# Rinkclock, full reference text > Every guide, the penalty code sheet and the FAQ from https://rinkclock.app, converted from the published pages at build time. The short index is at https://rinkclock.app/llms.txt. Timekeeper practice # Hockey timekeeper training you can do tonight A practice bench for hockey timekeepers: a narrator reads a period call by call while you run the game clock, penalty clocks, box door and game sheet, and every miss is marked with its rule. Built for minor hockey parents, off-ice officials and junior timekeepers, under Hockey Canada or USA Hockey rules. Period 1 12:40 Stopped Home pen 4 1:10 7 2:00 1 waiting: #12 2:00 Away pen Empty slot - Empty slot - None waiting Run 10 seconds The board is stopped at the whistle. When does #12 start? Home #7 and #12 both took minors at 12:40. #4 already sits on a minor. 12:40 11:30 10:40 ## How a period works - **Listen.** "Whistle at 12 34. Penalty, home number 7, tripping, minor." Speech is optional; every call is also shown as text. - **Post it.** Put the player and the time on the penalty clock, or leave it off if it is coincidental. - **Write it.** One row on the game sheet: period, number, served by, offence, minutes, time off, start and end. - **Open the door.** Release each player at the right second: on expiry, on a power play goal, or at the next stoppage. - **Read your marks.** The grader names each wrong start, end, server, release and queue order, with the rule number. ## New for 2026-27 in Canada: delayed minors count on a goal Hockey Canada's 2026-2028 playing rules changed Rule 4.2(b). When a goal is scored against a team that is short handed, or that would become short handed by a delayed minor, the delayed minor now counts as a penalty with 2:00 left in deciding which minor ends. Older timekeeper handouts do not cover it. The [guide to the 2026-28 goal rule](https://rinkclock.app/guide/penalty-ends-on-a-goal-2026-28/) works through it, and the [practice page](https://rinkclock.app/practice/) has a situation for it in both profiles. ## What you can practise - **Minors and the power play.** Post a minor, count it down, open the door on the second it expires. - **Coincidental penalties.** Equal penalties to both teams: who stays off the clock, who goes on it, who leaves at the whistle. - **Stacked penalties and the queue.** A third penalty waits for a slot, and expired players stay in the box until the team may add a skater. - **Power play goal release.** A power play goal ends the minor with the least time left. Majors never end. - **Delayed calls and the goal rule.** A delayed penalty is signalled and the other team scores. Under the 2026-28 Canadian rule the delayed minor counts. - **Double minors.** Four minutes posted as one, but a goal only ends the half being served. - **Major plus game misconduct.** Five minutes served by someone else, a game misconduct on the sheet with nothing on the clock. - **Misconducts.** Ten minutes with a substitute on the ice, and the player only comes out at a stoppage. - **Period carry-over.** Penalty time left at the buzzer goes back on the clock for the next period. - **Penalty shots.** A goal on a penalty shot releases nobody. - **Time-outs and stoppages.** One time-out per team, taken at a stoppage, and the stoppage frees players waiting to come out. Rule profiles: Hockey Canada Playing Rules 2026-2028 and USA Hockey Official Rules of Ice Hockey 2025-29, paraphrased with rule numbers. The [penalty code sheet](https://rinkclock.app/codes/) lists the offence abbreviations in our own words. ## Private by design Player numbers and any name you type for a certificate stay in this browser. Nothing is uploaded. There is no account and no server behind the drill. Progress lives in your browser and exports as a JSON file. Rinkclock is a practice tool. Your league or region's certification course is still required, and the referee's call on the ice is final. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is it free? Yes, the core is. The daily period in either rule profile, the first scenario of every situation, the code sheet, every guide and your running totals are free with no account. Any paid plan adds both profiles on every mode, every scenario, live pace, full games, projection, the certificate and the history. ### Which rules does it follow? Two profiles: the Hockey Canada Playing Rules 2026-2028, including the 2026-27 change to Rule 4.2(b) on delayed minors and goals, and the USA Hockey Official Rules 2025-29. Every number the engine uses comes from the profile, and every mark cites the rule number. ### Is Rinkclock official, or a certification? No. It is a practice tool. Your league or region's certification course is still required where one exists, and the referee's call on the ice is final. Rinkclock is not affiliated with Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, the OMHA, the GTHL or any league, association or governing body. ### Where is my progress stored? Only in this browser's local storage. There is no account and nothing is uploaded. You can export your progress as a JSON file and import it on another browser. Player numbers and any name you type for a certificate never leave the browser. --- Guide # The hockey timekeeper's guide The timekeeper runs the game clock, puts every time penalty on the penalty clock, writes the game sheet, and opens the box door at the right second. Four rules cause most mistakes: coincidental penalties, the stacked third penalty, which penalty ends on a power play goal, and in Canada since 2026-27, how a delayed minor counts when a goal is scored. Each has a guide below, with worked examples computed by the same engine that grades the drill. ## Guides - [How to run a hockey clock](https://rinkclock.app/guide/how-to-run-a-hockey-clock/): step by step: game clock, penalty clocks, stoppages, the door and the end of a period. - [Coincidental penalties](https://rinkclock.app/guide/coincidental-penalties/): when penalties cancel, who goes on the clock, and when coincidental players leave the box. - [Delayed and stacked penalties](https://rinkclock.app/guide/delayed-penalties-and-the-queue/): the arm-up delayed call and the stacked third penalty: when each starts and who comes out first. - [When a penalty ends on a goal (2026-28)](https://rinkclock.app/guide/penalty-ends-on-a-goal-2026-28/): which penalty ends on a power play goal, and the 2026-28 Canadian change for delayed minors. - [Filling in the game sheet](https://rinkclock.app/guide/filling-the-game-sheet/): every column of the penalty record, row by row, including double minors, majors and misconducts. - [Timekeeper clinic prep](https://rinkclock.app/guide/timekeeper-clinic-prep/): what a timekeeper clinic covers and a pre-game checklist for the box. - [US and Canadian box rules compared](https://rinkclock.app/guide/us-vs-canadian-box-rules/): the penalty box rules that differ between the Canadian and USA rulebooks, side by side. ## The job in one minute In stop time the game clock runs only while the puck is in play. A penalty is assessed at a stoppage; its time is playing time, so it runs only with the game clock and carries into the next period. A team never has more than two players serving time penalties at once. A minor ends early when the other team scores while the penalized team is short because of it; a major never does. Coincidental penalties cancel for strength and stay off the clock. Misconducts put a player in the box for ten minutes without making the team short, and the player waits for a stoppage. The [penalty code sheet](https://rinkclock.app/codes/) lists the offence codes, and the free [daily period](https://rinkclock.app/drill/) lets you try it all with a narrator, a console and a sheet. ## Sources Checked on 27 September 2026 against: - **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. - **OMHA, Hockey Canada Playing Rule Changes for the 2026-27 Season, 2 September 2026.