How long is a minor penalty in ice hockey?
B · Beginner · Penalties · 10 of 10A minor penalty sends a player to the penalty box for two minutes with no substitute. If the other team scores while the team is short-handed, the minor with the least time left ends. A double-minor is four minutes. A bench minor is two minutes served by any player the coach names, for team offences.
How it works
- Minor: two minutes, no substitute; the team plays short-handed.
- Ending early: a goal against the short-handed team ends the minor with least time left.
- Not on a penalty shot: a goal on a penalty shot does not release anyone.
- Double-minor: four minutes; a goal ends the first two minutes.
- Typical double-minors: high-sticking that injures, attempted head-butting, butt-ending or spearing.
- Bench minor: two minutes, served by a player named by the coach through the captain.
- Typical bench minors: too many players on the ice, failed coach's challenge, delay by the bench.
- Goalkeepers: do not serve minors; a skater who was on the ice serves for them.
- Two expiring together: the captain says which player returns first.
The glossary has the minor penalty, the double-minor penalty, the bench minor penalty, the short-handed, the power play and the penalty kill.
Tricky cases
A team is short for two minors and the other side scores. Who comes out?
The player with the least time left on their penalty.
A player gets a double-minor and the other team scores after 30 seconds. What then?
The first minor ends; the player serves the remaining two minutes of the second.
Can a goalkeeper be sent to the penalty box?
No. A teammate who was on the ice serves their minor.
Do coincidental minors end on a goal?
No. Equal minors to both sides do not make either team short-handed.
Why the rule exists
Ending a minor on a goal keeps the advantage in proportion: the fouled team gains one goal's worth, not two minutes of pressure regardless.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Minor | 2 minutes | IIHF 16 |
| Bench minor | 2 minutes, served by any skater | IIHF 17 |
| Double-minor | 4 minutes | IIHF 18 |
| Lists of minors | In the tables | IIHF Appendix IV, Tables 2 to 4 |
From the rule book
International Ice Hockey Federation, Official Rulebook 2026/27 (version 1.0, June 2026), Rules 16 to 18 and 27.1. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the IIHF Official Rulebook, revised each season.