Fighting is allowed in hockey only in a narrow sense. A fight breaks the rules. The referee gives each NHL fighter a five minute major penalty. A regular fight does not get a player thrown out of the game. He serves his five minutes in the penalty box and then returns. That is why fighting is allowed in hockey at the top level. The NHL punishes a fight with time, and only certain fights end a player’s night. Many other rulebooks throw fighters out, including college hockey and the Olympics.
How fighting became part of hockey
The NHL has handed out penalties for fights for most of its history. NHL.com gives these dates for the rules and the numbers.
- 1917: The NHL is founded.
- 1937: The rulebook says “A Major penalty shall be imposed on any player who starts fisticuffs.”
- 1992: The NHL adds an instigator rule. The player who starts a fight gets a game misconduct.
- 1996: The instigator penalty changes to a two minute minor, a five minute major and a 10 minute misconduct.
- 2003 to 2004: NHL players collect 1,561 fighting majors, about 1.3 per game.
- 2005 to 2006: The total falls to 919, about 0.7 per game.
- 2013 to 2014: A player who takes off his helmet before a fight gets an extra two minute minor for unsportsmanlike conduct.
In 1992, the NHL Board of Governors discussed a game misconduct for every fighter. A compromise passed instead, and it targeted the instigator.
What the rulebook says today
The 2026 to 2027 NHL rulebook covers fighting in Rule 46. Rule 46.1 says a fight happens when a player punches, or tries to punch, an opponent again and again. Two players who wrestle so hard that the linesmen cannot separate them are fighting too. Rule 46.14 gives a major penalty to any player who fights. Other rules in the book set how long each penalty lasts.
The five minute major
The referee gives each fighter a major penalty for fighting. Rule 20.1 keeps a player off the ice for five minutes for his first major. Rule 20.2 makes him wait out all five minutes, even if the other team scores.
When both fighters get majors, Rule 19.2 lets each team use a substitute at once. Neither team plays shorthanded, so both keep the usual number of players on the ice. The fighters stay in the box until the first stoppage after their five minutes end.
Rule 20.6 lets officials use video review on major penalties. It leaves out one major: the major for fighting.
One more rule shapes how a fight starts. A player who takes off his helmet before a fight gets a two minute minor. Rule 46.6 calls it unsportsmanlike conduct. A helmet that falls off during the fight brings no penalty.
The instigator and the last five minutes
The player who starts a fight can also get an instigator penalty. Rule 46.11 lists the signs the referee looks for.
- skating a long way to start the fight
- dropping the gloves first
- throwing the first punch
- a threatening stance or threats
- payback for an earlier hit in the game or season
An instigator gets a two minute minor, the five minute major and a 10 minute misconduct. A second instigator call in the same game brings a game misconduct instead.
Late games have a stricter rule. Rule 46.12 covers the final five minutes of regulation time and any time in overtime. An instigator then gets the minor, the major and a game misconduct. Rule 46.21 adds a one game suspension, pending a league review. His head coach gets a $10,000 fine, and the fine doubles for each later incident.
Ryan Lomberg of the Florida Panthers shows how these penalties stack up. On April 24, 2022, in Tampa, he took four penalties at 16:24 of the third.
- a minor for instigating
- a major for fighting
- a 10 minute misconduct
- a game misconduct
His penalty minutes add up one step at a time. The instigating minor counts for 2 penalty minutes in the records. The fighting major adds 5 more, which makes 7 in all. The 10 minute misconduct then brings the total up to 17. Rule 23.1 counts a game misconduct as 10 minutes in league records. That brings his total to 27 penalty minutes.
The NHL then suspended Lomberg for one game under Rule 46.21. He gave up $3,625 in salary. The league fined Panthers coach Andrew Brunette $10,000.
The aggressor
Rule 46.2 names the aggressor in a fight. He is the player who keeps punching an opponent who is defenseless or does not want to fight. The aggressor gets a major and a game misconduct. The NHL also uses the rule to suspend players after the game. On December 10, 2023, Erik Gudbranson fought Florida’s Nick Cousins in a game in Columbus. Gudbranson got a minor and a 10 minute misconduct for instigating. He also got a major for fighting and a game misconduct.
Two days later, the NHL suspended Gudbranson for one game for breaking Rule 46.2. He forfeited $20,833.33 in salary. In March 2016, Edmonton’s Darnell Nurse got a three game suspension under the same rule.
Repeat calls add up over a season. A third instigator call in one regular season brings a two game suspension under Rule 46.20. The fourth brings four games, and the fifth brings six. Rule 46.17 uses the same steps for aggressor calls. In the playoffs, the second call of either kind brings a one game suspension.
Game misconducts
A third major in the same game brings an automatic game misconduct under Rule 20.4. Under Rule 23.1, that player is out for the rest of the game. A teammate can take his place on the ice.
A 10 minute misconduct works another way. Rule 22.1 lets a substitute replace the player right away. Rule 22.3 says a misconduct alone does not leave his team shorthanded.
Rule 23.3 lists these Rule 46 game misconducts in its General Category.
- fighting off the playing surface
- joining an altercation already under way
- having a jersey that is not properly tied down during an altercation
- persisting in an altercation
- removing the jersey before an altercation
- a secondary altercation
These count up over a season. In the regular season, a third General Category game misconduct brings a one game suspension. In the playoffs, the second one does. Each one after that adds another game. The club pays a $1,000 fine for each suspension.
Why is fighting allowed in hockey today?
