Helmet or face mask comes off: immediate whistle
Rule numbers: NFHS 3-4-8 NFHS 8-2-5
If a helmet or face mask is knocked loose with the puck live, the whistle goes right away. The player has to leave the ice to fix the equipment and may not come back until the puck has been dropped again. A player who pops his own helmet or mask loose on purpose is treated as delaying the game: a minor plus a misconduct. If that happens on a breakaway, inside the final two minutes of regulation, or anywhere in overtime, the ruling becomes a penalty shot plus a misconduct instead. The casebook applies this to goalkeepers as well as skaters.
- On the ice
- Whistle; the player leaves the ice until play has resumed.
- Clock
- Deliberate removal or dislodging: 2:00 minor plus 10:00 misconduct.
- Scoresheet
- Accidental dislodging: no entry. Deliberate: minor and misconduct, or penalty shot and misconduct late or in overtime.
Example
In a goalmouth scramble an attacker's helmet pops loose. The referee whistles play dead at once; the attacker goes to the bench and stays off until play has restarted.
Common mistake: Waiting for a change of possession before blowing the whistle, or letting the player refit the helmet and take the ensuing faceoff.
Sources
- 2024-25 NFHS Ice Hockey Rules Book, Rule 3-4-8, p. 20
- 2024-25 NFHS Ice Hockey Rules Book, Rule 8-2-5, p. 40-41
Verified