Delay of game (ice hockey) Delay of game (ice hockey) Delay of game is a penalty in ice hockey. It results in the offending player spending two minutes in the penalty box. In the NHL, delay of game is usually called under seven circumstances: Delay of game penalties may also be assessed as a bench minor penalty (a minor penalty against the entire team rather than a specific player). These may be called if the team repeatedly engages in actions that postpone resumption of play (for example, being offsides before the faceoff) or if objects are thrown onto the ice that impede the progress of
Penalty (ice hockey) a goal during this time, the penalty will end and the offending player may return to the ice. In hockey's formative years, teams were shorthanded for the entire length of a minor penalty. The NHL changed this rule following the 1955–56 season where the Montreal Canadiens frequently scored multiple goals on one power play. Most famous was a game on November 5, 1955, when Jean Béliveau scored three goals in 44 seconds, all on the same power play, in a 4–2 victory over the Boston Bruins. Coincidental (or "matching") minor penalties occur when an equal number of players from each