Ice hockey has a variety of penalties for excessive contact between players. This might seem kind of odd for a sport that thrives on rough play and physical contact. However, penalties exist to protect players from overly aggressive opponents. Clipping is one such penalty that exists to punish players who aim to intentionally hard check an opponent by throwing the
Clipping falls under the category of checking since this penalty tries to stop the opponent. For reference, checking is a type of contact that knocks another player legally with the shoulder, hips, or upper body when a player possesses the puck. Stick checks are permitted as long as the stick doesn't come in contact with the player. Types of stick checks include sweeping the stick in front of player to disrupt a shot, poke the puck loose, and stick checking, which interferes with an opponent's stick. Checks are permitted in hockey as long as the stick doesn't come in contact with an opponent's body.
Enter clipping. Clipping involves hitting an opponent at the knee level or below. This results in impeded play and is almost always assessed as a minor penalty. If the intention was to harm the player of if the opponent is injured, officials may call a major penalty resulting in the player spending 5 minutes in the penalty box. Clipping isn't a joke because under-cutting a player's knees on the ice can result in a head or neck injury. This type of behavior often gets a player labeled as a dirty fighter because literally, clipping requires effort to swipe the stick against the opponents legs. There isn't much room for misinterpretation.
The National Hockey League instituted the clipping rule in 2002 as a needed addition to the NHL rulebook. That year, a player on the New York Islanders was injured due to a clipping call during a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The severity of the player's injury kept him from playing the remainder of the year.
So how does one clip? There's a few ways to do it. One involves flinging yourself on the ice in front of an opponent to block the knees. Kneeling on the ice and hitting an opposing player below the knees as a result is clipping. Clipping can result when you throw your body at opponent's legs from any direction. Anything below the knees is a general no-no in hockey.
These illegal lower-leg hits result in a minor penalty in cases where no injury results to the opponent. However, major penalties can be assessed if the severity of the clip is evaluated and officials find the clipping to be intentional. Minor penalties result in 2 minutes in the penalty box and teams playing minus one player. Major penalties are 5-minute penalties that leave a team short-handed as well. Officials also tend to assess game misconduct penalties for clipping since the presumption is that there was initial intent to harm. The NHL commissioner has the right to evaluate each instance and institute more severe punishment if he chooses.
Don't worry though. Clipping isn't called when players get all tangled up with arms and legs flying to get control of a puck. There are four referees on the ice; two at the center and blue lines and one at each end near the goals. Referees exist to provide rule interpretation as well as making sure game play is safe. They also determine both intent and which kind of penalty to charge.