** The Ontario Minor Hockey Association's summary of the 2026-28 changes, including Rule 4.2(b) on delayed minors and bench minors when a goal is scored. 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. Last reviewed 27 September 2026. First published 27 September 2026. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does a hockey timekeeper do? Runs the game clock, posts penalties on the penalty clocks, records every penalty on the game sheet, and lets each penalized player out of the box at the right moment. ### Is there a difference between the game timekeeper and the penalty timekeeper? In the rulebooks, yes: one runs the game clock and the other the penalties. At most minor hockey games one or two volunteers do both jobs from the same bench. ### Are these guides official? No. They paraphrase the published rulebooks, with rule numbers and the date they were checked. Rinkclock is not affiliated with any hockey body, and your league's own rules come first. --- Guide # How to run a hockey clock Run the game clock only while the puck is in play: start it on the drop and stop it on every whistle. Put each time penalty on the penalty clock at the stoppage it is called, with the player who sits it and its length, and let those clocks run with the game clock. Open the door the second a penalty expires or at the goal that ends a minor. ## The job in six steps - **Set the clock before the game.** Set the period length your league plays, check the horn works, and learn where start, stop, set time and the penalty keys are on your console. - **Start on the drop, stop on the whistle.** In stop time the clock runs only while the puck is in play: start it the moment the puck is dropped and stop it the moment you hear the whistle. - **Post each time penalty.** At the stoppage, enter the player sitting in the box and the penalty length for each time penalty, leaving coincidental penalties and misconducts off the penalty clock. - **Write the sheet at the same stoppage.** Write the period, number, offence, minutes and time of each penalty before the face-off, then the start and end once you know them. - **Open the door on time.** Release a player the second their time expires during play, at the goal that ends their minor, or at the first stoppage when the rules hold them until then. - **Carry time over and close the period.** At the end of a period note what is left on every penalty clock and put it back on for the next period, then sign off the sheet at the end of the game. ## Stop time and running time Most games are stop time: the clock runs only while the puck is live. Some leagues play running time for younger groups or to fit an ice slot, where the clock keeps going through whistles. Leagues set this under their own rules; the Canadian rulebook lets members set time of game under Rule 6.17, and USA Hockey Rule 636 sets the maximum game length. In running time, penalty clocks keep running through whistles too, because they follow the game clock. ## A penalty from whistle to door When the referee reports a minor, the clock is already stopped. You put the player on the penalty clock with the full length, write the row, and watch the face-off. When the penalty clock reaches zero during play, the player comes out at once, even though the puck is live. The example below is computed by Rinkclock's engine, the same one that grades the drill. **Worked example: two minors at different whistles.** Hockey Canada 2026-28 rules, 15 minute periods. - P1 12:34 Penalty: Home #7, tripping (TRIP), minor - P1 11:02 Whistle, stoppage - P1 10:20 Penalty: Away #9, hooking (HOOK), minor ## What the sheet and the door should show two minors at different whistles Table: Expected game sheet | Team | P | # | Served by | Offence | Min | Off | Start | End | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Home | 1 | 7 | | TRIP minor | 2 | 12:34 | P1 12:34 | P1 10:34 | | Away | 1 | 9 | | HOOK minor | 2 | 10:20 | P1 10:20 | P1 8:20 | ### Box door - Home #7 at P1 10:34 (time expired) - Away #9 at P1 8:20 (time expired) Home #7 went off at 12:34 and came out at 10:34 with play on. The whistle at 11:02 changed nothing for him. Away #9 went off at 10:20 and returned at 8:20. ## What the rulebooks ask of the timekeepers The USA Hockey rulebook splits the work in two. Rule 506 has the game timekeeper signal the start of each period, warn the teams before play resumes, announce the last minute, and report any clock failure to the referee at the next stoppage. Rule 507 has the penalty timekeeper record every penalty with the player, the infraction, the length and the time, post it correctly on the scoreboard, point out any difference between the clock and the correct time, and tell a penalized player how long is left when asked. The Canadian rulebook gives the same duties to the penalty timekeeper under Rule 5.5 and the game timekeeper under Rule 5.7, and in both books a dispute about time goes to the referee, whose decision is final. ## Common mistakes - Letting the penalty clock run during a stoppage, or starting it before the drop. - Posting coincidental minors on the penalty clock, which tells the crowd a team is short when it is not. - Holding a player until the whistle when their minor expired during play; they come out on expiry. - Releasing a player whose penalty expired while a stacked third penalty is running; they wait. See the guide to [delayed and stacked penalties](https://rinkclock.app/guide/delayed-penalties-and-the-queue/). - Forgetting to carry penalty time into the next period. Practise it on the free [daily period](https://rinkclock.app/drill/), which gives you a console, a sheet and a narrator, and marks every release to the second. ## 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. ## Frequently asked questions ### Does the penalty clock run when the game clock is stopped? No. Penalties are actual playing time under both the Canadian and USA rulebooks, so every penalty clock stops and starts with the game clock. ### What if I start the clock late or stop it late? Note the time and tell the referee at the next stoppage. The referee decides any dispute about time, and the clock is set to the time they give. ### Who opens the penalty box door? The penalty timekeeper or a box attendant. The player may leave only when their time is up, when a goal ends their minor, or at the stoppage the rules require. ### Do minor penalties change length with the period length? Under the Canadian rulebook a minor is always 2:00. Under the USA rulebook it is pro-rated: 1:00 for periods of 12 minutes or less, 1:30 for more than 12 and under 17, and 2:00 for 17 to 20. --- Guide # Coincidental penalties, explained for the timekeeper Coincidental penalties are time penalties of equal length given to players of both teams at the same stoppage. They cancel for strength: both teams put a substitute on the ice, neither plays short, and the penalties stay off the penalty clock. The players still sit their full time and come out at the first stoppage after it expires. When one team gets more penalties than the other, the extra ones are served normally, first, on the clock. ## 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. **Worked example: two home minors against one away minor.