Rule 49. Attempt to Injure or Deliberate Injury

(a) A Match penalty shall be assessed any player or team official who deliberately attempts to or deliberately injures an opponent, official,  team official or spectator in any manner.

(b) *NEW* A Match penalty shall be assessed any player or team official who head-butts or attempts to head-butt an opponent with force or who injures an opponent with this action. A 4 minute double minor penalty shall be assessed any player who head-butts or attempts to head-butt an opponent but no injury results. A 4 minute double minor penalty and a Gross Misconduct shall be assessed any team official who head-butts or attempts to head-butt an opponent but no injury results.

(c) A Match penalty shall be assessed any player or team official that attempts to kick or deliberately kicks an opponent.

(d) *NEW* A player who pulls an opponent’s hair or who grabs the facial protector, helmet, or chin strap of an opponent and uses this to gain an advantage or to inflict punishment or injury shall be assessed a Match penalty. A player who grabs an opponent’s hair, facial protector, helmet or chin strap, but does not use it to gain an advantage or to inflict punishment or injury shall be assessed a 4 minute double minor penalty or at the discretion of the referee a Major and a Game Misconduct penalty.

(e) A Match penalty shall be assessed any player who uses their facial protector as a weapon.

(f) *NEW* A Match penalty shall be assessed any player or team official who deliberately butt-ends or deliberately attempts to butt-end an opponent by jabbing their forcefully with the butt-end of the stick, or who injures an opponent by any butt-ending action. At the discretion of the Referee, a 4 minute double minor penalty shall be assessed to any player who attempts to butt-end an opponent with the butt-end of their stick. A 4 minute double minor penalty and a Gross Misconduct shall be assessed to any team official who attempts to butt-end an opponent with the butt-end of their stick.

(g) *NEW* A Match penalty shall be assessed any player or team official who deliberately spears or deliberately attempts to spear an opponent by jabbing their forcefully with the toe of the blade of the stick, or who injures an opponent by any spearing action. A 4 minute double minor penalty shall be assessed any player who pokes or jabs or attempts to jab an opposing player with the toe of the blade of the stick. A 4 minute double minor penalty and a Gross Misconduct shall be assessed any team official who pokes or jabs or attempts to jab an opposing player with the toe of the blade of the stick.

(h) A Match penalty shall be assessed any player who deliberately attempts to or deliberately injures an opponent with a slash, high stick or cross-check.Team officials shall be responsible for their conduct and that of their players at all times. They must endeavor to prevent disorderly conduct before, during or after the game, on or off the floor and any place in the rink. The Referee may assess penalties to any of the above team officials for failure to do so and shall report full details of the incident to the President.

SITUATION 1 Rule 49 (a)
Biting can definitely be classified as an attempt to injure. If injury results, it will be classified as a deliberate injury. In either case, a Match penalty shall be assessed any player or team official guilty of such action.

SITUATION 2 Rule 49 (a)
When a player strikes and injures a spectator, the Match penalty may apply, however, the Referee must be sure of the cause of the incident (see Situations 3 and  4). Any time a player is involved with a spectator, the incident must be reported to the President.

SITUATION 3 Rule 49 (a)
When a player becomes involved with a spectator, the Referee must be sure of the cause of the trouble. For example, if a spectator near the boards grabs,  punches or holds a player and the player retaliates by swinging their stick or glove at the spectator, the player should not be penalized. They are really acting in self-defense. If the player did not cause the trouble, they should not be penalized for their actions, unless those actions become exaggerated and by no means justifiable in the eyes of the Referee. The Referee should have the spectator removed from that area and sent elsewhere in the stands or out of the arena altogether.

SITUATION 4 Rule 49 (a)
If a player, reacting to verbal harassment, goes into the stands to get at a spectator, the Referee must assess the player a Gross Misconduct, for making a travesty of the game. Should the player deliberately attempt to injure or deliberately injure that spectator, the Match penalty shall also apply.

SITUATION 5 Rules 49 (a)
Where a player and an opposing player or team official deliberately attempt to injure each other (e.g. swinging stick incident), both participants shall be assessed  a Match penalty. The Referee is required to write a detailed report to the President.

SITUATION 6 Rule 49 (f) & 64(c)
Any “hooking” or restraining action using the shaft of the stick above the upper hand is penalized under Rule 64(c) – Hooking.

SITUATION 7 Rule 49 (g)
The severity of the spearing action and/or the area of the body where the spear is directed should serve as guides to the type of penalty to assess (Match or double minor penalty). If the spearing action is directed at the groin, stomach, chest or head of an opposing player, a Match penalty would surely be warranted. If
the spearing action is violent or vicious, a Match penalty shall be assessed, regardless of the area of the body where the spear is directed. If the player speared is injured as a result of that infraction, regardless of the area of the body involved, a Match penalty must be assessed to the player guilty of the spearing infraction.
If the spearing action is directed at the leg or ankle area, or if the spear does not make contact, then a double minor penalty may be assessed.

SITUATION 8 Rules 49 (f)(g)
If the spearing or butt-ending is forceful, violent or vicious, or if injury results, a Match penalty must be assessed. The double minor penalty is not to be used in lieu of the Match penalty, if the Match penalty is warranted. Referees should utilize the double minor penalty for borderline spearing or butt-ending infractions which have previously gone unpenalized.

SITUATION 9 Rule 49 (b)
Examples of a double minor penalty for Head-Butting could be:
a) Helmet to helmet contact, without the use of excessive force.
b) Helmet to facial protector contact, without the use of excessive force.
c) Facial protector to facial protector contact, without the use of excessive force.
However, the severity of the contact is the determining factor to be considered by the Referee when deciding whether a double minor or a Match penalty is assessed.