Louisiana Ice Hockey

In hockey, there are the type of penalties where a stoppage occurs, but standard play continues and then more serious no-no’s where the guilty party is forced to sit out a minimum of two minutes or, in extreme cases, the entire game. Once a serious penalty occurs, the referee will escorted a player to the penalty box, where he will remain until the necessary time ticks off the clock and he is eligible to get back into the game. These are some of the most commonly called infractions resulting in penalty minutes (the accumulated total of time spent in the penalty box), and why a player would be found in violation.Elbowing Hockey can be a physical game, but in fighting for position, a player must be careful in how he uses his body. A stray elbow that connects with an opposing player can result in a whistle if an official decides it was anything more than incidental contact.Cross-Checking Players often crash into other players on the ice, in an effort to jar the puck loose; however, if you check another player and lead with your stick, you are likely headed to the box. In order to qualify as a cross-check, both hands must be on the stick with all parts of the stick off the ice.Interference It may seem as if players are checking anyone and everyone all across the ice. However, interference can be whistled when a player comes into contact an opponent who does not have possession of the puck, and is deemed to impede his progress.Roughing Roughing can indicate any unnecessary use of physically, such as shoving an opponent.Spearing/Slashing/Hooking/High-sticking These penalties all regulate what you can and can’t do with your stick. Spearing signifies stabbing or jabbing your opponent with the blade of your stick; slashing is when a stick is swung at an opponent; hooking is just as the name describes, using your stick to hold a player back as he attempts to move across the ice; high-sticking makes it illegal to touch another player with your stick above waist height, protecting the unpadded areas on a player’s face and neck.While not a cumulative list of everything that could send you to the box, avoid these penalties as they are the most often frequent whistles that add to the average hockey player’s penalty minutes.