both teams, both goalkeepers are also penalized. One goalkeeper is assessed a minor penalty for roughing, the other a minor penalty for leaving his goal crease. These minor penalties are cancelled out using the coincidental penalty rule and are not served on the penalty time clock. Is it necessary for each team to place a player in the Penalty Box to serve the minor penalties assessed to the goalkeepers?
ANSWER
Yes. “A goalkeeper shall not be sent to the Penalty Bench for an offense which incurs a minor penalty, but instead, the minor penalty shall be served by another member of his team who was on the ice when the offense was committed.” Rule 27.1
SITUATION #4
The Team A goalkeeper is assessed a major penalty. Does Team A have to place a player in the Penalty Box immediately to serve this penalty or can they elect to put the substitute in the box at any time prior to the expiration of the major penalty?
ANSWER
The substitute must be put into the Penalty Box immediately as it has to have been a player who was on the ice when the offense was committed. Rule 27.2
If a goalkeeper is involved in coincidental penalties being assessed and as a result, his team is required to play shorthanded due to additional penalties assessed to the goalkeeper, the player designated to serve the additional time penalties assessed to the goalkeeper may be any other player.
Also, when a goalkeeper receives a match penalty that is coincidental with a match or major penalty to the opposing team, no player is required to proceed to the Penalty Bench to serve the goalkeeper’s match penalty
SITUATION #5
During a scrum around the net, Team A’s goalkeeper comes out of his crease to fight and receives 2 minutes for leaving his crease plus 5 minutes for fighting. Team B forward receives 5 minutes fighting. How are the goalkeeper’s penalties served?
ANSWER
Team B will be on the “powerplay” (5vs4) for two minutes. A member of Team A who was on the ice when the offense was committed would go in the penalty box and serve 7 minutes (not on the clock) and will only be released after the expiration of the 7 minutes atfer a whistle. Another Team A player (any player as designated by the Manager or Coach of the offending team through the playing captain) must go in the penalty box to serve the minor penalty to the goalkeeper who is on the clock. Rule 27.1 and Rule 27.2
See you next Monday!
Every Monday during the regular season schedule, we will explain in this column some bizarre or uncommon game situations/rules. Hockey is a particular game when it comes to the rulebook. Hockey officials need to know their rules but more important they have to know the interpretation and application of them! We will see in the next several months, in this series of articles, that a rule hassometimes two different applications depending on the situation that occurred on the ice. This is not theofficialsdeciding on the outcome of the gameshere, by deciding to apply or not the rule, but is rather the interpretation and the application of that rule along with itsintent that dictatesthe final decision made by the officials on the ice! This is not a column to promote or defend our officials but rather an educational tool for all hockey fans and hockey officials to acquire a better understanding of the game of hockey! So let’s start to see if you know your NHL rules! Wewill help you better understand some decisions made by NHL officials some nights and hopefully making you better “couch” referee!