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Penalties
Physical fouls

Physical fouls

Rules vary

Penalties for illegal body contact, such as boarding, charging, checking from behind, elbowing and roughing.

Also called

contact penalties

Rules vary by league, level and season

How this works can differ in youth, high school, college and pro hockey, and rules can change from one season to the next. Check the rulebook your league uses.

Official rulebooks

USA Hockey rulebook
NHL rulebook

Related terms

Boarding
Charging
Checking from behind
Elbowing
Roughing
Dangerous contact
Clipping
Illegal body check
Kneeing

More in Penalties

Misconduct
Penalty
Penalty shot
Playing with a broken stick
Restraining fouls
Roughing

See all Penalties terms

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