by Brett Jamieson

Created on: January 20, 2009   Last Updated: October 26, 2010

The basis of the rule of "too many men on the ice" is pretty self-explanatory. It actually means your team has more players on the ice than what is allowed. But, for the detail-oriented, let's look into this further and discover the reasons for this penalty, and the consequences it may bring.

The most important aspect, and easiest to understand, about this rule is the consequences. If an infraction is called by the referee that your team has too many men on the ice, he charges the team with what is called a "bench minor penalty". This means that it is a team penalty, as opposed to a penalty against a specific player. The guilty team must choose a player that was on the ice at the time of the infraction to sit in the penalty box for two minutes of play, or until the opposing team scores a goal (whichever comes first).

Now to understand how this penalty comes about, first the rules must be explained. NHL rules stipulate that each team, in regular play (that means in one of the first three periods, when there has been no penalties assessed to either team at the time), must have no more than six skaters on the ice. Normally, this consists of one goaltender, two defensemen, and three forwards. However, different combinations of this are allowed, including substituting the goaltender for another player.

This brings about the first instance where "too many men on the ice" can be charged as an infraction by the referee against a team. If the team has more than six skaters on the ice at one time, this infraction can be called.d

Now while the play is happening, it is allowed to substitute players. This is normally called "changing on the fly". It is different, for example, to soccer, where the team has to wait for a stoppage in play in order to change players. There are specific rules regarding changing on the fly, which are quite subjective when you consider the quick play that hockey entails. However, there are certain issues that come up that can plainly establish a breakage of that rule.

NHL rules state that if you are substituting for a player on the fly, you must wait until that player is, at most, five feet away from the player's bench before you can leave the player's bench and enter the ice surface. If this is not adhered to, it is considered that you have too many men on the ice, at the discretion of the referee. In practical terms, this means that if the referee determines that this action, or failure to adhere to the five-foot limit, causes any kind of advantage for the team, they may call the penalty on that team.

Another situation where changing on the fly could result in the penalty involves the puck itself. If the substituting player plays the puck (meaning that they touch the puck in any way or with any part of their body or equipment) before the exiting player leaves the ice surface, it is an infraction of the rule. Conversely, if the exiting player plays the puck after the substituting player has entered the ice surface, the infraction can also be called.

These are the basic situations where a penalty for too many men on the ice can be called. It is usually a penalty that is a result of laziness of the players, mis-communication between the players and coaches, or just a mental lapse. Unfortunately, it is also a penalty that has a history of ending in a bad result, meaning a goal for the other team on the power play. But knowing about this rule helps in understanding one of the most exciting sports in the world. I hope this article has been able to provide some of that understanding.

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