Utah Hockey Club 101, presented by Trucordia Insurance.
SALT LAKE CITY – With the Utah Hockey Club’s inaugural season now well underway, fans have had an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the sport for several months. However, at times hockey can be somewhat of a confusing and complex game which requires more of an in-depth knowledge to fully understand.
As part of the hockey 101 series, the following is an explanation of boarding, why it’s a penalty, and what that means for both teams.
According to the NHL, boarding will be assessed on any player who checks or pushes a defenseless opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to hit or impact the boards violently or dangerously.
The severity and length of the penalty is based upon the impact with the boards and is at the discretion of the referee.
Depending on the severity as identified by the officials, boarding can be a minor penalty, major penalty, match penalty, or even a game misconduct/suspension with fines.
A minor is generally assessed following the basic act of boarding while a major is awarded if the impact with the boards is deemed violent or severe.
A match penalty (ejection from the game) is awarded if the referee believes the instigator intentionally attempted to injure his opponent. If the player receives an injury to his head or face when making contact with the boards, the penalized player will receive a major penalty and an automatic game misconduct.
For more information and explanations of rules, fans can visit NHL.com.
The Utah Hockey Club will now return home for a single game homestand against the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday night. The game can be viewed on ESPN+, Hulu or Disney+. Fans can also tune in on air on the KSL Sports APP or on 97.5 and 1280 The Zone. Click here for the full schedule.