League and team leaders have explained why hockey players are allowed to fight. Terry Gregson, the NHL’s director of officiating, spoke to NHL.com about the instigator rule. He said fighting “was becoming a pretty big issue in the game” at the time. The league “didn’t want to take the physicality out of the game,” he said. Bobby Clarke of the Philadelphia Flyers spoke to NHL.com too. “I certainly didn’t want to take it out of the game,” he said.
Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke about fighting in November 2013. He called it a “thermostat” that helps cool a game down when tempers rise. He said feelings on both sides were “really dug in” at the time. He also said the rules reflect what the general managers agree on.
Critics point to head injuries. A 2022 study in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living cites earlier NHL research. That research linked about 9% of concussions among NHL players to fighting. The study also notes three NHL enforcers who died in 2011. All three were found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy after death. A medical reference on the NIH website links that disease to repeated head trauma. It says a firm diagnosis comes only after death.
Hockey fights have also become rarer. The same study counted 0.64 fights per NHL game in 2001 to 2002. The rate was down to 0.18 by 2018 to 2019. Seasons with fewer fights tended to have higher attendance. The authors note that attendance is an imperfect measure of viewers or revenue.
Other rulebooks made a different choice and throw fighters out, as the table below shows.
Fighting penalties in the NHL, NCAA, IIHF and youth hockey
This table compares what a player gets for a fight under each rulebook.
| Rulebook | Penalty for a fight | Extra games missed |
|---|---|---|
| NHL, 2026 to 2027 | Five minute major. He stays in the game unless it is his third major or another Rule 46 game misconduct applies. | Only in set cases, such as one game for a late instigator |
| NCAA | Five minute major and a game disqualification | 1 game for a first disqualification, 2 for a second, and so on |
| IIHF and Olympics, 2026 to 2027 | Major and an automatic game misconduct | Extra discipline is possible |
| Hockey Canada minor and female | Major, and every major brings a game misconduct | At least 1 game for a first fight, or 2 in the last 10 minutes |
| USA Hockey, 2025 to 2029 | Match penalty if a player removes his helmet to fight | Suggested 3 to 5 games |
The IIHF rulebook adds more on top of the base penalty. A player who keeps punching a defenseless or unwilling opponent gets an aggressor minor. The instigator also gets an extra minor. Removing a helmet before a fight costs a two minute minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. The IIHF rulebook covers more than 30 tournaments, including the Olympic Winter Games.
In the Hockey Canada rulebook, any player given a major also gets a game misconduct. He goes to the dressing room for the rest of the game. Hockey Canada’s suspension guide for minor and female hockey then sets these minimums. Fights in overtime or the last 10 minutes of regular time cost one more game.
- first fighting major: 1 game
- second fighting major: 2 games
- third fighting major: 4 games
- fourth fighting major: an indefinite suspension
Hockey goalie fights
Goalies can be penalized for fighting too, and a few extra rules apply to them. NHL Rule 20.1 sends every player except the goalkeeper to the box for a major. So a goalie who fights does not serve the five minutes himself.
The NHL rulebook spells out more goalie rules.
- Rule 27.2: a teammate who was on the ice serves a goalie’s major right away.
- Rule 27.4: the backup goalie, or a teammate, replaces a goalie who gets a game misconduct.
- Rule 27.6: a goalie who leaves the area around his crease during an altercation gets a minor.
- Rule 46.4: during a fight, goalies stay in their crease unless the fight is near it.
In the NCAA, a game disqualification removes a goalkeeper for the rest of the game.
Goalie fights have become rare in the NHL. A March 2024 Associated Press report said the last one came on February 1, 2020. Edmonton’s Mike Smith fought Calgary’s Cam Talbot that night. The AP counted only three goalie fights in the 10 years before its report. In March 2023, Jordan Binnington of the Blues tried to fight Minnesota’s goalie. Officials stopped it. Binnington told the AP that linesmen are now told to stop these fights.
The AP also reported that no NHL rule targets goalie fights on their own. In 2013, Flyers goalie Ray Emery skated down the ice to fight Braden Holtby. He was not suspended, since the rules had no precedent for a goalie fight. Bettman said he once asked Emery about a 10 game ban for goalie fights. Emery reacted with disbelief.
More to know
Does a hockey fight lead to a power play?
No, not when both fighters get majors. Rule 19.2 lets each team use a substitute right away, so neither team is shorthanded. An extra minor on one player, such as an instigator minor, creates a power play. Rule 16.1 allows no substitute for a minor. His team plays a player short for two minutes.
How many fights get an NHL player thrown out?
Usually it takes a third major in one game. Rule 20.4 gives that player an automatic game misconduct. Some fights end a game sooner. Rule 46 gives a game misconduct to the aggressor and to a late game instigator. The first player to join a fight already under way can get one too.
Is fighting allowed in Olympic hockey?
No. The IIHF rulebook covers the Olympic Winter Games. It gives every fighter a major and an automatic game misconduct.
Can video review change a fighting major?
No. Rule 20.6 allows video review of major penalties but leaves out the major for fighting.
Is fighting allowed in women’s hockey?
No. In Hockey Canada female hockey, a fighter gets a major and a game misconduct. A first fighting major also brings at least a one game suspension. The PWHL says its rules include IIHF rules on fighting.
Are hockey fights less common now?
Yes. NHL.com counted 1,561 fighting majors in 2003 to 2004 and 919 in 2005 to 2006. A 2022 study put the fight rate at 0.64 per game in 2001 to 2002. It found 0.18 per game in 2018 to 2019.
