Is fighting allowed in the NHL?
A · Advanced · How the NHL differs · 9 of 11Fighting is a penalty in the NHL too, but a lighter one. A player who fights gets a five-minute major and usually stays in the game, unlike the IIHF, where a fight always brings ejection. Instigators get an extra minor and a ten-minute misconduct; aggressors and late-game instigators are thrown out. Removing a helmet before fighting brings an extra minor.
How it works
- A fight: repeated punches or attempts, or wrestling that makes it hard to separate the players.
- Penalty: a five-minute major for fighting.
- Instigator: an extra minor and a ten-minute misconduct.
- Second instigation in a game: a game misconduct instead.
- Third instigation in a season: an automatic game misconduct.
- Final five minutes or overtime: the instigator gets a game misconduct.
- Aggressor: a player who keeps punching a defenceless opponent gets a game misconduct.
- Joining a fight already going on: a game misconduct.
- Helmets and jerseys: removing a helmet before fighting is a minor; removing a jersey brings a game misconduct.
- Supplementary discipline: the league may suspend players afterwards.
The glossary has the fighting, the aggressor and instigator, the altercation, the major penalty, the game misconduct penalty and the supplementary discipline.
Tricky cases
Two NHL players fight. Are both thrown out?
Usually not. Each gets a five-minute major, and both return when it ends.
An NHL player starts a fight with two minutes left. What happens?
They get an instigator minor, a fighting major and a game misconduct.
Does the same fight bring the same penalty at the Olympics?
No. Under IIHF rules both fighters get a major and an automatic game misconduct.
A player takes off their helmet to fight. Penalty?
Yes, an extra minor for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Why the rule exists
The NHL has long treated fighting as part of its game, so it penalises fights without ejecting the players. The IIHF, which runs junior and Olympic hockey, removes any player who fights.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| NHL | Major; ejection only in set cases | NHL 46.2 to 46.12 |
| IIHF | Major and automatic game misconduct | IIHF 46 |
| NHL instigator | Extra minor and ten-minute misconduct | NHL 46.11 |
From the rule book
National Hockey League, Official Rules 2026-2027, Rule 46. Compared with International Ice Hockey Federation, Official Rulebook 2026/27 (version 1.0, June 2026). Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the IIHF Official Rulebook, revised each season.