** Hockey Canada 2026-28 rules, 20 minute periods. - 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 Table: Expected game sheet | 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). **Worked example: a double minor against a minor, then a goal.** USA Hockey 2025-29 rules, 20 minute periods. - 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 Table: Expected game sheet | 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](https://rinkclock.app/practice/), or see how the rules differ in [US and Canadian box rules compared](https://rinkclock.app/guide/us-vs-canadian-box-rules/). ## 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. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do coincidental minors go on the penalty clock? No. They do not make either team short, so they are not posted as power play time. USA Hockey Rule 507 says so directly, and the Canadian rulebook treats them as not affecting strength. ### When do players serving coincidental penalties come out? At the first stoppage of play after their time has expired, not the moment it expires. The timekeeper alerts them and opens the door at that whistle. ### Can a goal end a coincidental penalty? No. A coincidental penalty never makes a team short, so a goal cannot end it. A goal can end the extra, non-coincidental minor that is on the clock. ### Are penalties called at two different whistles coincidental? No. Penalties are coincidental only when they are assessed at the same stoppage. Penalties at different whistles both go on the clock and the teams play four on four. --- Guide # Delayed penalties and the penalty queue A team can have only two players serving time penalties at once. A third penalty to that team is delayed: the player goes to the box, a substitute takes the ice, and the third penalty's time starts only when one of the two running penalties ends. Until then, a player whose time has expired stays in the box until the team is entitled to another skater or play stops. ## The stacked penalty rule The Canadian rulebook calls it a deferred penalty, in Rule 4.14; USA Hockey calls it a delayed penalty, in Rule 408. The substance is the same. Only two players serve time at once, so a team never has fewer than three skaters plus a goaltender. A third penalized player goes straight to the box and is replaced on the ice, but their time does not start until the first of the running penalties is over (Canadian Rule 4.14(a), USA Rule 408(a)). With three in the box and a substitute on for the third, nobody may return until play stops, unless the team becomes entitled to more skaters; then the timekeeper lets players out in the order their penalties expired (Canadian Rules 4.14(b) and (c), USA Rule 408(b)). On the console that means the third penalty is posted but does not count yet. Most consoles stack it automatically; if yours does not, hold it and post it the moment a slot frees. On the sheet, its Start is the time it began counting, not the time it was called. **Worked example: three away minors at 8:00, 7:20 and 7:00.** Hockey Canada 2026-28 rules, 20 minute periods. - P1 8:00 Penalty: Away #4, tripping (TRIP), minor - P1 7:20 Penalty: Away #6, hooking (HOOK), minor - P1 7:00 Penalty: Away #8, slashing (SLASH), minor - P1 3:30 Whistle, stoppage ## What the sheet and the door should show three away minors at 8:00, 7:20 and 7:00 Table: Expected game sheet | Team | P | # | Served by | Offence | Min | Off | Start | End | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Away | 1 | 4 | | TRIP minor | 2 | 8:00 | P1 8:00 | P1 6:00 | | Away | 1 | 6 | | HOOK minor | 2 | 7:20 | P1 7:20 | P1 5:20 | | Away | 1 | 8 | | SLASH minor | 2 | 7:00 | P1 6:00 | P1 4:00 | ### Box door - Away #4 at P1 5:20 (team entitled to another skater) - Away #6 at P1 4:00 (team entitled to another skater) - Away #8 at P1 3:30 (at the stoppage) This is the example the Canadian rulebook works through under Rule 4.14. Away #8's penalty starts at 6:00 when #4's ends, but #4 cannot come out then: #8's time has taken the slot, and the team is still two short. At 5:20 #6's time ends, the team may add a skater, and the first player whose time ran out, #4, comes out. At 4:00 #8's time ends and #6 comes out. #8, replaced on the ice long ago, waits for the whistle at 3:30. ## The arm-up delayed call When the team without the puck commits a foul, the referee raises an arm and play goes on until that team touches the puck (Canadian Rule 4.15(b), USA Rule 409(a)). The penalty is assessed at that stoppage, and its time starts then, like any other. Nothing happens at the bench until the whistle, except that you should be ready to write the call. The difficult case is a goal during the delay. If the team that was fouled scores, a delayed minor may never be served at all, and the Canadian 2026-28 rules changed how it counts toward ending a penalty already on the clock. That has its own guide: [when a penalty ends on a goal](https://rinkclock.app/guide/penalty-ends-on-a-goal-2026-28/). ## Common mistakes - Starting the third penalty's time at the whistle when it was called, instead of when a slot frees. - Releasing the first player on expiry while the stacked penalty is running; they wait. - Releasing players in the wrong order: it is the order their time ran out, not the order they were penalized. - Letting the substitute for the third player come off when the third penalty ends; the penalized player waits for a stoppage. - Writing the call time as the Start of a deferred penalty on the sheet. The stacked scenarios on the [practice page](https://rinkclock.app/practice/) stop the clock whenever one of your penalty clocks runs out, so you can decide who may leave before play goes on. ## 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. ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a delayed penalty in hockey? Two things go by that name. A delayed call is a penalty the referee signals with an arm up while the other team keeps the puck. A delayed, or stacked, penalty is a third penalty to a team that already has two players serving time; it waits for a slot. ### How many players can a team have in the penalty box at once? Any number can sit there, but only two serve time penalties at once. A team never plays with fewer than three skaters plus a goaltender. ### When does the third penalty's time start? The moment the first of the two running time penalties ends, whether it expires or a goal ends it. Until then a substitute plays in the third player's place. ### Who comes out first when penalties expire? Players return in the order their penalties expired, and only when the team is entitled to another skater. A player whose time ended while a stacked penalty took their slot waits for that moment or the next stoppage. --- Guide, updated for 2026-27 # When a penalty ends on a goal, including the 2026-28 change Under Hockey Canada 2026-2028 Rule 4.2(b), a delayed minor counts as a penalty with 2:00 left when deciding which minor ends on a power play goal, and whether the team is short at all; USA Hockey's 2025-29 rules do not count it. Otherwise the rule is unchanged: the minor with the least time left ends, and majors, coincidental penalties and penalty shot goals end nothing. ## The rule before the change Both rulebooks start from the same idea. If a team is below the other team's strength because of one or more minors and is scored on, one minor ends (Canadian Rule 4.2(b), USA Rule 402(c)). The USA casebook adds the working method: the minor with the least time on the penalty clock ends, a major can never end, and a double minor is two separate minors. Nothing ends when the teams are at equal strength, for example four on four. **Worked example: two home minors and a power play goal.** Hockey Canada 2026-28 rules, 20 minute periods. - P1 10:00 Penalty: Home #4, tripping (TRIP), minor - P1 9:00 Penalty: Home #6, hooking (HOOK), minor - P1 8:30 Goal: Away ## What the sheet and the door should show two home minors and a power play goal Table: Expected game sheet | Team | P | # | Served by | Offence | Min | Off | Start | End | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Home | 1 | 4 | | TRIP minor | 2 | 10:00 | P1 10:00 | P1 8:30 | | Home | 1 | 6 | | HOOK minor | 2 | 9:00 | P1 9:00 | P1 7:00 | ### Box door - Home #4 at P1 8:30 (ended by a goal) - Home #6 at P1 7:00 (time expired) ## What 2026-28 added The Ontario Minor Hockey Association's summary of the new Hockey Canada rules, published 2 September 2026, puts it simply: officials must now consider delayed minor and bench minor penalties when deciding whether a penalty ends after a goal. The rulebook text of Rule 4.2(b) and its Note 1 spell out how: a team is treated as short if it would become short because of a delayed minor or bench minor, and for choosing the minor to end, a delayed minor counts as a penalty with 2:00 left. Interpretation 1 gives the referee two questions: is the team scored on short, or about to be because of a delayed time penalty, and is that because of a minor or bench minor? If both answers are yes, the minor with the least time ends. The case that changes is four on four with an arm up. Each team has a minor running; the referee signals a delayed minor on away; home scores. Under the old reading the teams were even, so nothing on the clock ended. Under 2026-28, away is treated as short by the delayed minor, so its running minor, with less than 2:00 left, ends, and the delayed minor is assessed and served. **Worked example: four on four, a delayed minor, and a goal (Canadian 2026-28).** Hockey Canada 2026-28 rules, 20 minute periods. - P1 5:00 Penalty: Home #8, tripping (TRIP), minor - P1 4:30 Penalty: Away #3, hooking (HOOK), minor - P1 4:00 Delayed penalty signalled: Away #6, slashing (SLASH), minor. Play on. - P1 4:00 Goal: Home ## What the sheet and the door should show four on four, a delayed minor, and a goal (Canadian 2026-28) Table: Expected game sheet | Team | P | # | Served by | Offence | Min | Off | Start | End | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Home | 1 | 8 | | TRIP minor | 2 | 5:00 | P1 5:00 | P1 3:00 | | Away | 1 | 3 | | HOOK minor | 2 | 4:30 | P1 4:30 | P1 4:00 | | Away | 1 | 6 | | SLASH minor | 2 | 4:00 | P1 4:00 | P1 2:00 | ### Box door - Away #3 at P1 4:00 (ended by a goal) - Home #8 at P1 3:00 (time expired) - Away #6 at P1 2:00 (time expired) The same play under the USA Hockey 2025-29 profile gives a different sheet: **Worked example: the same play under USA 2025-29 rules.** USA Hockey 2025-29 rules, 20 minute periods. - P1 5:00 Penalty: Home #8, tripping (TRIP), minor - P1 4:30 Penalty: Away #3, hooking (HOOK), minor - P1 4:00 Delayed penalty signalled: Away #6, slashing (SLASH), minor. Play on. - P1 4:00 Goal: Home ## What the sheet and the door should show the same play under USA 2025-29 rules Table: Expected game sheet | Team | P | # | Served by | Offence | Min | Off | Start | End | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Home | 1 | 8 | | TRIP minor | 2 | 5:00 | P1 5:00 | P1 3:00 | | Away | 1 | 3 | | HOOK minor | 2 | 4:30 | P1 4:30 | P1 2:30 | | Away | 1 | 6 | | SLASH minor, expired on the goal | 2 | 4:00 | P1 4:00 | P1 4:00 | ### Box door - Home #8 at P1 3:00 (time expired) - Away #3 at P1 2:30 (time expired) USA Rule 409(b) records the first delayed minor as imposed but deemed expired when the fouled team scores, and nothing on the clock ends because the teams were even at the time of the goal (USA Casebook, Rule 409 Situation 12). ## Other cases worth knowing - Full strength with an arm up: the delayed minor is the only minor in play, so it is the one that ends. Under Canadian Rule 4.15(b) it is not assessed at all; under USA Rule 409(b) it is written on the sheet as expired. - Short by a major with a delayed minor on the way: in both books the delayed minor is the one that goes. The major is served in full. - Short by a minor with another delayed minor on the way: the running minor, with less than 2:00 left, ends; the delayed one is assessed. - A shorthanded goal against a team with an arm up: under the Canadian rules the scored on team is not short, so the delayed penalty is assessed. - Two minors with equal time left: the one that happened first ends (Canadian Rule 4.15(b) Note 2). ## Common mistakes - Ending the minor taken last instead of the one with the least time left. - Ending a major, or a coincidental minor, on a goal. - Releasing a player after a penalty shot goal. - Clearing a double minor completely when the goal came in its first half. - Applying the old Canadian reading at four on four with an arm up, now that 2026-28 is in force. The [practice page](https://rinkclock.app/practice/) has a delayed call situation with three scenarios in each profile, and the free [daily period](https://rinkclock.app/drill/) generates them too. ## 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. - **OMHA, Hockey Canada Playing Rule Changes for the 2026-27 Season, 2 September 2026.** The Ontario Minor Hockey Association's summary of the 2026-28 changes, including Rule 4.2(b) on delayed minors and bench minors when a goal is scored. 