Ice hockey / Rule 15
Calling penalties
IIHF · 2026/27In short
Immediate whistles and delayed calls.
Possession matters
If the offending team controls the puck, the referee stops play immediately. Otherwise the referee signals a delayed penalty and stops play when that team gains control. This lets the non-offending team continue its attacking opportunity.
A goal during the delay
A goal can cancel a pending minor, but not a major. If the offending team is already short-handed because of a minor, an existing minor may expire instead while the new penalty is imposed. Multiple penalties require the detailed sequencing rules.
Independent explanations and translations, not official federation publications. Independent topic summaries of the supplied IIHF Rule Book 2026/27, version 1.0, June 2026. This is not the NHL rulebook or a complete reproduction. Women’s, junior and pilot provisions are identified separately; competition regulations govern applicable formats. References use PDF pages.
Sources & approach ↗
Sources & approach ↗