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USA Hockey Declaration of Player Safety, Fair Play and Respect

By PREP Board, 09/01/19, 6:45PM CDT

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  1. Late Avoidable Body Check—body check delivered to an opponent who no longer is in control of the puck. If the player delivering the check had already committed to the check and contact was deemed unavoidable, the player still has an obligation to minimize contact and not accelerate or drive through the check to punish or intimidate. There are several examples of this in the video where the player is responsible in minimizing contact (acceptable) and other examples where they are careless and reckless (unacceptable) in delivering an avoidable check, which must be penalized.
  2. Body Check Delivered to a Vulnerable or Defenseless Player—there are two primary situations where a player is unsuspecting, unaware or unprepared for an impending hit, so therefore would be considered Vulnerable or Defenseless. They are when the player has not yet established possession or control of the puck and is body checked or when the player is physically engaged with an opponent in an attempt to gain possession or control of the puck and a 2nd player from the opposing team comes in to deliver a body check.
  3. When a player delivers a body check and initiates the primary point of contact with the hands, arms, elbows or stick. If done to the head or neck area of the opponent, then Head Contact must be called.
  4. Banging the boards (Celebration) of physical play that only serves the purpose of taunting or intimidating the opponents and as a result escalates continuing questionable physical play. The first violation is a warning and the second violation by the same team is a bench minor penalty for Unsportsmanlike Conduct. There are examples in the video where the celebration takes place and as a result, an escalation in questionable physical play takes place.

Please click on the link below for definitions and video examples of the Declaration of Player Safety, Fair Play and Respect. Once on the page, click the big video at bottom with the player in the white jersey wearing #8.