Goalkeeper's puck over the glass is no longer an automatic minor
Rule numbers: USAH 610(c) USAH 631(d)
The 2021-25 book had a separate rule giving a goalkeeper an automatic minor for shooting the puck directly out of play, deliberate or not. The 2025-29 book deletes it, and goalkeepers are now treated like every other player under 610(c): the minor for delay of game requires that the puck was deliberately shot or batted outside the playing area. A clearing attempt that simply sails over the glass is not a penalty, and the restart follows 631(d), a last-play face-off in the zone the shot came from. The call is now about intent. A goalkeeper under no pressure who flips the puck into the stands to get a whistle has delayed the game; one who tries to rim it and misses has not.
A minor penalty shall be assessed to any player or goalkeeper who delays the game by deliberately shooting or batting the puck outside the playing area, including after a stoppage of play.
- On the ice
- Accidental: no penalty, face-off in the goalkeeper's defending zone. Deliberate: delay-of-game minor.
- Clock
- Only a deliberate act puts a minor on the clock.
Example
Under a hard forecheck, the Team B goalkeeper tries to clear the puck up the boards and it flies over the glass. No penalty; the face-off is at an end-zone spot in Team B's defending zone.
Common mistake: Still calling the old automatic goalkeeper delay-of-game minor whenever the puck leaves the rink off a goalkeeper's stick.
Sources
- USA Hockey 2025-29 Official Rules and Casebook of Ice Hockey, Rule 610(c), p. 184 (PDF p. 218)
- USA Hockey 2025-29 Official Rules and Casebook of Ice Hockey, Rule 631(d), p. 203 (PDF p. 237)
- USA Hockey 2025-29 Rule Change Summary, Rule 610(c)-(d)
Verified