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The NHL institutes a variety of rules to ensure safe and fair play during hockey games. One of the more misunderstood types of fouls involves bench-minor penalties. Bench minor penalties consist of applying penalty minutes to the team's "bench" as a result of a perceived infraction. Referees can visit bench minor penalties on a hockey team by their own interpretation.

Bench minor penalties include verbal abuse or arguing from a coach to a referee. In fact, most bench minor penalties come in this form. However, there are a host of other types of bench minor calls that fall into this penalty category. These include:

-Delay of game includes any action by the players, goalie, or coaches that impedes progress of the game. Deliberately sending a puck outside of the rink play area is a common example of a delay of game penalty.

-Deliberate illegal substitution involves having too many men on the ice at once. Games allow five players at a time, plus the goalie. Substitutions are allowed at any time as long as the switch is made when a player leaving the ice is 5 feet from the bench.

-Illegal substitution involves illegal entry of a player into the game. This can occur from the bench or penalty box or when a player doesn't enter play after serving penalty time.

-An improper starting line-up bench minor penalty occurs when coaches or manager list the starting lineup before game play and then present a different line up on the ice at game time.

-Interference from players' or penalty bench is considered a penalty when players skate behind and opponent. Players must skate beside or in front of opponents to allow for proper game play. Players can't move side to side and make contact with offensive players without establishing forward motion positioning.

-Interference with an official includes coaches, players, and goalies interfering with the ruling of an official.

-Leaving bench at end of period means that all players must be positioned ready for play at the start of every period.

-Refusing to start play is another bench minor penalty defined by a team refusing to begin play. They're given a 15 second warning by the referee to begin play and are assessed a bench minor penalty very similar to delay of game.

-Coaches can be charged with a "stepping onto ice during period" bench minor penalty if they move onto the ice except with the express consent of an official.

-Throwing objects onto ice is penalized in the interest of keeping players safe from tripping.

Bench minor penalties usually result in a chosen player serving a minor two-minute penalty time in the box. An active player on the ice should serve the penalty. Any player can be designated to serve a bench minor penalty, except the goalie.

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