IIHF

Why People Get This Wrong

People often assume that just calling it a "head check" automatically means it's penalized under this rule, but in reality, the key is whether the head was the principal point of contact during the hit, regardless of what you call it verbally. The confusion arises because the intent behind the action and its physical execution are scrutinized differently than the terminology used to describe it.

Why People Get This Wrong

People often assume that the Misconduct penalty is awarded for denying a clear scoring opportunity, which isn’t quite accurate. Actually, it’s reserved for more egregious infractions like fighting or intentionally interfering with an opponent during play, not just for missing out on a goal-scoring chance. The rule is meant to address significant disruptions rather than every missed shot.

Why People Get This Wrong

People often think that a penalty shot is awarded simply for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, but actually, it's only given if such a denial occurs during a stoppage in play when the goalie has control of the puck or if the defender handling the puck makes contact with another player before shooting. They miss that there are specific conditions under which this rule applies.

Why People Get This Wrong

People often assume that in case of a tie after all these points are distributed, teams simply play another game to break it, forgetting about the head-to-head record, goal difference, goals scored, and ranking factors which are used as tiebreakers right from the start. They overlook how crucial these additional criteria can be when deciding who moves forward or loses a playoff spot.

Why People Get This Wrong

People often assume that if a minor penalty is called during a power play, it can only last for 2 minutes regardless of whether goals are scored or another infraction happens. However, they misunderstand that once the penalized player's time is up and play resumes (either with an opponent returning to the ice or a timeout), any subsequent scoring resets the clock back to 2 minutes.

Why People Get This Wrong

People often assume that if a player gets two 2-minute penalties in quick succession, both must be served consecutively, but actually, if the opposing team scores during the first penalty's time, only the initial one is nullified and the second starts immediately after. This oversight leads to misunderstandings about how scoring by the opponent affects the sequence of penalties.

Why People Get This Wrong

People often assume that as long as their player's skates are in the zone before the puck crosses the blue line, they're fine — but actually, it’s only if the player precedes the puck into the zone that offside is called. The rule specifically states the attacking player can’t be the first to enter the zone with the puck; just having their skate there isn't enough for offside.

Why People Get This Wrong

People often think that a goal is only scored if the puck crosses the line cleanly without touching any player's equipment at all, but actually, as long as it legally enters the net by deflecting off a player (even their skate), it counts as a valid goal. The rule allows for some creative scoring scenarios where players can use their bodies to help move the puck into the net.

Why People Get This Wrong

People often assume that having two goaltenders means they can both be on the ice at once, which is incorrect according to the IIHF rules where only one goaltender (netminder) is allowed per team at any given time. The confusion arises because this rule isn't always obvious from casual observation and requires a clear understanding of how goalies are managed in play.

Why People Get This Wrong

People often assume that a major penalty's clock doesn't stop when a goal is scored against their team, leading them to believe their player will remain in the box for 5 minutes regardless of what happens on the ice. However, the rule clearly states that major penalties aren’t terminated by a goal, so the penalized player gets released as soon as the goal is scored.