The rule in both books
The Canadian rulebook defines coincidental penalties in Rule 4.5 as equal time penalties to different teams at the same stoppage, and Rule 4.5(a) says immediate substitutes are made so neither team is short. USA Hockey says the same for minors in Rule 402(f) and for majors in Rule 403(c). Both books apply it to majors as well as minors, but a minor only cancels a minor and a major only cancels a major.
Two points trip up new timekeepers. First, the players do not come out when their two minutes end; they wait for the next stoppage (USA Rule 402(f), Canadian Rule 4.5(c) and its interpretations). Second, the penalties do not go on the penalty clock. USA Hockey's Rule 507 Note 2 says coincidental minor or major penalties and misconducts should not be recorded on the timing device.
When the counts are unequal
If home gets two minors and away gets one at the same whistle, one pair cancels and one home minor is served normally. The Canadian rulebook sets out the order in Rule 4.5(d): cancel as many as possible, cancel so the team is only one player short, avoid taking an extra player off the ice, and then cancel in the order the penalties happened. Rule 4.5(b) adds that the penalty creating the difference is served first, as a time penalty, by a player who was on the ice. The USA casebook reaches the same result for the common cases, and its Situation 17 shows the coincidental part starting only when the extra minor ends.
- P1 10:00 Penalty: Home #6, tripping (TRIP), minor; Home #7, hooking (HOOK), minor; Away #11, slashing (SLASH), minor
- P1 7:30 Whistle, stoppage
What the sheet and the door should show
two home minors against one away minor
| Team | P | # | Served by | Offence | Min | Off | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1 | 6 | TRIP minor, coincidental | 2 | 10:00 | P1 10:00 | P1 8:00 | |
| Home | 1 | 7 | HOOK minor | 2 | 10:00 | P1 10:00 | P1 8:00 | |
| Away | 1 | 11 | SLASH minor, coincidental | 2 | 10:00 | P1 10:00 | P1 8:00 |
Box door
- Home #7 at P1 8:00 (time expired)
- Home #6 at P1 7:30 (at the stoppage)
- Away #11 at P1 7:30 (at the stoppage)
Home #6 and away #11 cancel, so they stay off the clock and leave at the whistle at 7:30. Home #7, the later of the two home minors, goes on the clock and comes out on expiry at 8:00, with play on.
A double minor against a minor
When one player gets a double minor and the other team a single minor, one of the double minor's halves is coincidental and the other is a time penalty. The team plays one short for that half, and because the penalized player must still sit both halves, another player from the ice sits the time half so someone can step out when it ends. Write that player under Served by on the sheet. If the other team scores, the time half ends and the coincidental half begins at once (Canadian Rule 4.5 Interpretation 3, USA Casebook Situation 17).
- P1 8:40 Penalty: Home #9, high-sticking (HS), double minor, served by #20; Away #14, tripping (TRIP), minor
- P1 8:25 Goal: Away
- P1 6:00 Whistle, stoppage
What the sheet and the door should show
a double minor against a minor, then a goal
| Team | P | # | Served by | Offence | Min | Off | Start | End |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home | 1 | 9 | 20 | HS double minor, coincidental | 4 | 8:40 | P1 8:40 | P1 6:25 |
| Away | 1 | 14 | TRIP minor, coincidental | 2 | 8:40 | P1 8:40 | P1 6:40 |
Box door
- Home #20 at P1 8:25 (ended by a goal)
- Away #14 at P1 6:00 (at the stoppage)
- Home #9 at P1 6:00 (at the stoppage)
Junior is different
The Canadian rulebook has a separate rule for junior categories, Rule 4.6: when teams are at full strength and one minor goes to one player on each team, the teams play four on four and the players come out on expiry. Rinkclock's Canadian profile follows the minor hockey rule in 4.5, not the junior rule.
Common mistakes
- Posting coincidental minors on the clock, so the scoreboard shows a power play that does not exist.
- Opening the door for a coincidental player when their two minutes end, instead of at the next whistle.
- Treating penalties from two different stoppages as coincidental.
- Cancelling the wrong one of two same team minors, or forgetting the Served by entry when another player sits the extra time.
Practise the six coincidental scenarios on the practice page, or see how the rules differ in US and Canadian box rules compared.
Sources
Checked against these sources on 27 September 2026. Rules are paraphrased with their numbers, never quoted at length. Leagues and associations add their own rules; where yours differ, follow them.
- Hockey Canada Playing Rules 2026-2028. PDF from the Hockey Canada officiating downloads page. Sections 4 (types of penalties), 5 (officials, including Rules 5.5 penalty timekeeper and 5.7 game timekeeper) and 6.17 (time of game and time-outs). Read 27 September 2026.
- USA Hockey Official Rules of Ice Hockey 2025-29. PDF from the USA Hockey rules and resources page. Rules 401 to 409 (penalties), 506 (game timekeeper), 507 (penalty timekeeper) and 636 (time of game and time-outs). Read 27 September 2026.
- USA Hockey Official Rules and Casebook of Ice Hockey 2025-29. The casebook situations under Rule 402, including the table of which penalty ends on a goal and Situations 11 to 23. Read 27 September 2026.