Learning Ice Hockey: What is a Slashing Penalty?

To the untrained fan, ice hockey can be a tricky game to fully understand due its fast paced play and many rules. One rule in particular that has a tendency to confuse people is the slashing penalty. Slashing is when one player hits his or her opponent with the stick. It doesn't matter where the player hits the opponent; it is always a penalty. In fact, even if the player happens to miss, the referee can still call a slashing penalty if the intent was clear.

Depending on the severity of the penalty, the referee can issue either a two minute minor penalty or five minute major penalty with a game misconduct. If it is just the basic slashing penalty and no player is injured, then the player will only receive two minutes in the penalty box. However, if the opponent happens to be injured as a result of the slash, then the referee has no choice other than to give the offending player a full five minute major penalty and a game misconduct. If the player happens to receive the game misconduct, then he or she will immediately be forced to leave the ice in a player from his or her team will serve the five minute penalty on behalf of the offending player.

If some sort of on ice altercation occurs, in a player swings his or her stick in the middle of it, then the player automatically receives either game misconduct or match penalty. A match penalty is even more serious than a game misconduct. If the player receives one, then he or she must go before the league board and they will decide how long the player suspended for. Before doing this, he or she is not allowed to return to any other games within the league.

In order to know if the referee has called a slashing penalty, then you have to be familiar with the sign. If the referee has called the penalty, then he or she will skate over the scorekeeper, report the offending player's number, and then make a motion with both hands to indicate the slashing penalty. He or she will hold one arm parallel to the ice, with the palm flat and the thumb up, and will then make a chopping motion on the arm with his or her other hand. Be sure to watch carefully, because the referee will do this fairly quickly after the penalty is assessed, so you won't have much time to see it.