A team plays shorthanded when one or more of its players are charged with a penalty. However, no team is forced to play more than two players below full strength (six) at any time. When a third penalty is assessed to the same team, it is suspended until the first penalty expires. When a penalty is called on a goalie, a teammate who is on the ice at the time of the penalty, serves the goalies' time in the penalty box.

MINOR PENALTY: (Two minutes)

Any player, other than the goaltender, shall be ruled off the ice for two minutes during which time no substitute shall be permitted. If the shorthanded team is scored upon before the two minutes elapse, the player in the box is automatically released. This Penalty is called for tripping, hooking, slashing, charging, roughing, holding, elbowing or boarding.

MAJOR PENALTY: (Four to Five minutes)

Any player, except the goaltender, shall be ruled off the ice for four or five minutes during which time no substitute shall be permitted. The player who is serving the major penalty must stay in penalty box for the fully five, regardless is a goal is scored upon their "shorthanded" team. Called for fighting or when minor penalties are committed with deliberate attempt to injure. Major penalties for slashing, spearing, high-sticking, butt-ending and cross-checking carry automatic game misconducts.

COINCIDENTAL MINOR AND/OR MAJOR PENALTIES:

Result when players of two opposing teams are simultaneously assessed penalties of equal duration. In this case, the players may be substituted for, but all penalized players must serve their full time in the penalty box and wait for a stoppage of play to come out of the box. Generally, the timekeeper will not post these penalties on the scoreboard and the players will be required to stay in the box for the amount of time assessed and until "the next whistle".

MISCONDUCT: (Ten minutes)

Any player, other than the goaltender, shall be ruled off the ice for a period of ten minutes. A substitute player is permitted to immediately replace a player serving a misconduct penalty. A player whose misconduct penalty has expired shall remain in the penalty box until the next stoppage of pay. These penalties are often called in tandem with a minor penalty and you may hear it referred to as a "Two and Ten". What this means is that the player has committed a foul such as checking from behind and his team must play shorthanded for two minutes but the offending player must also stay off the ice for an additional ten minutes. Generally, a team will put two players in the penalty box with one coming out after two minutes. Called for various forms of unsportsmanlike behavior or when player incurs a second major penalty in a game.

MATCH PENALTY:

A match penalty involves the suspension of a player for the balance of the game and the offender shall be ordered to the dressing room immediately. A substitute player is permitted to replace the penalized player after five minutes of playing time has elapsed.

GAME MISCONDUCT:

This penalty involves the suspension of a player for the balance of the game. A substitute is immediately permitted to take his place on the ice.

GOALTENDER'S PENALTIES:

A goaltender shall not be sent to the penalty box for an infraction, but instead the minor penalty shall be served by another member of his team, who was on the ice when the infraction was committed.

PENALTY SHOT:

A free shot, unopposed except for the goalie. The shot is awarded to a player if he is illegally impeded from behind on a breakaway, or if any player on the defending team throws his stick at a player trying to score. Also called for deliberately displacing the goal post during a breakaway, or can be called when a defending player other than the goalie intentionally falls on the puck, usually around the defensive net area. The team which commits the offense is not penalized beyond the penalty shot.

DELAYED PENALTY:

Whistle is delayed until the penalized team regains possession of the puck and is signaled by the referee with his arm raised overhead.

ICING:

When a player shoots the puck across the red center line, and past the opposing red goal line. Icing is not called if that player's team is playing shorthanded, one of his teammates touches the puck first or defending goaltender touches the puck first.

OFFSIDE:

When any member of the attacking team precedes the puck over the defending team's blue line. Play is restarted with a face-off outside the blue line.