Hockey is a game that involves many different types of penalties. You can expect any game that has blood in the rule book to require the intervention of the referees on a regular basis.

So what kind of penalties are there in hockey? There are both minor and major penalties and variants of the two, along with severe misconduct, game misconduct, and match penalties. There are complicated rules which dictate how penalties are enforced on a team or a player. Here is a basic breakdown of these penalties.

Minor penalties are the most common in the game. If a player commits a common infraction, he is sent off the ice for two to four minutes of play time. His team will play minus one player for the duration of the penalty; this is called playing short-handed. If the opposing team scores a goal during the time of the penalty, the penalty ends immediately. If both teams have incurred a minor penalty, then neither is considered to be playing short handed, and so the penalty is not ended in the event a goal is scored during the time the players are off the ice; but the penalty time is cut in half upon a goal. If multiple players on a team are assessed minor penalties, they are put in to the penalty box immediately, however, the penalty time is not run down until the first player is removed from the box. If the opposing team scores a goal while there are multiple players in the penalty box, only the first minor penalty is ended. The remaining player or players will have to sit out there penalties.

Common infractions which result in a minor penalty include: holding, holding the stick, cross-checking, interference, delaying the game, tripping, hooking, slashing, roughing, and high-sticking. Sometimes, a player may incur a double minor. A penalty resulting in a double minor could be high-sticking that results in a laceration. Incurring a double minor means the player will serve two consecutive minor penalties. This penalty is typically assessed when a player is caught high-sticking and causes a laceration to the opposing player. If a goal occurs during a double minor then the first penalty expires, however, the second penalty must still be served out as a regular minor penalty. If the entire team is assessed a penalty as a whole, this is called a bench minor. Any player, other than the goalie, might be selected to serve the bench penalty.

Major penalties are given for more severe offences. Correspondingly, the penalties are more severe. Fighting always results in a major penalty. Other infractions that result in major penalties include: butt-ending, charging, spearing, and boarding. Most major penalties are more serious instances of minor penalties. Major penalties cost the player five minutes in the penalty box, and his team will be short-handed during this time. If a goal is scored, a major penalty does not end. If both teams have a player out on major penalty, they may substitute for that player, and neither team will play short-handed on that penalty. Major penalties are most often incurred for fighting.

If a player is assessed three major penalties during one game, he earns a misconduct penalty. A misconduct penalty results in the player who earned it being removed from the game for a period of ten minutes. During this time the team may substitute in another player. Once the penalty has expired, the player is able to return to the ice when the game next stops, unless he has incurred additional penalties.

Unsportsmanlike conduct usually results in misconduct type penalties. Any player who incurs two major penalties during the course of one game is then assessed misconduct. A game misconduct penalty means the player is ejected for the game. The team is able to substitute in another player since that penalty is assessed against the individual player and not against the team.

Any player who is ejected from the game three times during the season earns a one-game ban. Further discipline is possible in the event of subsequent ejections. When a player is banned from a game, he loses his salary for that game. Often that money is donated to a league-supported charity.

Match penalties also result in the player being ejected from the game. A match penalty is assessed if a player attempts to deliberately injure another player. The team must select any player other than the goalie to serve a five minute major penalty and he cannot be substituted for on the ice, meaning the team plays short-handed for that five minute penalty. Players who receive a match penalty are suspended from their next game and often are subjected to hearings with the possibility of lengthier bans.

When a scoring opportunity has been lost because of an infraction by the other team, then the team who lost the scoring opportunity is given a penalty shot. They are allowed one unimpeded (except for the goalie) shot at the goal.