Third penalty: a delayed penalty, and when players may return
Rule numbers: USAH 408(a) USAH 408(b)
If a third player is penalized while two teammates are serving non-coincidental penalties, that player goes to the box at once and may be replaced on the ice, but the third player's penalty time does not begin until the first penalty has expired. While three players are serving and a substitute is on the ice for the third, no penalized player may return during play; they come out at a stoppage. The exception is when expired penalties entitle the team to more players on the ice, in which case the penalty timekeeper lets them return in the order their penalties expired. If two penalties expire together, the captain decides who goes first. Record the delayed penalty's start time when it actually begins.
However, the penalty time of the third player shall not begin until the first such penalty has expired.
- On the ice
- The third penalized player sits immediately; a substitute keeps the team at three skaters.
- Clock
- The third penalty starts when the first penalty expires.
Example
Team A already has two players serving minors when a third is called for hooking. The third player goes to the box, a substitute keeps Team A at three skaters, and the hooking minor starts when the first minor expires.
Common mistake: Starting the third penalty immediately, or opening the door during play for a player whose time ended while a delayed penalty was running.
Sources
- USA Hockey 2025-29 Official Rules and Casebook of Ice Hockey, Rule 408(a)-(b), p. 92 (PDF p. 126)
Verified