Regel 10: Sticks

The sticks shall be made of wood or other material approved by the IIHF and must not have any projections. Adhesive tape of any color may be wrapped around the stick at any place for the purpose of reinforcement or to improve control of the puck.

The shaft of the stick, from the top down to the start of the blade, must be straight. No stick shall exceed 1.63 m (64 in) in length from the heel to the end of the shaft nor more than 32.0 cm from the heel to the end of the blade.
Requests for an exception to the length of the shaft (only) may be submitted in writing to and must be approved by the League prior to any such stick being used. Only Skaters 2.00 m tall or more will be considered for exception. Maximum length of a stick granted an exception under this rule is 1.65 m.

The butt end of the stick must be covered by a form of protection. If the cap at the top of a manufactured stick (i.e., metal or carbon) has been removed or falls off, the stick will be considered dangerous equipment.
The blade of the stick shall not be more than 7.6 cm in width at any point between the heel and 1.5 cm in from the mid- point of the tip of the blade, nor less than 5.0 cm. All edges of the blade shall be beveled.
→ Rule 9.8 – Dangerous Equipment

The curvature of the blade of the stick shall be restricted in such a way that the distance of a perpendicular line measured from a straight line drawn from any point at the heel to the end of the blade to the point of maximum curvature shall not exceed 1.9 cm (3/4 in).

The sticks shall be made of wood or other material approved by the IIHF and must not have any projections. Adhesive tape of any color may be wrapped around the stick at any place for the purpose of reinforcement or to improve control of the puck.

In the case of a Goalkeeper’s stick, there shall be a knob of white tape or other protective material approved by the IIHF. This knob must not be less than 1.3 cm thick at the top of the shaft.

Failure to comply with this provision of the rule will result in the Goalkeeper’s stick being deemed unfit for play. The Goalkeeper’s stick must be changed without the assessment of a Minor Penalty.

The shaft of the stick, from the top down to the start of the blade, must be straight.

The blade of the Goalkeeper’s stick shall not exceed 9.0 cm in width at any point except at the heel, where it must not exceed 11.5 cm in width; nor shall the Goalkeeper’s stick exceed 39.5 cm in length from the heel to the end of the blade. The curvature of the blade of the stick shall be restricted in such a way that the distance of a perpendicular line measured from a straight line drawn from any point at the heel to the end of the blade to the point of maximum curvature shall not exceed 1.5 cm. The widened portion of the Goalkeeper’s stick extending up the shaft from the blade shall not extend more than 71 cm (30 in) from the heel and shall not exceed 9.0 cm in width.

A “broken stick” is one which, in the opinion of the Referee, is unfit for normal play.
A Player without a stick may participate in the game. A Player whose stick is “broken” may participate in the game provided they drop the “broken stick”. A Minor Penalty shall be imposed for an infraction of this rule.

A Player who has “lost” or has “broken their stick” may receive a replacement stick by having one handed to them from their own Players’ Bench, by having one handed to them by a Teammate on the ice or by picking up their own unbroken stick or that of a Teammate from the ice.

A Player will be penalized if they throw, toss, slide or shoot a stick to a Teammate (Skater) on the ice, or if they pick up and play with an opponent’s stick.

A Player may not participate in the play using a Goalkeeper’s stick. A Minor Penalty shall be imposed for an infraction of this rule. A Player using a stick thrown on the ice from the Players’ Bench or Penalty Box will not receive a penalty. However, the offending Team responsible for throwing the stick will receive a Bench Minor Penalty.

A Goalkeeper may continue to play with a “broken stick” until a stoppage of play or until they have one legally handed to them by a Teammate.