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. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which penalty ends when the power play scores? The minor or bench minor with the least time left, and only if the team scored on is short because of a minor. Majors, misconducts and coincidental penalties never end on a goal. ### What changed in the 2026-28 Canadian rules? Rule 4.2(b) now counts delayed minors and bench minors. A team that would become short because of a delayed minor counts as short, and the delayed minor is treated as having 2:00 left when choosing which minor ends. ### Does a goal on a penalty shot end a penalty? No, under both the Canadian and USA rules. Nobody is released when a penalty shot is scored. ### What happens to a double minor on a goal? Only the minor being served ends. If the goal comes in the first half, the second half starts at the time of the goal and the player stays in the box. --- Guide # How to fill out the penalty record on a game sheet Write one row for every penalty the referee reports, at the stoppage it is called: the period, the player's number, who serves it if someone else sits, the offence code, the minutes, the clock time it was called, and then when its time started and ended. Coincidental penalties are written too; they only stay off the penalty clock. ## Column by column - **Write the period.** Put the period the penalty was called in, even if its time runs into the next period. - **Write the number.** Write the penalized player's number, or leave it blank for a bench minor, which belongs to the team. - **Write who serves.** Fill Served by only when someone else sits the time: a bench minor, a goaltender's penalty, a major with a game misconduct, a minor with a misconduct, or extra time in a coincidental set. - **Write the offence code.** Use the short code your league uses, such as TRIP, HOOK or HS, exactly as the referee reported the offence. - **Write the minutes.** Write the length: 2 for a minor, 4 for a double minor, 5 for a major, 10 for a misconduct or game misconduct, or the pro-rated length your rules use. - **Write the time off.** Write the game clock at the stoppage when the penalty was called. - **Write the start and end.** Write when the penalty time began and when it ended; for a stacked penalty the start is when a slot freed, and a goal can make the end earlier. Official game sheets differ between leagues and apps, and many rinks now use an electronic sheet. Rinkclock draws its own sheet with the fields the rulebooks ask for: USA Hockey Rule 507(a) has the penalty timekeeper record each player penalized, the infraction, the length and the time it was assessed, and Canadian Rule 5.6(c) asks the official scorer for the same record. Start and End are the working columns a timekeeper uses to run the clock and check the release. ## A worked example **Worked example: a double minor, a bench minor, a major and a minor plus misconduct.** Hockey Canada 2026-28 rules, 20 minute periods. - P1 17:40 Penalty: Home #7, high-sticking (HS), double minor - P1 15:10 Penalty: Away bench, too many players (TMM), bench minor, served by #19 - P1 14:00 Penalty: Home #3, illegal check (CHK), major, served by #14 - P1 12:30 Penalty: Away #5, unsportsmanlike conduct (UNS), minor and a misconduct, served by #18 - P1 11:00 Goal: Away ## What the sheet and the door should show a double minor, a bench minor, a major and a minor plus misconduct Table: Expected game sheet | Team | P | # | Served by | Offence | Min | Off | Start | End | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Home | 1 | 7 | | HS double minor | 4 | 17:40 | P1 17:40 | P1 13:40 | | Away | 1 | | 19 | TMM bench minor | 2 | 15:10 | P1 15:10 | P1 13:10 | | Home | 1 | 3 | 14 | CHK major | 5 | 14:00 | P1 14:00 | P1 9:00 | | Home | 1 | 3 | | CHK game misconduct | 10 | 14:00 | | | | Away | 1 | 5 | 18 | UNS minor | 2 | 12:30 | P1 12:30 | P1 10:30 | | Away | 1 | 5 | | UNS misconduct | 10 | 12:30 | P1 10:30 | P1 0:30 | ### Box door - Home #7 at P1 13:40 (time expired) - Away #19 at P1 13:10 (time expired) - Away #18 at P1 10:30 (time expired) - Home #14 at P1 9:00 (time expired) Read the rows the way a referee would check them. The double minor is one row of 4 minutes. The bench minor has no player number and 19 under Served by. The major has 14 under Served by because, under the Canadian rules, a major brings a game misconduct (Rule 4.4) and the player is gone; the game misconduct is its own row with 10 minutes and no start or end. The minor plus misconduct is two rows: a substitute, 18, sits the minor, and the misconduct starts when the minor ends (Rule 4.7(b)). The goal at 11:00 ended nothing, because home and away were each one short at that moment. ## Time-outs and the rest of the sheet Record each team's time-out with the period and the clock. The Canadian rulebook allows one 30 second time-out per team (Rule 6.17(e)); the USA rulebook one of 60 seconds (Rule 636(f)). Goals and assists, line-ups and signatures belong to the official scorer's part of the sheet and vary more by league; Rinkclock grades the penalty record and time-outs only. ## Common mistakes - Leaving coincidental penalties off the sheet because they are not on the clock. - Writing the penalized player in Served by, or leaving Served by blank when someone else sat the time. - Writing a major with a game misconduct as one row, or giving the game misconduct a start and end. - Writing the call time as the start of a stacked penalty. - Leaving the End as expiry when a power play goal ended the minor early. - Dropping the period from an end time that falls in the next period. The [penalty code sheet](https://rinkclock.app/codes/) lists the offence codes, and the free [daily period](https://rinkclock.app/drill/) gives you a sheet to fill and marks every cell. ## 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. ## Frequently asked questions ### What does Served by mean on a hockey game sheet? The number of the player who actually sits in the box for the team, when that is not the penalized player: a bench minor, a goaltender's penalty, a major with a game misconduct, or a minor with a misconduct. ### Do I write coincidental penalties on the sheet? Yes. Every penalty is recorded, coincidental or not. Coincidental penalties only stay off the penalty clock, not off the sheet. ### How do I write a game misconduct? As its own row with 10 minutes, the period and the time off, and no start or end, because it puts no time on the clock. ### What if a penalty ends in the next period? Write the period in front of the end time, for example P2 19:10, so nobody reads it as the period it was called in. --- Guide # Timekeeper clinic prep and a pre-game checklist Before a timekeeper clinic or your first game in the box, learn four things: your league's penalty lengths, coincidental penalties, which penalty ends on a power play goal, and the stacked third penalty. Then practise running the clock and the sheet together, because the hard part is doing both at the same whistle. On game day arrive early, test the clock, and never