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In the NHL’s 2025–26 rules, a major penalty is a five-minute team penalty; a match penalty also removes the offender for the rest of the game and automatically suspends them from further competition until the Commissioner rules. In both cases, the team serves five minutes short-handed—but a match-penalty offender is replaced on the penalty clock by a teammate.
How a major penalty works
Under Rule 20 of the NHL Official Rules 2025–26, the first major penalty assessed to a player in a game is five minutes. Except for a goalkeeper, the offender serves the penalty in the box, and no substitute is permitted during that time. The team therefore plays short-handed.
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A power-play goal does not end a major early. Rule 20.2 specifies that the player serving the major does not leave the penalty bench when the opposing team scores; the full five minutes must expire.
How a match penalty works
A match penalty adds consequences for the individual offender as well as a five-minute penalty-clock burden for the team. Rule 21.1 says the offender is suspended for the balance of the game and must go to the dressing room immediately. Rule 21.2 requires a teammate designated by the coach through the playing captain to serve the penalty. A substitute may replace the offender after five minutes of playing time.
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The offender is automatically suspended from further competition until the Commissioner rules. The referee must report the match penalty and its surrounding circumstances to the Commissioner immediately after the game; Rule 28 addresses supplementary discipline. A match penalty is not simply another name for a five-minute major.
Major and match penalties compared
| What happens | Major penalty | Match penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Offender’s status | The player serves the major. The major alone does not necessarily remove the player for the rest of the game. | The offender is removed for the balance of the game and ordered to the dressing room. |
| Team penalty | Five minutes short-handed; an opposing power-play goal does not end the penalty early. | A teammate serves five minutes short-handed; a substitute may replace the offender after five minutes of playing time. |
| Automatic follow-up | Some listed major infractions also carry an automatic game misconduct; not every major does. | The offender is suspended from further competition until the Commissioner rules, and the referee reports the circumstances. |
| Time recorded against the player | Five minutes for the first major in a game. | 15 minutes: five on the penalty clock plus ten for removal from the game. |
The 15-minute figure is a recording convention under Rule 21.2, not 15 minutes of short-handed play.
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Does a major penalty mean ejection?
No. A major penalty by itself means the player serves five minutes, not necessarily that they are ejected. The NHL rules specify certain major infractions that also carry an automatic game misconduct, which is a separate consequence. A match penalty, by contrast, expressly removes the offender for the balance of the game.
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Can a major or match penalty be reviewed?
The NHL rules provide referees with video-review options for major and match penalties. The NHL’s Video Rulebook entry for Rule 20.6/21.5 explains the review topic. This does not mean every such penalty is automatically reviewed, nor does an in-game video review replace the separate supplementary-discipline process.
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Which NHL rules season applies?
This explanation follows the NHL Official Rules 2025–26. The NHL Video Rulebook index includes 2026–27 rule-change material, but the available material does not establish whether Rules 20 and 21 changed for that season. These details should not be assumed to be verified for 2026–27 without checking that season’s full rulebook. Penalty terminology and consequences may also differ in other leagues and at other levels of hockey.
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