Return of an “abandoned, intact stick”:
An abandoned, intact stick accidentally dropped by the Goalkeeper may be passed from hand to hand to the Goalkeeper, or moved, pushed, or slid toward the Goalkeeper by a Teammate near the Goalkeeper on the ice as long as the moved stick does not interfere with play or cause a distraction to the game or opposing Players. If a Player causes interference with play or distraction to an opposing Player by moving a lost stick, a Minor Penalty or “Penalty Shot” shall be imposed.
→ Rule 53 – Throwing Equipment

Replacement of a “broken stick”:
A replacement stick for a “broken stick” cannot be thrown to a Goalkeeper on the ice surface. The stick must be passed from hand to hand to the Goalkeeper by a Teammate on the ice. For a violation of this rule, the offending Player shall receive a Minor Penalty for “throwing the stick”.
→ Rule 53 – Throwing Equipment

The Goalkeeper shall not receive a penalty for receiving the stick.

A Goalkeeper whose stick is “broken or illegal” may not go to the Players’ Bench for a replacement but must receive their stick from a Teammate as described above.

A Goalkeeper may participate in the play using a Skater’s stick until such time as they are legally provided with a replacement Goalkeeper’s stick. For an infraction of this rule, a Minor Penalty shall be imposed on the Goalkeeper.

There is no limit to the number of stick-measurement requests a Team may make in a game, but a request for a stick measurement shall be limited to one request per Team during the course of any stoppage in play.
When a formal complaint is made by the Captain or Alternate Captain of a Team, against the dimensions of an opponent’s stick, that opponent must be on the ice at the time the request is made to the Referee. It must be specified which part of the stick should be measured. Once the request is made, and as long as the On-ice Officials maintain visual contact with the stick, it can be measured. This means that if the Player whose stick is about to be measured steps off the ice onto their Players’ Bench, their stick may still be measured provided the request was received prior to them leaving the ice surface and the stick remains in the view of at least one of the On-ice Officials.

The Referee shall take the stick to the Penalty Box where the necessary measurement shall be made immediately. Players on both Teams shall retire to their respective Players Benches. To measure the curvature of the blade of the stick, the Referee must draw an imaginary line along the outside of the shaft to the bottom of the blade and then along the bottom of the blade - this will determine the location of the heel. Using an IIHF-approved measuring gauge, the Referee shall secure the gauge at the heel of the stick and measure the curvature of the blade from the heel to any point along the toe of the blade. To measure any other dimension of the stick, the Referee shall use a measuring tape.

The result shall be reported to the Penalty Timekeeper, who shall record it on the Penalty Record form. The Referee will convey the result of the measurement to the Captain or Alternate Captain of the Team whose stick was measured.

A Player whose stick has been measured and it is found not to conform to the rule shall be assessed a Minor Penalty and the stick will be returned to the Players’ Bench by the Referee. If the complaint is not sustained, a Bench Minor Penalty shall be imposed against the complaining Team.

A Player who participates in the play (i.e., checks or prevents the movement of an opponent or who plays the puck) while carrying two sticks (including while taking a replacement stick to their Goalkeeper) shall incur a Minor Penalty under this rule.

A request for a stick measurement in regular playing time is permitted, including after the scoring of a goal. A complaint by the opposing team may only be made before 55:00 game time and is not possible any later in the game including overtime and shootout. However, a goal cannot be disallowed as a result of the measurement.

Any Player who deliberately breaks their stick or who refuses to surrender their stick for measurement when requested to do so by the Referee shall be assessed a Minor Penalty plus a ten-minute (10) Misconduct Penalty.

A stick measurement request may be made prior to a “Penalty Shot” following these guidelines:
If the stick is “legal”, the complaining Team is assessed a Bench Minor Penalty, and a Player is placed in the Penalty Box immediately. Regardless of the result of the “Penalty Shot”, the Bench Minor Penalty is assessed and served.
If the stick is “illegal”, the Player will be assessed a Minor Penalty and must proceed to the Penalty Box immediately to serve their penalty. Another Player must take the “Penalty Shot”. If the Player refuses to surrender their stick for measurement, the “Penalty Shot” shall not be permitted, and the Player shall be assessed a Misconduct Penalty. A complaint by the opposing team may only be made before 55:00 game time and is not possible any later in the game including overtime and shootout.

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