leave the box unattended. ## What clinics expect you to know Leagues train timekeepers differently. The Greater Toronto Hockey League, for example, asks new timekeepers to attend a timekeeper certification clinic before the season, treats them as independent contractors, and expects them to arrive early and stay in the timekeepers' area for the whole game. Many house leagues staff the box with parent volunteers trained at the rink. Whatever the format, the content comes from the rulebook sections on penalties and on the timekeepers' duties: Canadian Rules 4.1 to 4.15, 5.5 and 5.7, and USA Hockey Rules 401 to 409, 506 and 507. A study order that works: - Penalty lengths for your league, including the USA pro-rated minors if you play under USA rules. The [code sheet](https://rinkclock.app/codes/) has a table. - [Running the clock](https://rinkclock.app/guide/how-to-run-a-hockey-clock/): when the penalty clock runs and when the door opens. - [Coincidental penalties](https://rinkclock.app/guide/coincidental-penalties/), which stay off the clock. - [Which penalty ends on a goal](https://rinkclock.app/guide/penalty-ends-on-a-goal-2026-28/), including the 2026-28 Canadian change. - [Stacked penalties](https://rinkclock.app/guide/delayed-penalties-and-the-queue/) and the order players come out. - [The game sheet](https://rinkclock.app/guide/filling-the-game-sheet/), row by row. ## The pre-game checklist - **Arrive early.** Get to the rink well before warm-up so you can find the box, the console and the game sheet before the teams arrive. - **Check the clock.** Set the period length your league plays, test start, stop and set time, and sound the horn once. - **Find the penalty keys.** Learn how your console posts a penalty, adjusts one, clears one and stacks a third, before you need it. - **Know the league's numbers.** Confirm the period length, stop or running time, the minor length and the time-out length for this game. - **Set up the sheet.** Have the game sheet, a pen and a spare, and the list of offence codes where you can see them. - **Agree the door.** Agree with the box attendant who opens the door and how you will signal a release. - **Never leave the box.** Stay at the timekeeper's bench for the whole game, including stoppages, and tell the referee about any clock problem at the next stoppage. ## The end of a period A clinic will ask what happens to penalty time at the buzzer. It carries over: penalties are playing time in both rulebooks (Canadian Rule 4.1, USA Rule 401(a)), so note what is left on each clock and put it back on for the next period. Players waiting for a stoppage leave at the end of the period. **Worked example: two minors called late in the first period.** Hockey Canada 2026-28 rules, 15 minute periods. - P1 1:20 Penalty: Home #10, tripping (TRIP), minor - P1 0:35 Penalty: Away #2, hooking (HOOK), minor ## What the sheet and the door should show two minors called late in the first period Table: Expected game sheet | Team | P | # | Served by | Offence | Min | Off | Start | End | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Home | 1 | 10 | | TRIP minor | 2 | 1:20 | P1 1:20 | P2 14:20 | | Away | 1 | 2 | | HOOK minor | 2 | 0:35 | P1 0:35 | P2 13:35 | ### Box door - Home #10 at P2 14:20 (time expired) - Away #2 at P2 13:35 (time expired) ## Common mistakes on the first night - Not knowing the league's period length and minor length before the puck drops. - Leaving the box during a stoppage and missing a call. - Letting the clock run through the first whistle while writing the sheet. - Forgetting to reset penalty time after the intermission. - Guessing at a call: ask the referee at the stoppage instead. For clinic instructors, [projection mode](https://rinkclock.app/projection/) reads a period to the room and reveals the correct board after each call. Trainees can warm up at home on the free [daily period](https://rinkclock.app/drill/). ## 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. - **GTHL, Timekeeping: Get Started.** The Greater Toronto Hockey League's page for new timekeepers: a certification clinic before the season, independent contractor status, arrival times and staying in the timekeepers' area. Read 27 September 2026. - **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. ## Frequently asked questions ### Do I need a clinic to be a hockey timekeeper? It depends on the league. Some require one: the GTHL asks new timekeepers to attend a certification clinic before the season. Many house leagues train parents at the rink. Ask your association. ### Is Rinkclock a certification? No. It is practice. Your league or region's certification course is still required where one exists, and the referee's decisions on the ice are final. ### What should I study first? The penalty lengths for your league, coincidental penalties, which penalty ends on a power play goal, and the stacked third penalty. Those four cover most of the calls that go wrong. --- Guide # US and Canadian penalty box rules, side by side The two rulebooks agree on the basics: penalties are playing time, only two players serve time at once, a goal ends the minor with the least time left, majors never end on a goal, and coincidental penalties stay off the clock. They differ on minor length (2:00 in Canada, pro-rated in the USA), on majors (always with a game misconduct in Canada), on time-outs (30 against 60 seconds), and since 2026-27 on delayed minors when a goal is scored. ## Side by side Table: Timekeeper rules: Hockey Canada 2026-2028 and USA Hockey 2025-29 | Topic | Hockey Canada 2026-28 | USA Hockey 2025-29 | | --- | --- | --- | | Minor length | Always 2:00 (Rule 4.2) | Pro-rated: 1:00 for periods of 12 minutes or less, 1:30 over 12 and under 17, 2:00 for 17 to 20 (Rule 402) | | Major | 5:00 and always a game misconduct; the coach names a player from the ice to serve (Rule 4.4) | 5:00; the player serves it unless it comes with a game misconduct, when a substitute serves (Rules 403(a) and (d)) | | Misconduct | 10:00, substitute on at once, out at the first stoppage after (Rule 4.7) | 10:00, which an affiliate may shorten for short periods, out at the next stoppage (Rule 404) | | Delayed minor and a goal | Counts as 2:00 left in deciding which minor ends, new for 2026-28 (Rule 4.2(b)) | The first delayed minor is recorded but deemed expired, unless the team was already short by a minor (Rule 409(b)) | | Delayed minor, full strength, goal | Not assessed (Rule 4.15(b)) | Written on the sheet as expired (Rule 409(b)) | | Coincidental order | Written procedure: cancel as many as possible, one player short, no extra player off, then order of occurrence (Rule 4.5(d)) | Equal numbers cancel; extra penalties served normally (Rules 402(f) and 403(c)) | | Coincidental on the clock | Not a power play, so not posted as one (Rule 4.5) | Not recorded on the timing device (Rule 507(b) Note 2) | | Two expire together | Out in the order the penalties were reported (Rule 4.14(c)) | The captain chooses who returns first (Rules 402(d) and 408(b)) | | Time-out | One per team, 30 seconds (Rule 6.17(e)) | One per team, 60 seconds (Rule 636(f)) | | Penalty shot goal | Nobody released (Rule 4.2(b) Note 1) | Nobody released (Rule 402(c) and Casebook) | ## The difference that changes a sheet Away is short by a minor. The referee raises an arm on home, then away scores short handed before home touches the puck. The two rulebooks write different sheets. Under the Canadian rules the team scored on is not short, so the delayed minor is assessed and served (the 2026-28 notes to Rule 4.2(b)). Under USA Rule 409(b) the first delayed minor is recorded but deemed expired whenever the other team scores during the delay. **Worked example: a short handed goal during a delayed call, Canadian rules.