Hockey teams focus much attention on special teams play in order to excel during the season. The ability to score consistently on the power play and keep your opponents from scoring when they have a man advantage may mean the difference between victory and defeat in a game -- or success and failure for the season.
Minor Penalty
Referees will call minor penalties for tripping, hooking, charging and boarding. These and other similar penalties will send the offending player to to sit in the penalty box for two minutes. However, if your team is shorthanded after a minor penalty and your opponent scores a goal before the penalty is over, the offending player returns to the ice and the team no longer skates shorthanded.
Coincidental Minor Penalties
In some cases, the referees will call penalties on both teams at the same time. For example, two players may exchange elbows or hit each other in a rough manner. However, the exchange will not lead to a full-fledged fight. The referee may call both players for roughing. Neither of the offending players will be allowed on the ice for two minutes. While both teams won't have those players at their disposal, neither team has an advantage. The players must sit in the penalty box for the duration of the penalty.
Major Penalty
A referee can call a major penalty if an offensive penalty like high sticking or spearing is vicious or causes blood to be drawn. A player who intends to injure his opponent will be called for a five-minute major and may also get hit with a game misconduct or match penalty. During the five-minute major, the offending player's team will skate shorthanded for the duration of the penalty. It doesn't matter if the team scores two or more goals: the offending player cannot return in this case. The game misconduct will prevent that player from seeing any more game action, but it won't force the team to play shorthanded.
Double Minor
A referee can call two minor penalties on one player. This is called a double minor. In a case like this, the player will be in the penalty box for two two-minute penalties. If the opponent scores prior to the first penalty concluding, the first penalty ends and the second penalty begins. However, if the team scores at the 2:05 mark, that means the first penalty expired before the team scored and then the second penalty ends early, because a goal has scored.
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