Regel 20: Major Penalties

A Major Penalty shall be imposed on any Player who commits a physical foul 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 or Double-minor 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.

For the first (1st) Major Penalty in any one game, the offender, except the Goalkeeper, shall be ruled off the ice for five (5) minutes during which time no substitute shall be permitted.

When one Player receives a Major Penalty and a Minor Penalty at the same time, the Major Penalty shall be served first by the penalized Player (or substitute for the Goalkeeper), except under Rule 19.2 – Coincidental Major Penalties are in effect, in which case the Minor Penalty will be recorded and served first.

Although a Major Penalty does cause a Team to be “short-handed”, the penalized Player serving the Major Penalty does not leave the Penalty Box when the opposing Team scores a goal. The Player must wait for the entire Major Penalty to expire before they are permitted to exit the Penalty Box.

When a Player has been assessed a Major Penalty and has been removed from the game or is injured, the offending Team must place a substitute in the Penalty Box immediately. They may then legally exit the Penalty Box when the Major Penalty has expired.

An “Automatic Game Misconduct” shall be applied to any Player who has been assessed a second Major Penalty, or a second Misconduct Penalty in the same game. An “Automatic Game Misconduct” shall also be applicable whenever a Player is assessed a Major Penalty for any of the infractions listed in the Reference Tables.
When a Major and “Automatic Game Misconduct” are assessed, the Player shall be ruled off the ice for the balance of the game, but a substitute shall be permitted to replace the suspended Player after five (5) minutes have elapsed.

For more information refer to Appendix IV - Tables Overview - Table 6 of the PDF version of the rulebook

A list of the infractions that can result in a Major Penalty being assessed can be found in Tables 5, 6, and 7.

For more information refer to Appendix IV - Tables Overview - Tables 5, 6, and 7 of the PDF version of the rulebook

Referees shall review all plays that result in the assessment of a Major Penalty for the purpose of confirming (or modifying) their original call on the ice. Exception to this rule is that situations under Rule 46 – Fighting can only be reviewed if they fall under Rule 46.5 – Dangerous Puncher - “Sucker Puncher”. No other situations under Rule 46 – Fighting can be reviewed.

Such reviews will be conducted exclusively by the Referee(s) on the ice in consultation with other On-ice Official(s), as appropriate, using the technology (for example, a handheld tablet or a television or computer monitor) specified in and provided pursuant to:
→ Rule 38 – Coach's Challenge

Communication between the Video Review Operation and the On-ice Officials shall be limited to contact between the appropriate Video Review Consultant and the Referee to ensure the Referee is receiving any and all video they might request, as well as the appropriate replay angles they may need to review the penalty call.
There shall be no contact or consultation except between the On-ice Official(s) and the Video Review Operation.
The Referee shall only have the following options following Video Review of their own call:

1. confirming their original Major Penalty call; or
2. reducing their original Major Penalty call to a lesser penalty for the same infraction.
3. nullifying the original Major Penalty altogether.

For more information refer to Appendix V - Technical Requirements of the PDF version of this rulebook

The Referee is required to report all major penalties and the surrounding circumstances to the Proper Authorities immediately following the game in which they occur.