Mouth protectors and bench helmets
Rule numbers: NFHS 3-4-5 NFHS 3-4-9
During play every player, goalkeepers too, needs a mouthguard properly in place. It has to be an easily seen color; a fully transparent one is not allowed. A team's first violation is a warning: a skater is swapped out at once, and a goalkeeper is handed a mouthguard. Any later violation by that team, by any player, is a misconduct. A separate rule requires everyone on the players' bench or in the penalty box to wear an HECC-certified helmet with a face mask; breaking it is a misconduct.
- On the ice
- First team violation: the skater is replaced; play is not shortened.
- Scoresheet
- First violation: team warning. Later violations by the same team: misconduct.
Example
Team A was already warned for a skater without a mouthguard. In the third period a different Team A skater is caught without one. Misconduct.
Common mistake: Giving each player his own warning instead of one per team, or not checking helmets on the bench.
Sources
- 2024-25 NFHS Ice Hockey Rules Book, Rule 3-4-5, p. 20
- 2024-25 NFHS Ice Hockey Rules Book, Rule 3-4-9, p. 21
Verified