Hockey penalty types, explained

The minor penalty (2 minutes) covers the vast majority of infractions in youth hockey: hooking, high-sticking, interference, holding. The penalized team plays shorthanded until the time expires or until a power-play goal is scored against it, depending on the league's rule. The major penalty (5 minutes) punishes a more serious infraction, or a minor committed with worse intent or consequences, for example a bodycheck judged too high or too late; unlike a minor, it always runs its full length even if the other team scores.

A misconduct (10 minutes) punishes the player, not the team: the team keeps playing at full strength while the penalized player watches the game from the penalty box, usually for unsportsmanlike conduct after the play (retaliating, loudly disputing a call, a gesture toward an opponent or an official). The match penalty is the most severe: the player is ejected for the rest of the game, their team usually plays shorthanded for a fixed length, and the incident then gets a report sent to the league, which can impose an additional suspension.

Four referee signals come up constantly and are easy to spot from the stands, following the descriptions in the Hockey Canada rulebook. Hooking: a tugging motion with both arms toward the stomach, as if the referee were pulling something in with a stick. Holding: one hand clasping the opposite wrist, well in front of the chest. Slashing: a chopping motion of one hand across the straightened opposite forearm. Cross-checking: both fists clenched, pushed forward and pulled back at chest height. A fifth one shows up constantly in youth hockey, interference: arms crossed and motionless in front of the chest. Recognizing these signals live lets you know which infraction was just called before the announcement even comes over the speaker, a useful shortcut for logging the right penalty at the right moment.

One special case deserves clarifying: coincidental penalties, where both teams get a penalty at the same time (often after a mutual scrum following the whistle). In that case, both teams usually keep playing at even strength despite the minutes on the clock, a rule that often surprises parents expecting to see a power play and seeing none. Checking your league's exact rulebook remains the best way to avoid surprises, because the fine print varies from one federation to another.