Rule 6-40 article 3 states that a penalty shall be assessed to a player who intentionally or recklessly contacts a player to the head, including with the stick or by an illegal body check. Penalty-minor or major if flagrant. 

That being said, there are things you need to know before yelling at the stripes for the non-call. The key words in this rule are intentionally and recklessly. As you know by now there can be a huge height discrepancy in players especially at the high school level where you can have an 8th grader playing against a senior in some cases.So what does that mean?

If you have a 6 foot player chasing down a puck against a say a 5 foot player and the taller player keeps their hands and stick down and makes contact with the shorter player, there is not a penalty there as that is coincidental contact. Unfortunately in this case the shorter player is at a disadvantage although remember the key words, intentional and reckless because if the taller player uses his size to bully the shorter player than he will be assessed a minor for roughing or head contact and in some cases a major.

One other thing I want to touch on while we talk about height differences. I have noticed with the smaller players trying to check the bigger players, they are raising their hands and in some cases jumping into the bigger player. If you leave your feet to make contact on a player, that is a charging penalty. The other one I am seeing is the smaller player is crouching down while attempting  a hip check and making contact below the knee, that is a tripping penalty.

I hope this clarifies any confusion that you may have with this rule and although we don’t see everything, our number one concern is safety on the ice. So play safe and good luck in the rest of the season.

For those of you that don’t know, the penalty for a hit from behind can be a minor with a misconduct for the less severe hits like at open ice or a major plus a game misconduct and possibly a disqualification or match(USA Rules). Referee’s have to look at intent, injury and whether the offending player was trying to back off of the hit as well as the area of the ice on where the hit took place.

Coaches at all  youth levels, are now trying to take these rules and use them to their advantage with some creative things they are teaching their players. At the higher levels like the EHF, travel, select,metro leagues ect. I have over heard a few coaches telling their players to turn their backs on a hit around the boards to gain substantial power play and this disturbs me. This is not what the rules were intended to do, they are in place for the players safety. Any coach that puts their player in harms way for an advantage should have their head examined and for you players that may be playing for a coach like that, find another team.

The other issue I am seeing comes at the town hockey level where the coaches are mostly volunteers and hats off to you that do it, I have been there and it is a thankless job to say the least. That being said, you need to know the rules before you get behind that bench. I had a peewee B coach over the weekend that didn’t understand the interpretation of a high hit and a quality hit since every time his players got bumped, they fell hard. A “high hit” means in the neck and head area, not raising your hands slightly. The whole game I heard chirping from the bench every time his player got buried.  A few examples of hits that coaches interpret to be dirty are, a shoulder hit to the chest area which throws a player on their back is a clean hit. Another good example, a player who spins around and backs into another player and falls forward is not a “hit from behind” when the opposing player is just standing there or possibly raising their hands( not extending) to defend themselves.

With all this talk about these rules, it has taken a lot of the  contact out of hockey. Kids are afraid to take or give a hit because they are not educated on what is right and what is wrong. Coaches are not teaching their kids how to throw a proper body check and they need to. Checking is significant part of hockey and should be used properly to keep the kids on the ice and out of the hospital.

The NHL rule book states as follows.

Rule 44 – Checking from Behind

44.1 Checking from Behind – A check from behind is a check delivered on a player who is not aware of the impending hit, therefore unable to protect or defend himself, and contact is made on the back part of the body. When a player intentionally turns his body to create contact with his back, no penalty shall be assessed.

So would the assessed penalties on the ice be enough punishment to Kozlov or is a fine and/or suspension in order? Watch the game clip and decide for yourself. I have looked at it several times and feel that Kozlov was well aware of what he was doing . The fact of Gomez not being hurt should not come into play when Colin Cambell looks at this clip. Kozlov should be held accountable for his actions.

It’s like a broken record over and over again but we have to keep bringing this issue up and why you ask, because hockey players are still acting reckless and have no respect for the game or opponents they are playing against.

I see it every day in youth hockey and although the players are ultimately the ones making the hit. The coaches are to blame  to some degree and I don’t know one coach that would approve of a hit from behind on any player but years ago when you watched a youth hockey game, coaches were yelling “defense, pass, skate and shoot” all the time to their players. Now I am on the ice and all I hear is “BODY” and “HIT EM”.

These young kids feel pressured to impress their teammates and not let down their coach and unfortunately the only way some of them can achieve this task is by taking advantage of a player in a vulnerable situation because they are simply not fast enough to do it right. This is not the first or nearly the last time we will talk about this subject and for all the youth players out there….hockey is a very fast sport but take a second to think before you severely injure a player, that player could be you just as easy. There is nothing worse than seeing a kid being carried off in a stretcher.

Click on the links to read the definition of the rule in your book. USA Hockey rule 607, NFHS (Federation/High School) rule 6-7.

403(b) Major Penalty

For a player that is assessed a non-coincident major penalty and game misconduct, the offending team is not required to immediately place a substitute on the penalty bench and may do so prior to the expiration of the penalty. No player may enter the game except from the penalty bench with a bench minor penalty being assessed for a violation.

**this is basically saying that bench players will no longer have to serve the entire major penalty of another teammate. The coach has the option of putting a player in the box through out the penalty but be aware that if the coach fails to place a player in the box before the major expires, the team will remain shorthanded until the next whistle, this applies to match penalties as well.

409(b)

Calling of Penalties Requires a delayed penalty that is nullified as the result of a goal being scored to be recorded on the game sheet and count towards the 5/15 penalty

**at one time if you were called for a penalty and during the delayed call, the other team scores and you have a big sigh of relief . Your not off the hook anymore, those penalties will now be counted on the score sheet.

601(i.2) Abuse of Officials and Other Misconduct

Allows for game misconduct to be assessed to a Team Official for persisting in any course of conduct for which the team has previously been assessed a bench minor penalty.

**Needless to say, this is my favorite. Lets say the head coach argues a call( I know, coaches never scream)   and gets the bench minor. The asst. coach disagrees (go figure) and also argues, the assistant now has to leave the game. This rule applies to all coaches on the bench. FYI….if all coaches on the bench are dismissed, you have now forfeited the game.