Hockey Canada Playing Rules 2024-2026 Vocabulary

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering official definitions, penalty classifications, referee signals, and maltreatment rules from the Hockey Canada Playing Rules 2024-2026.

Aggressor

A player who attempts to continue a fight by throwing or attempting to throw punches or by continuing the grappling action with their opponent with the intent of intimidation or punishment of that opponent.

Altercation

Any situation involving at least two players with at least one player to be penalized.

Attacking Zone

The area of the ice in which a team is attempting to score on the opposing team's goal, bounded by the closest blue-line.

Attempt to Injure / Deliberate Injury

Any action by a player or team official who by the use of a stick, skate, body, or other object hits or attempts to hit an opposing player, team official, or game official with the intention of causing injury.

Bench Minor Penalty

A $2\,min.$ time penalty, to be served in the Penalty Bench by any player of the offending team who was on the ice at the time of the infraction.

Boarding

An infraction where a player checks or pushes a defenseless or unsuspecting opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to hit or impact the boards violently or dangerously.

Body-Checking

An attempt by a player to gain an advantage on an opponent with the deliberate use of the body, resulting from deliberate contact with opposite-directional force, leaving a skating lane to make contact, or extending an arm, shoulder, or hip to maximize contact.

Breakaway

Any situation in which a player is in full control of the puck in the neutral or attacking zone, having no opposing player between themselves and the opposing goaltender (or goal, if the goaltender has been removed).

Butt-Ending

Any action where a player uses or attempts to use the shaft of their stick, above the upper hand, to check or jab an opponent.

Charging

An infraction where a player jumps to check an opponent, builds up speed by taking two or more strides immediately prior to contact, travels an excessive distance to deliver a hit, violently checks an opponent unnecessarily, or delivers a body check to an opponent's blind side.

Checking from Behind

Any action where a player is pushed, body-checked, high-sticked, cross-checked, or hit in any manner from behind.

Clipping

Any action where a player uses their body to make contact below an opponent's hips.

Coincidental Penalties

Time penalties of equal duration assessed to different teams at the same stoppage of play.

Cross-Checking

Any action where a player uses the shaft of the stick, between the two hands, to check an opponent.

Delay of Game

Any action where a player or team deliberately causes a stoppage of play or delays the restart of play.

Delayed Off-side

A situation where an attacking player precedes the puck across the attacking blue-line without playing or attempting to play the puck, while the defending team can bring the puck out of the zone without delay or contact.

Diving

Any action where a player tries to draw a penalty against an opponent where no foul occurred, with the intention of deceiving the Referee.

Embellishment

Any action where a player is fouled but makes the impression of the foul look more serious than it truly was, with the intention of deceiving the Referee.

Encroachment

Any situation where a player, other than the centre, stands with a skate inside the face-off circle, on the face-off circle, or in the area between the hash marks before the puck is legally dropped.

Game Ejection Penalty

A non-timed penalty that does not result in the offending team playing shorthanded, requiring the offending player to be removed from the game.

Game Misconduct Penalty

A non-timed penalty that does not result in the offending team playing shorthanded, where the offending player is removed from the game and $10\,min.$ is recorded on the Official Game Report.

Gross Misconduct Penalty

A non-timed penalty assessed to any player or team official who conducts themselves so as to make a travesty of the game, resulting in removal from the game and $10\,min.$ recorded on the Official Game Report.

Hand Pass

An infraction where a player makes a deliberate attempt to stop, knock down, push, or bat the puck with their hand and a teammate in the neutral or attacking zone gains control of the puck.

Head Contact

Any action where a player makes contact with an opposing player's head, face, or neck.

High-Sticking

The act of a player carrying their stick or any part of their stick above the normal height of the shoulders.

Holding

Any action by a player that restrains an opposing player, thereby impeding their progress or their ability to pass, shoot, receive, or propel the puck.

Hooking

The action of using the blade of the stick in a pulling or tugging motion to impede the progress of an opponent.

Icing

An infraction occurring when a team equal or superior in numerical strength shoots, bats, kicks, or deflects the puck from their own half of the ice beyond the opposing team's goal line.

