playing rules – harassment of officials, unsportmanlike conduct & misconduct

Rule 47. Harassment of Officials, Unsportsmanlike Conduct/Misconduct

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.

(a) A Minor penalty shall be assessed to any player or team official who challenges or disputes the rulings of any official during the game or who displays unsportsmanlike conduct. If a player or goaltender persists, she shall be assessed a Misconduct penalty and any further disputes will result in a Game Misconduct penalty being assessed to the offending player or goaltender. If a team official persists, she shall immediately be assessed a Game Misconduct penalty. A Referee is not required to assess a Minor penalty under this rule before assessing the Misconduct or Game Misconduct, but may assess either of these penalties initially.

(b) A Misconduct penalty shall be assessed on any player who:

(1) uses obscene, profane or abusive language or gestures to any person.
(2) persists in disputing or shows disrespect for the ruling of any official.
(3) intentionally knocks or shoots the ball out of reach of an official who is retrieving it.

A player who, after receiving a Misconduct penalty, persists in any of the actions of (b) above, shall be assessed a Game Misconduct penalty.

Note: In the case of a team official, a Bench Minor penalty shall be assessed instead of a Misconduct penalty. A team official after receiving a Bench Minor penalty would receive a Game Misconduct penalty if the actions continue. A Referee is not required to assess a Bench Minor penalty under this rule before assessing a Game Misconduct penalty.

(c) If the Referee is unable to identify the person responsible for the use of obscene, profane or abusive language, a Bench Minor penalty shall be assessed the offending team.

(d) A Misconduct penalty shall be assessed any player who does not proceed immediately and directly to the penalty bench when she has been penalized. Where the penalized player causes any delay by returning for her equipment (gloves, sticks, etc…), the Misconduct penalty shall apply. The equipment shall be delivered to her on the penalty bench by a player of her team on the floor at the time of the infraction.

Note: It shall be necessary to place a substitute on the penalty bench. Such substitute may return to the floor as soon as the Misconduct penalty to the offending player commences.

(e) A Misconduct penalty shall be assessed to any player who shows any course of conduct (including threatening and abusive language or gestures or similar actions) designed to incite an opponent into incurring a penalty. Any player who removes his helmet to incite an opponent would also receive a Misconduct under this rule.

(f) Any player or team official who engages in verbal taunts, insults or intimidation based on discriminatory grounds (race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, language) shall be assessed a Game Misconduct penalty. Notwithstanding the above, at the discretion of the Referee, a Gross Misconduct penalty may be assessed for any infraction to any player or team official.

Note: Officials must complete a game report and report to the President any penalty incurred under Rule 47 (f).

(g) A Misconduct penalty shall be assessed any player or players who, except for taking her position on the penalty bench, enters or remains in the Referee’s crease while the Referee is reporting to or consulting with any game official, Timekeeper, Penalty Timekeeper, Official Scorer or Announcer.

(h) Where a team official has been assessed a Game Misconduct penalty under this rule, the Referee shall report the individual in full details to the President, who may assess further penalties.

(i) A Bench Minor penalty shall be assessed a team where any player or team official on the bench protests an official’s ruling through verbal or physical gestures that may be considered disrespectful in any way, or who bangs the boards or playing surface with a stick or any other object in protest of the ruling.

Note: When the penalty is assessed against a player on the penalty bench, another player from the floor must serve the Bench Minor penalty.

(j) When the player on the floor commits the infraction described in (i), the Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty shall be assessed.