** Hockey Canada 2026-28 rules, 20 minute periods. - P1 10:00 Penalty: Away #4, tripping (TRIP), minor - P1 9:30 Delayed penalty signalled: Home #6, hooking (HOOK), minor. Play on. - P1 9:00 Goal: Away ## What the sheet and the door should show a short handed goal during a delayed call, Canadian rules Table: Expected game sheet | Team | P | # | Served by | Offence | Min | Off | Start | End | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Away | 1 | 4 | | TRIP minor | 2 | 10:00 | P1 10:00 | P1 8:00 | | Home | 1 | 6 | | HOOK minor | 2 | 9:00 | P1 9:00 | P1 7:00 | ### Box door - Away #4 at P1 8:00 (time expired) - Home #6 at P1 7:00 (time expired) **Worked example: the same play, USA rules.** USA Hockey 2025-29 rules, 20 minute periods. - P1 10:00 Penalty: Away #4, tripping (TRIP), minor - P1 9:30 Delayed penalty signalled: Home #6, hooking (HOOK), minor. Play on. - P1 9:00 Goal: Away ## What the sheet and the door should show the same play, USA rules Table: Expected game sheet | Team | P | # | Served by | Offence | Min | Off | Start | End | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Away | 1 | 4 | | TRIP minor | 2 | 10:00 | P1 10:00 | P1 8:00 | | Home | 1 | 6 | | HOOK minor, expired on the goal | 2 | 9:00 | P1 9:00 | P1 9:00 | ### Box door - Away #4 at P1 8:00 (time expired) ## What Rinkclock does where a rulebook leaves a choice Where two penalties expire together, the USA rulebook lets the captain choose who returns first; Rinkclock uses the order the penalties were recorded, as the Canadian rulebook does, and says so. For coincidental penalties with unequal counts, Rinkclock applies the Canadian cancellation order in both profiles, which gives the USA casebook's answers for the situations it lists. Majors and misconducts keep their full lengths in the USA profile, because shortening them is an affiliate's option, not the default. The USA profile also stops at the youth rule for a major plus game misconduct, where a substitute serves; adult play differs. ## Common mistakes when you switch between the two - Using 2:00 minors in a USA game with 15 minute periods, or 1:30 minors in a Canadian game. - Letting a Canadian major be served by the penalized player, who is gone with a game misconduct. - Adding a game misconduct row to every USA major. - Timing a 60 second time-out in a Canadian game. - Applying the 2026-28 delayed minor rule in a USA game. Every mode in Rinkclock runs under either profile; the [practice page](https://rinkclock.app/practice/) has three scenarios per situation for each, and the free [daily period](https://rinkclock.app/drill/) runs under the one you pick. ## 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. - **OMHA, Hockey Canada Playing Rule Changes for the 2026-27 Season, 2 September 2026.** The Ontario Minor Hockey Association's summary of the 2026-28 changes, including Rule 4.2(b) on delayed minors and bench minors when a goal is scored. 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. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is a minor penalty always two minutes? Under the Canadian rulebook, yes. Under the USA rulebook it is pro-rated to the period length, so a 15 minute period takes a 1:30 minor. ### Does every major come with a game misconduct? Under the Canadian rulebook, yes, and a player from the ice serves the five minutes. Under the USA rulebook only some majors do; otherwise the player serves the major. ### Which rules should I use? The rules of the body your league plays under, plus any league rules on top. Canadian associations follow the Canadian book; USA Hockey affiliated leagues follow the USA book. --- Reference # Hockey penalty codes for the game sheet The Offence column on a game sheet takes a short code, not a sentence. These are the 31 codes Rinkclock uses, the ones most leagues write, each with a plain description in our own words. Your league or sheet provider may use a different list; where it does, follow theirs. The referee decides the offence and its length; the timekeeper writes what the referee reports. ## Stick fouls Table: Stick fouls | Code | Offence | Usually called as | What it is | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **SLASH** | Slashing | minor, major | Swinging the stick at an opponent's body or stick. | | **HS** | High-sticking | minor, double minor | Contact with an opponent above the shoulders with the stick; an injury often makes it a double minor. | | **CC** | Cross-checking | minor, major | Checking with the shaft of the stick held in both hands. | | **BE** | Butt-ending | double minor, major | Jabbing an opponent with the top end of the stick. | | **SPEAR** | Spearing | double minor, major | Stabbing at an opponent with the blade of the stick. | | **HOOK** | Hooking | minor | Using the blade to hook and slow an opponent. | | **TRIP** | Tripping | minor | Using the stick, a leg or a foot to make an opponent fall. | | **THROW** | Throwing a stick | minor | Throwing a stick or any object toward the puck or a player. | ## Body contact fouls Table: Body contact fouls | Code | Offence | Usually called as | What it is | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **BOARD** | Boarding | minor, major | Driving an opponent violently into the boards. | | **CHG** | Charging | minor, major | Taking strides or leaving the feet to hit an opponent. | | **CFB** | Checking from behind | minor and a misconduct, major and a game misconduct | Hitting an opponent who cannot see the check coming, from behind. | | **CHK** | Illegal check | minor, major | Body contact where the league does not allow checking, or an illegal hit of another kind. | | **HC** | Head contact | minor, double minor, major | Contact to the head or neck; minor hockey leagues penalize any such contact. | | **ELB** | Elbowing | minor, major | Using an extended elbow to hit an opponent. | | **KNEE** | Kneeing | minor, major | Leading with the knee into an opponent. | | **ROUGH** | Roughing | minor, double minor | Pushing, shoving or striking after the whistle or away from the play. | | **FIGHT** | Fighting | major, major and a game misconduct | Throwing punches at an opponent. | | **SLEW** | Slew-footing | major and a game misconduct, minor | Kicking an opponent's feet out from behind while pulling them backward. | | **CLIP** | Clipping | minor, major | Low hit at or below the knees. | ## Restraining fouls Table: