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Rule 72  Leaving the Players' or Penalty Bench

  1. No player may leave the players' or penalty bench at any time during an altercation or for the purpose of starting an altercation. Substitutions made prior to the altercation shall be permitted provided the players so substituting do not enter the altercation.

    A player who has entered the game on a legal line change and starts an altercation will be subjected to discipline in accordance with Rule 33A -- Supplementary Discipline.

    A player or players who have entered the game on a legal line change during a stoppage of play, who line up in preparation for the ensuing face-off, and who participate in an altercation shall be penalized under the appropriate rule and will be subjected to discipline in accordance with Rule 33A -- Supplementary Discipline (a game misconduct is not automatic in this situation unless provided for as a result of his actions in the altercation).

  2. For violation of this Rule, a game misconduct penalty shall be imposed on the player who was the first or second player to leave the players' or penalty bench from either or both Teams.
  3. The first player to leave the players' or penalty bench from either or both Teams shall be suspended automatically without pay for the next ten (10) regular League and/or playoff games of his Team.
  4. The second player to leave the bench from either or both Teams shall be suspended automatically without pay for the next five (5) regular League and/or playoff games.

    (NOTE) The determination as to the players penalized under (c) and (d) of this Rule shall be made by the Referee in consultation with the Linesmen and Off-Ice officials. In the event that he is unable to identify the offending players, the matter will be referred to the Commissioner or his designee and such determinations may be made subsequently based on reports and other information including but not limited to television tapes.

  5. Any Team that has a player penalized under (a) shall be fined ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for the first instance. This fine shall be increased by five thousand dollars ($5,000) for each subsequent occurrence over the next following three-year period.
  6. All players including the first and second players who leave the bench during an altercation shall be subject to an automatic fine in the amount equal to the maximum permitted under the collective bargaining agreement.
  7. Any player who leaves the penalty bench during an altercation and is not the first player to do so, shall be suspended automatically without pay for the next five (5) regular League and/or playoff games.
  8. Except at the end of each period or on expiration of his penalty, no player may, at any time, leave the penalty bench.

    Any player who, having entered the penalty bench, leaves the penalty bench prior to the expiration of his penalty for the purpose of challenging an Official's ruling, shall be assessed a game misconduct penalty. He shall also be automatically suspended for the next three regular League and/or playoff games of his Club. This rule does not replace any other more severe penalty that may be imposed for leaving the penalty bench for the purpose of starting or participating in an altercation as outlined in this Rule 72.

    (NOTE) Once a player enters the penalty bench, he must not leave until his penalty expires and his team is entitled to an additional player on the ice, or, at the end of a period to proceed to his dressing room, or, when he has received permission from an on-ice Official. At any other time, he shall be assessed a game misconduct penalty under this rule.

  9. A penalized player who leaves the penalty bench before his penalty has expired, whether play is in progress or not, shall incur an additional minor penalty, after serving his unexpired penalty.
  10. Any penalized player leaving the penalty bench during stoppage of play and during an altercation shall incur a minor penalty plus a game misconduct penalty after serving his unexpired time.
  11. If a player leaves the penalty bench before his penalty is fully served, the Penalty Timekeeper shall note the time and signal the Officials who will stop play when the offending player's Team obtains possession of the puck.
  12. In the case of a player returning to the ice before his time has expired through an error of the Penalty Timekeeper, he is not to serve an additional penalty, but must serve his unexpired time.
  13. If a player of the attacking side in possession of the puck shall be in such a position as to have no opposition between him and the opposing goalkeeper, and while in such position he shall be interfered with by a player of the opposing side who shall have illegally entered the game, the Referee shall impose a penalty shot against the side to which the offending player belongs.
  14. If the opposing goalkeeper has been removed and a player throws or shoots any part of a stick or any other object at the puck or puck carrier, or if the puck carrier is fouled from behind, thereby being prevented from having a clear shot on an open goal, a goal shall be awarded to the attacking Team.

    If, when the opposing goalkeeper has been removed from the ice, a player of the side attacking the unattended goal is interfered with by a player who shall have entered the game illegally, the Referee shall immediately award a goal to the non-offending Team.

  15. If a Coach or Manager gets on the ice after the start of a period and before that period is ended, the Referee shall impose a bench minor penalty against the Team and report the incident to the Commissioner for disciplinary action.
  16. Any club executive or Manager committing the same offense will be automatically fined two hundred dollars ($200).
  17. If a penalized player returns to the ice from the penalty bench before his penalty has expired by his own error or the error of the Penalty Timekeeper, any goal scored by his own Team while he is illegally on the ice shall be disallowed but all penalties imposed on either Team shall be served as regular penalties.
  18. If a player shall illegally enter the game from his own players' bench or from the penalty bench, any goal scored by his own Team while he is illegally on the ice shall be disallowed but all penalties imposed on either Team shall be served as regular penalties.
  19. A bench minor penalty shall be imposed on a Team whose player(s) leave the players' bench for any purpose other than a change of players and when no altercation is in progress.
  20. Any player who has been ordered to the dressing room by the Officials and returns to his bench or to the ice surface for any reason before the appropriate time shall be assessed a game misconduct and shall be suspended automatically without pay for the next ten (10) regular League and/or playoff games.
  21. The Coach(es) of the Team(s) whose player(s) left the players' bench(es) during an altercation shall be suspended, pending a review by the Commissioner. The Coach(es) also will be fined a maximum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000).
  22. For all suspensions imposed on players under this Rule, the club of the player shall pay to the League a sum equal to the pro-rata of that player's salary covered by the suspension. For purposes of computing amounts due for a player's suspension, the player's fixed salary shall be divided by the number of days in the regular season and then, said result shall be multiplied by the number of games suspended.

    In addition, any club that is deemed by the Commissioner to pay or reimburse to the player the amount of the fine or loss of salary assessed under this Rule shall be fined automatically one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000).

    (NOTE) In the event that suspensions imposed under this Rule cannot be completed in regular League and/or playoff games in any one season, the remainder of the suspension shall be served the following season.

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