The Ontario Hockey Federation's Minor Council has endorsed changes to the minimum suspensions for head contact penalties.
• The penalty for accidental contact under rule 6.5 (a) will be a Minor Penalty with no additional suspension.
• The penalty for intentional contact under rule 6.5 (b) will be a Double Minor Penalty with no additional suspension.
• The Major Penalty will remain the same as a GM72 (game misconduct: plus three (3) additional games for first offence; plus four (4) additional games for second offence; and an indefinite suspension for the third offence in the same season).
• The Match Penalty will remain the same as a MP72 (game misconduct: plus four (4) additional games for the first offence; and an indefinite suspension for the second offence in the same season).
These adjustments were made by the OHF based on the samples Hockey Canada provided on different types of head contact and the penalties that should be called with them. Hockey Canada also provided video footage of accidental and incidental head contact to provide further clarification. A stand was taken by the OHF to adjust these penalties to balance the importance of education on these infractions while maintaining the development of players in the game at all ages.
The OHF will review the rules at the end of the 2011–12 season and evaluate the outcome of these changes. For further resources, please visit
www.hockeycanada.ca/headcontactrule.