Instigator

A player who, by their demeanour or physical or verbal actions, is responsible for starting, causing, or attempting to start or cause a fight.

Interference

An infraction where a player interferes with or impedes the progress of an opponent who is not in possession of the puck, delivers a late hit, deliberately knocks a stick out of an opponent's hand, or prevents an opponent from regaining lost equipment.

Kneeing

The act of a player making contact with an opponent where the knee is the principal point of contact.

Major Penalty

A $5\,min.$ time penalty served in the Penalty Bench by a player on the ice at the time of the infraction, which also requires an automatic Game Misconduct penalty.

Match Penalty

A $5\,min.$ time penalty that results in the offending team playing shorthanded and the offending player being removed from the balance of the game.

Minor Penalty

A $2\,min.$ time penalty served in the Penalty Bench, during which the offending player's team plays shorthanded, terminating early if the opposing team scores while having superior on-ice strength.

Misconduct Penalty

A non-timed penalty where the offending player is removed from the ice for $10\,min.$ of playing time without causing the team to play shorthanded.

Off-Side

A violation occurring when an attacking player, not in possession and control of the puck, precedes the puck into their attacking zone.

Penalty Shot

A non-time penalty awarded to the non-offending team where a designated player attempts to score on the opposing goaltender starting from the centre face-off spot.

Roughing

An infraction occurring when a player is guilty of unnecessary rough play with an opposing player.

Slew-Footing

An action where a player uses a leg or foot to knock, drag, or sweep an opposing player's feet from under them, or pushes their upper body backward while knocking their feet out from under them with a forward leg motion.

Spearing

The action of poking or jabbing, or attempting to poke or jab, an opponent with the toe of the blade of the stick.

Tripping

An infraction where a player places their stick or body in such a way that causes an opposing player to trip or fall.

Maltreatment

Any volitional act that causes or has the potential to cause physical, psychological, or sexual harm to another person.

Discrimination (Rule 11.4)

An infraction resulting in a Gross Misconduct penalty for any player or team official who engages in taunts, insults, or intimidation based on discriminatory grounds such as race, religion, sex, age, or disability.

Referee Signal: Boarding

Striking the clenched fist of one hand into the open palm of the opposite hand in front of the chest.

Referee Signal: Charging

Rotating clenched fists around one another in front of the chest.

Referee Signal: Checking from Behind

A forward motion of both arms, with the palms of the hands open and facing away from the body, fully extended from the chest at shoulder level.

Referee Signal: Cross-Checking

A forward and backward motion of the arms with both fists clenched, extending from the chest for a distance of about one foot.

Referee Signal: Head Contact

Patting flat (open palm) of the non-whistle hand on the side of the head.

Referee Signal: High-Sticking

Holding both fists clenched, one immediately above the other at the height of the forehead.

Referee Signal: Holding

Clasping either wrist with the other hand in front of the chest.

Referee Signal: Hooking

A tugging motion with both arms as if pulling something from in front toward the stomach.

Referee Signal: Interference

Crossing arms stationary in front of the chest.

Referee Signal: Kneeing

Slapping either knee with the palm of the hand, while keeping both skates on the ice.

Referee Signal: Misconduct

Both hands on hips.

Referee Signal: Slashing

A chopping motion with the edge of one hand across the opposite forearm.

Referee Signal: Spearing

Jabbing motion with both hands thrust out immediately in front of the body and then hands dropped to the side of the body.

Referee Signal: Too Many Players

Indication with six fingers (one hand open) in front of the chest.

Referee Signal: Unsportsmanlike Conduct / Diving

Using both hands to form a "T" in front of the chest.

Referee Signal: Wash Out

A sweeping sideways motion of both arms across the front of the body at shoulder level with palms down, used to signal "no goal", "no icing", or "no off-side".

CSA Facial Protector Categories

Types and sticker colors for CSA facial protection: Type B1/1 (White) for non-goaltenders of any age; Type B2/2 (Orange) for non-goaltenders 10 and under; Type D1/3 (Blue) for goaltenders of any age; Type C/4 (Yellow) for visors used by players 18 and older.