NFHS 2026-27
Fighting and leaving the bench: automatic game disqualification
Rule numbers: NFHS 7-24-1 NFHS 7-24-2 NFHS 7-24-3 NFHS 7-26
Fighting is a GD, and so is joining a fight already under way. When the referee orders it, every player not in the fight, apart from the goalkeepers, must go straight to his bench area; each one who does not gets a minor. Coming off the players' bench or out of the penalty box while a scuffle is going on is a GD as well. Rule 7-4-3 puts fighting and leaving the bench in the group with no minor, major or major-and-misconduct option.
- On the ice
- Each disqualified player leaves; the team plays shorthanded for each major.
- Clock
- Each GD puts a 5:00 major on the clock, served by a substitute.
- Scoresheet
- GD for each fighter and each player who left a bench or joined in, plus reports.
Example
Two players drop their gloves. A third player comes over the boards and joins in. All three receive a GD.
Common mistake: Calling a fight roughing, or missing the player who left the bench.
Sources
- 2024-25 NFHS Ice Hockey Rules Book, Rule 7-4-3, p. 34
- 2024-25 NFHS Ice Hockey Rules Book, Rule 7-24, 7-26, p. 39
Verified