Slew-footing is regarded as one of the dirtiest plays in hockey since an unsuspecting player is taken down heavily to the ice by an opponent from behind with his skate after his foot has been taken out from underneath him. In this article we’ll take a close look at the infraction of slew-footing and the punishment.
NHL Slew-Footing Rule Explained:
The NHL deals with slew-footing with rule 52 in the league’s rulebook. It states:
Slew-footing occurs when a player or goaltender uses his leg or foot to sweep, kick, or knock an opponent’s feet out from under him or pushes the player’s upper body backward with an elbow or arm and at the same time uses his leg in a forward motion to kick or knock his opponent’s feet out from under him. The slew-footing motion then results the victim to crash heavily to the ice.
How Long is a Slew Footing Penalty?
Slew footing in the NHL results in an automatic match penalty, which is also accompanied by a five-minute major which needs to be served by a teammate who was on the ice at the time of the infraction. A match penalty means the player is ejected from the game, and the referee must report the incident to the league after the contest.
In addition, all match penalties are immediately reviewed on ice by video by the game officials. This enables them to confirm the original call for slew-footing, to call the penalty off, or to hand out a two-minute minor for tripping.
How is Slew-Footing Different than Tripping?
Most tripping penalties in hockey occur when a player trips an opponent with their stick. However, you may also see some of these calls made when a players uses his foot or lower leg to trip a player. Slew-footing takes place when a player uses his foot to sweep his unsuspecting opponent’s leg out from under him, usually from behind.
If a referee deems a slew-footing incident to be a minor one, he may decide to call a tripping penalty instead.
Why is Slew-Footing an Important Penalty in Hockey?
Slew-footing is considered to be a very dangerous play which could lead to a serious injury and that’s why it comes with an automatic match penalty. Player safety is taken seriously by the league and slew-footing usually results in the player falling backwards to the ice which may result in a leg, neck or head injury, especially if the player falls into the boards.
Also, if a player raises his skate from the ice to slew foot an opponent there’s a chance that the perpetrators skate blade could make contact with the opponent’s lower leg, which could cause serious tendon or muscle damage by cutting it.
Can You Be Fined or Suspended for Slew-Footing?
There are no specific suspensions and/or fines in the NHL for slew-footing but supplementary discipline may be handed down by the league Commissioner at his discretion if the incident is investigated. A player may be fined or suspended for slew-footing even if he wasn’t penalized on the play. A slew-footing incident may be investigated by the league on its own or if a team requests an investigation within 24 hours of the completion of the game.
NHL Slew-Foot Suspension Examples:
Thankfully, slew-footing is relatively rare in the NHL, but several NHL players have been suspended or fined for the dangerous infraction since 2020.
Brad Marchand
Brad Marchand of the Boston Bruins was given three games for slew-footing Oliver Ekman-Larsson of the Vancouver Canucks in November, 2021. It was the second time Marchand was suspended for slew-footing as he was banned for two games in 2015 for slew-footing Derick Brassard of the New York Rangers.
Kevin Labanc
San Jose’s Kevin Labanc has been suspended for one game for Slew-footing St. Louis’ Tyler Bozak. https://t.co/EpfysIQRQJ
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) November 19, 2021
In November, 2021, Kevin Labanc was suspended for one game for slew-footing Tyler Bozak of the St. Louis Blues.
Ryan Hartman
Also in November 2021, Ryan Hartman of the Minnesota Wild was fined $4,450 for slew-footing Ross Colton of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Blake Coleman
In November, 2022, Blake Coleman of the Calgary Flames was hit with a $5,000 fine for slew-footing Pierre-Luc Dubois of the Winnipeg Jets.
PK Subban
PK Subban of the New Jersey Devils was fined twice in one week in October/November, 2021. He was fined $5000 for an incident involving Milan Lucic of the Calgary Flames and then hit with the league-maximum $15,000 fine for an infraction against Trevor Zegras of the Anaheim ducks. However, the NHL listed both of these infractions as dangerous trips rather than slew-footing.
NHL Player Safety Slew Footing Video:
The following video, released by the NHL’s Department of player safety, describes the act of slew-footing and also provides several examples of the infraction.
Jamie is the founder of Hockey Response and he is the chief writer/ lead editor. Jamie has been playing hockey for over 20 years. He was the defenseman of the year in NL and has played Jr A level hockey. Jamie has coached several kids hockey camps and he was the assistant coach of the Western Kings.