Regel 57: Tripping

A Player shall not place the stick, or any part of their body in such a manner that causes their opponent to trip or fall.
Accidental trips which occur simultaneously with a completed play will not be penalized.
Accidental trips occurring simultaneously with or after a stoppage of play will not be penalized.

The Referee shall, at their discretion, assess a Minor Penalty, based on the severity of the infraction, to any Player who place their stick or any part of their body in such a manner that it shall cause their opponent to trip and fall.

The Referee, at their discretion, may assess a Major Penalty to a Player guilty of “tripping” an opponent, and who recklessly endangers the fouled Player in a way that at the discretion of the Referee such Player would not be sufficiently sanctioned by imposing a Minor Penalty. Refer to Rule 57.4 for the criteria for an additional Game Misconduct Penalty.

The Referee, at their discretion, may assess a Major Penalty and an automatic Game Misconduct Penalty if, in their judgment, the Player recklessly endangers their opponent by a “tripping” and the player would not be sufficiently sanctioned by imposing a Major Penalty. Such assessment of reckless endangerment shall be based on the severity of the infraction, severity of the contact, the degree of violence and the general reprehensibility involved.

When a Player, in the Neutral or Attacking Zone, in “control” of the puck (or who could have obtained “possession and control” of the puck) and having no other opponent to pass than the Goalkeeper, is tripped or otherwise fouled from behind, thus preventing a reasonable scoring opportunity, a “Penalty Shot” shall be awarded to the non-offending Team.
Nevertheless, the Referee shall not stop play until the attacking Team has “lost possession” of the puck to the defending Team.

The intention of this rule is to restore a reasonable “scoring opportunity” which has been lost. If, however, the Player fouled is able to recover and obtain a “reasonable scoring opportunity” (or a Teammate is able to gain a reasonable scoring opportunity), no “Penalty Shot” should be awarded but the appropriate penalty should be signaled and assessed if a goal is not scored on the play.

“Control of the puck” means the act of propelling the puck with the stick, hand, or feet.
In order for a “Penalty Shot” to be awarded for a Player being fouled from behind, the following four (4) criteria must have been met:

1. The infraction must have taken place in the Neutral or Attacking Zone (i.e., over the puck carrier’s own Blue Line);
2. The infraction must have been committed from behind (except a foul committed from the front by the Goalkeeper on a “breakaway” situation);
3. The Player in “possession and control” (or, in the judgment of the Referee, the Player clearly would have “obtained possession and control” of the puck) must have been denied a reasonable chance to score. The fact that the Player got a shot off does not automatically eliminate this play from the “Penalty Shot” consideration criteria. If the foul was from behind and the Player was denied a “more reasonable scoring opportunity” due to the foul, then the “Penalty Shot” should still be awarded;
4. The Player in “possession and control” (or, in the judgment of the Referee, the Player clearly would have “obtained possession and control”) must have had no opposing Player between themself and the Goalkeeper.

If, in the opinion of the Referee, a Player makes contact with the puck first and subsequently trips the opponent in so doing, no “Penalty Shot” will be awarded, but a Minor Penalty for “tripping” shall be assessed.

It should be noted that if the attacking Player manages to get around the Goalkeeper and has no defending Player between them and the “open goal”, and they are fouled from behind by the Goalkeeper or another defending Player, no goal can be awarded since the Goalkeeper is still on the ice. A “Penalty Shot” would be awarded.