5 Minute Major Penalty In Hockey Explained

Major penalty in NHL are butt-ending hockey, slashing, spearing, and hockey fighting penalties. Boarding is also on the list.

It makes the player stay in the punishment for five minutes. While the player is serving his punishment, his team needs to continue the game with a man down.

On the other hand, the opponent team can use the moment as an advantage and tries to score more when the defenders are fewer in number.

Following are some of the reasons for the punishment:

• Butt-ending hockey
• Hockey Fighting Penalty
• Slashing
• Spearing
• Boarding

Butt Ending Hockey

The action defines poking an opponent with the end of the stick. The level of punishment for the action depends on the severity of the act. 

Starting with five minutes of punishment in the sin box, it can end with possible suspension or fines. If a referee witnesses this kind of violence, he blows a whistle, and the game stops.

To communicate the penalty call to the audiences, coaches, and officials, he will signal moving forearm with a closed fist under a forearm with an opened palm facing downward.

Hockey Fighting Penalty

Physical contact is a crucial part of the sport and is allowed in the puck game. However, fisticuffs are punished for both teams.

The hockey fighting penalty involves actions like throwing punches with gloves removed. Normally, simple pushing and shoving in defense is acceptable in the league.

The NHL will tolerate one fight at a time, and that too to defend yourself. Or else, players will face a major penalty for fighting or enraging it.

Slashing

Slashing is when a player swings his hockey stick at his opponent, whether contact is made, or not. It defines any forceful action with the stick on the opponent's body or his mahlstick.

A referee makes a chopping motion with a hand against the opposite forearm to signal about the action. The punishment of the offending player depends on the severity of the violation.

If the action has a simple reaction, the player has to stay in the sin box for two minutes, but if he has caused an injury, it's a major penalty.

Spearing

It is an act of stabbing or attempting to stab an opponent with the tip of the blade of the stick, holding by a hand, or both. It is considered one of the dirtiest infractions in the sport as it seems intentional more than accidental.

Boarding

Boarding is when an offending player pushes or trips his opponent violently into the walls (boards) of the ice rink. The player is penalized for attempting to injure his opponent.

His sentence for the action depends upon the seriousness of the injury faced by the opponent player, who was boarded.

5 Minute major and game misconduct belong to the penalties in ice hockey with slight differences. One permits to substitute the player while another doesn't.

Game wrongdoing sanction is given to a player for violations like verbal abuse of the officials or leaving the bench to fight. The offending player can no longer stay in the game.

Moreover, the authorities order the athlete to leave the ice rink right then, and he needs to head to the dressing room as he can't stay on the bench any longer. In these cases, the incident needs to be reported to the authorities, who shall have the ability to impose further suspensions.

The sanction removes the players, except for the goalkeeper, from the running game, and in worse conditions, the player can be suspended from the team's next game.

However, it doesn't shorthand the team. This kind of punishment lets the team official replace the penalized player for the court's balance. Either the captain or the mentor can collectively decide on the replacement.

The punishment is somewhere similar to the match penalty. In this, the offending player is removed for the balance, and another player on the team needs to serve a five-minute sanction.

Match sanction is assigned to the player who has hurt or attempted to hurt another player.

Differences

Five minutes major and game misconduct have differences based on rules and cause rather than the duration they last for.

The first sanction is issued for violations like fighting and spearing, while another one is for the players who practice verbal abuse to the authorities. The latter one is assigned if the offenses are more serious than a 10-minute wrongdoing punishment.

Moreover, misconduct punishment allows the team to replace the penalized player while the team needs to play a man down in case of a major. The offending player sits in the sin box for a decided time without replacement.

Powerplay in hockey is when a team has an advantage in numbers. It depicts the situation when a player gets sanctioned, and his team plays a man down.

The linemen have the authority to punish the players when they violate the rule of the game, which can be intentional or non. The competitors may fight or hurt the opponents while playing. 

In that scenario, the authority punishes the sportsman for a certain period. And his team will have to perform with fewer men during that time. Meanwhile, the opponents have more chances to make a score as there is a man in the defending team.

If there aren't six players on the ice during a match, we can assume a missing player has been penalized for violating the rules. The offender is punished for up to 10 minutes maximum or worse; he is removed from the game.

Furthermore, it is possible that another man from the same team can get the punishment when his teammate is serving in the sin box. In that case, the team continues to play with two men down, and the opponent gets a numbers advantage.

While the situation is a nightmare for the offender team, his opponent can shine at that moment. If the opposing team scores a point during the time, the penalized player re-joins the match.

Hockey Power Play Rules

The period with a number advantage can last up to five or two minutes on less. There are rules surrounding the power play in hockey. Below are some of them:

Minor Vs. Major Penalties

As mentioned earlier, an offender must stay in the sin box for a duration that depends on the sanction he is serving. That can be minor or major.

In the case of minor penalties, the player stays in the box for two minutes. Meanwhile, the power period can end if the team with the number advantage scores a goal during that period. The penalized player can resume his game on the court.

Yet, his team scoring a goal will not get him out of the box.

On the other hand, if an offender gets the punishment for the maximum time, it can be five precise duration. The short-handed team needs to wait for the punishment time to expire to get the player back. No matter, whether the opponent lands a goal or not.

Icing

Icing is when a player shoots the puck from behind the middle line and crosses the blue line of the offensive zone without touching a stick. It results to occur a face-off in the defensive zone.

Nonetheless, during the power duration, the game has an exception to let the short-handed team hit the ball to the opponent team's side with the icing being called.

They can use icing to run the punishment duration to zero. Also, the action can prevent their opponent from making a point.

Overtime

Players may need to face the sentence even during overtime. However, there is a minimal difference in regulation when there are three players on the teams during overtime.

When a player walks into the sin box during overtime, the opponent team gets to add a man to their team. That means the remaining game shall be played in either a 4-on-3 or a 5-on-3 ratio of players.