What Happens When a Hockey Goalie Gets a Penalty?
In ice hockey, a penalty is a punishment for violating the rules. The majority of punishments are carried out by placing the guilty skater in the penalty box for a specified period. The player cannot take part in the game while taking the penalty. Usually, the umpire, or the linesman, assesses and administers penalties.
What happens when a hockey goalie gets a penalty? In ice hockey, a goalkeeper who receives a penalty does not have to serve it. He will be replaced by a player of the referee’s choice to serve the punishment. Although he was given the penalty, the goaltender remained in his net.
Let’s get into the details of goalie penalties and other aspects.
Can a goalie get a penalty?
In hockey, goalies can receive penalties, and it happens commonly. The goalkeeper can be penalized for any infraction that a player can do. It includes cutting, high-sticking, fouling, scraping, shoving, delay of a match, etc.
They even have a few infractions that are unique to them, such as throwing the puck in the non-trapezoid region behind the goal areas and stopping it beyond the goal. And they receive a large number of penalties as well.
A goaltender who receives a penalty is excused from having to serve it in the penalty area. Rather, a player on their side will go into their position and perform the penalty.
In this way, the goalkeeper does not have to enter the zone. But he will be recognized for the penalty in his statistics rather than those of the skater there.
Thus, penalties are never simple, but if you apply the step-by-step instructions, you will be capable of accepting a penalty like an expert.
Related Post: What Happens If You Hit a Goalie in Hockey?
Who goes into the penalty box for a goalie?
Some hockey viewers will find it confusing who should receive a penalty shot when the goalkeeper is called for a foul. Do not be afraid as the following advice will enable you to correctly strike a penalty shot!
The player performing the penalty kick will be placed outside the penalty area, and the goalie will be standing inside it.
If the goaltender raises his hands, it indicates that he would like to perform the penalty kick himself rather than allow another player to complete it.
The goalie is asking for someone on his teammates to take the shot if he lowers his hands to his sides or kicks the puck before anyone who touches him.
Thus, you must always keep calm under stress and concentrate on the current task. Next, ensure your hands are in the proper place and strike directly at the net.
There is a backup goalie can’t he play while the other goalie is serving in the penalty box?
Why goalies are excluded from sending to the penalty spot is a genuine question. As each side has two goalkeepers, why is not the second goalkeeper taking over in goals while the primary goalkeeper is serving a penalty?
Thus, this is logically possible but there are a few causes why it is not possible to happen.
Hockey’s goalkeeper is such a unique position and it is also possibly the toughest position. When a leading goaltender is unexpectedly injured during a match, the backup goaltender will have to step in and take over. And this is a massive challenge.
Every time a goaltender got a penalty, a backup goaltender would have to step in. It would appear to be an additional penalty against the side that was penalized.
Besides having to complete the penalty, the team side who took it now has a cold goalkeeper and it will provide the other squad with excellent scoring opportunities. That simply favors the team side with the power play too much.
What occurs once a penalty expires? Should the goalkeeper go out and behave like a skater? Among many other reasons, this would not be possible. It is because goalies are not permitted to hold the puck across the goal area into the opposing end.
Moreover, a goaltender carrying all of his protective gear could hardly perform like a regular player. Once more, it looks like this would favor the squad with the power play too much.
The one exception where a goalie serves his penalty: Match Penalty
The only situation in which a goaltender does not have to serve their penalty is if they receive a major penalty. The most serious penalty imposed on a player who intentionally seeks to damage another player or injures a player is the game penalty.
A player who is given a major penalty is instantly left out of the squad for the rest of the competition. He will be required to leave the ice and report to their corresponding change room.
The team side is given a five-minute punishment and must deploy a player to the area in the substitute of the suspended skater. They will do this even if the player is dismissed from the match.
The goalkeeper will serve their game misconduct by dismissing for the duration of the match in this scenario. And another player on the squad will play 5 minutes in the penalty box. The goalkeeper who has been given a match penalty will be replaced by the backup goalkeeper.
Related Post: Where can the goalie play the puck?
Have the goalies ever served penalties?
The goaltenders did take their penalties in 1917 which was the year in which the NHL was founded. There were no ice boundaries and no forward moving of the puck in the initial periods of hockey. So, a huge percentage of the sport would be unfamiliar to modern hockey fans.
A goaltender had to serve their penalty back when they scored one. Until the three-minute penalty was completed, a player would stand in for the goalie and protect the net.
Thus, goaltenders had significantly less protection, they could not stop the puck, and they were not permitted to fall onto the ice to perform a save. The rule administrators did not consider a goalkeeper that significant who was serving a punishment.
List of most penalized goalies
| Name | Team | Year | Games Played | PIM (Penalty Minutes) |
| Ron Hextall | Philadelphia Flyers | 1988-89 | 64 | 113 |
| Ron Hextall | Philadelphia Flyers | 1986-87 | 66 | 104 |
| Ron Hextall | Philadelphia Flyers | 1987-88 | 62 | 104 |
| Tom Barrasso | Buffalo Sabres | 1988-89 | 54 | 70 |
| Gerry Cheevers | Boston Bruins | 1979-80 | 42 | 62 |
| Ed Belfour | Chicago Blackhawks | 1993-94 | 70 | 61 |
| Andy Brown | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1973-74 | 36 | 60 |
| Ron Hextall | Philadelphia Flyers | 1992-93 | 54 | 56 |
| Bob Froese | Flyers/ Rangers | 1986-87 | 31 | 56 |
All-Time Goalie Penalty Leaders
| Name | Games Played | PIM |
| Ron Hextall | 608 | 569 |
| Billy Smith | 679 | 475 |
| Tom Barrasso | 777 | 437 |
| Ed Belfour | 963 | 380 |
| Sean Burke | 820 | 310 |
| John Vanbiesbrouck | 882 | 310 |
| Mike Vernon | 782 | 271 |
| Don Beaupre | 666 | 268 |
| Patrick Roy | 1029 | 262 |
| Dan Bouchard | 656 | 255 |
Conclusion: What Happens When a Hockey Goalie Gets a Penalty?
Penalty kicks are an exciting component of any match but what happens when a hockey goalie gets a penalty? Some people think that in case of an injury, the second goalkeeper should be permitted to enter the penalty box. Others say that the second goalkeeper shouldn’t be expected to deal with this technical burden.