Restraining fouls | Code | Offence | Usually called as | What it is | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **HOLD** | Holding | minor | Grabbing an opponent or their sweater to slow them. | | **HOLDS** | Holding the stick | minor | Grabbing and holding an opponent's stick. | | **INT** | Interference | minor | Impeding an opponent who does not have the puck. | ## Conduct and misconduct Table: Conduct and misconduct | Code | Offence | Usually called as | What it is | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **UNS** | Unsportsmanlike conduct | minor, misconduct, minor and a misconduct | Taunting, arguing or other conduct the rules forbid. | | **ABUSE** | Abuse of officials | misconduct, game misconduct | Abusive language or gestures toward an official. | | **INST** | Instigator | minor and a misconduct | Starting a fight; added to the fighting penalty. | | **EMB** | Embellishment | minor | Diving or exaggerating contact to draw a penalty. | ## Team and bench penalties Table: Team and bench penalties | Code | Offence | Usually called as | What it is | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **DOG** | Delay of game | minor, bench minor | Shooting the puck out of play, displacing the net, or otherwise stalling. | | **TMM** | Too many players | bench minor | More players on the ice than allowed; served by a player the coach names. | | **ILLEQ** | Illegal equipment | minor | Playing with equipment the rules do not allow, such as an illegal stick. | | **LEAVE** | Leaving the bench | game misconduct, minor | Leaving the players' or penalty bench during an altercation or at the wrong time. | ## Goaltender related Table: Goaltender related | Code | Offence | Usually called as | What it is | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | **GI** | Goaltender interference | minor | Impeding the goaltender in or around the crease. | ## How long each penalty is The Min column records the length. Under the Hockey Canada Playing Rules 2026-2028, a minor is 2:00 whatever the period length (Rule 4.2), a major is 5:00 and always brings a game misconduct (Rule 4.4), a misconduct is 10:00 (Rule 4.7), and a game misconduct records 10 minutes with no clock time (Rule 4.8). Under the USA Hockey Official Rules of Ice Hockey 2025-29, Rule 402 pro-rates the minor to the period length, as the table shows; a major is 5:00 and a misconduct 10:00, which an affiliate may shorten for short periods (Rules 403 and 404). Table: Minor penalty length by period length | Period length | Canada 2026-28 | USA 2025-29 | | --- | --- | --- | | 12 minutes | 2:00 | 1:00 | | 15 minutes | 2:00 | 1:30 | | 20 minutes | 2:00 | 2:00 | ## Writing the kinds on the sheet - **Double minor:** one row, Min 4 (or 3 under the USA profile in a 15 minute period). It is two separate minors for goal purposes. - **Bench minor:** no player number; the player the coach names goes under Served by. - **Minor plus misconduct:** two rows. The minor is served by a substitute; the misconduct starts when the minor ends. - **Major plus game misconduct:** two rows. The major has a start and end; the game misconduct has neither. Practise writing them on the [daily period](https://rinkclock.app/drill/), or read [how to fill in the game sheet](https://rinkclock.app/guide/filling-the-game-sheet/) in the [guide](https://rinkclock.app/guide/). Back to the top Last reviewed 27 September 2026. First published 27 September 2026. --- FAQ # Questions and answers about Rinkclock Using Rinkclock is free with no account: a narrator reads a hockey period call by call while you keep the clocks, the box door and the game sheet, and every miss is marked with its rule. For the rules themselves, see the [guide](https://rinkclock.app/guide/). ## Frequently asked questions ### What is Rinkclock? A practice bench for the hockey timekeeper. A narrator reads a period call by call, you run the game clock and the penalty clocks, fill in a game sheet and open the box door, and Rinkclock marks every clock, release and sheet entry against the rules. ### Who is it for? Minor hockey parents taking a turn in the timekeeper's box, off-ice officials training for a clinic, paid junior timekeepers keeping their hand in, and association instructors who want to run a clinic night from a projector. ### Is it free? Yes, the core is. The daily period in either rule profile, the first scenario of every situation, the code sheet, every guide and your running totals are free with no account. Any paid plan adds both profiles on every mode, every scenario, live pace, full games, projection, the certificate and the history. ### Which rules does it follow? Two profiles: the Hockey Canada Playing Rules 2026-2028, including the 2026-27 change to Rule 4.2(b) on delayed minors and goals, and the USA Hockey Official Rules 2025-29. Every number the engine uses comes from the profile, and every mark cites the rule number. ### Is Rinkclock official, or a certification? No. It is a practice tool. Your league or region's certification course is still required where one exists, and the referee's call on the ice is final. Rinkclock is not affiliated with Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, the OMHA, the GTHL or any league, association or governing body. ### What does the grader check? After every call it compares your penalty clocks with the correct ones, including anything that should be waiting in the queue. At the end it checks every box door release to the second and every cell of your game sheet, and reports accuracy by situation. ### How many scenarios are there? 66 authored scenarios across 11 situations, three per situation in each rule profile, plus a generated period every day and generated periods on demand. ### What if my browser cannot speak? Every call is also shown as a caption, and a browser with no speech voices gets the calls as text automatically. Speech uses your browser's own voices; on device voices are chosen first. ### Where is my progress stored? Only in this browser's local storage. There is no account and nothing is uploaded. You can export your progress as a JSON file and import it on another browser. Player numbers and any name you type for a certificate never leave the browser. ### Does it cover referee judgment calls? No. What counts as a penalty, head contact and goaltender rules are the referee's calls. Rinkclock covers the timekeeper's side: the clocks, the queue, the release and the sheet, once the referee has reported the penalty. ### Does it copy an official game sheet? No. The sheet is Rinkclock's own layout with the fields every penalty record needs. Your league's sheet or app may look different; the information is the same. ### Was Rinkclock called something else? Rinkclock was called BoxClock until October 2026. Same tool, same maker, your saved work and Premium are unchanged. Not sure where to start? Try the [free daily period](https://rinkclock.app/drill/), or read [how to run a hockey clock](https://rinkclock.app/guide/how-to-run-a-hockey-clock/). Last reviewed 27 September 2026. First published 27 September 2026.