by Michael Fox

Created on: December 11, 2011

Penalties can occur for many reasons. However, sometimes a penalty might end up being substantial enough to where it can result in four minutes of penalty time instead of the standard two. The double minor penalty in the NHL is one of the last things that any player wants to get into.

A double minor will be called in the event that a player commits a substantial act that was clearly made with the intention of keeping a player from making some kind of progress in the game. It is something that causes a player to serve a four minute penalty. This consists of two two-minute penalties served consecutively.

There are many ways how a person can be called for a double minor penalty. This can happen if a person commits high sticking in a strong form. This could include something that creates a laceration.

Spearing may also be a penalty that causes this issue. This can be something that involves attempting to use excessive force on a player.

Head-butting may also be a cause for a double minor. Butt-ending may also be a concern that can involve getting the end of a stick in contact with a player. This may cause anyone to deal with issues involving the way how a player will move because the player could be easily knocked down without being defensive.

One important rule involving the double minor penalty involves what happens in the event that the opposing team scores a power play goal. The double minor will consist of two separate two minute penalties that have been called consecutively. If the team scores the power play goal within the first two minutes of the power play then the first penalty is going to be removed. The team that scored will now have two minutes of power play to work with.

The same also goes if the team gets a goal during the delay before the team that the double minor is on touches the puck. A team that scores during the delay will still be on the power play but it will be for two minutes instead of four. This is not something surprising because a team could score easily during the delay because the goalie can be pulled without any risk of giving up an empty net goal. After all, the team that the penalty is on will stop the game clock once that team touches the puck again.

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