Even though ice hockey players wear helmets and visors they can still suffer severe head and facial injuries during the course of a game. These usually occur when they collide with the ice, the boards, are hit with the puck, or receive a check to the head area.
In this article, we will take a closer look at the NHL’s illegal check to the head infraction and its ramifications.
What’s Considered a Check to the Head?
An illegal check to the head takes place when a player makes contact with an opponent’s head before colliding with any other part of his body. Although some player’s do purposely target a player’s head on occasion, most illegal checks to the head are accidental or the result of poor timing when delivering a shoulder check.
NHL Illegal Check to the Head Rule Explained:
Rule 48 of the NHL rulebook deals with an illegal check to the head and describes it as making avoidable contact with an opponent’s head with the head being the main area of initial contact.
The referee needs to determine if the contact was avoidable before dishing out a penalty and needs to consider whether or not the accused attempted to make contact with the opponent’s head or if it was accidental due to a poor angle of approach, bad timing or an unnecessary outward or upward extension of the body.
The referee also has to decide if the opponent placed himself in a vulnerable position with his body posture by making head contact unavoidable during the check. For instance, if the player changed his head or body position immediately before being hit it may have indirectly and unintentionally caused contact with his head and it may be deemed as unavoidable.
How Long is a Checking to the Head Penalty?
For an illegal check to the head the instigator will receive a two-minute minor penalty. Oddly, there is no provision for a five-minute major penalty or a game misconduct for an infraction of this rule. However, a referee has the option of handing out a match penalty if he believes the player intentionally injured or attempted to injure the opponent with the check to the head.
Can a Player Get Suspended for a Check to the Head?
A player may be hit with a fine or suspension for an illegal check to the head even if he didn’t receive a penalty on the play. The NHL has the right to investigate any incident which took place during a game and the opposing club may ask the league to look into an incident as long as it does so within 24 hours of the game’s conclusion.
If the perpetrator received a match penalty for the illegal check to the head he is ejected from the game and his team must serve a five-minute major penalty. Any time a match penalty is called, the referees will review the incident immediately by video and will either confirm the original penalty or reduce it to a two-minute minor for the same infraction.
Also, all match penalties must be reported to the league commissioner following the game.
Examples of NHL Checking to the Head Penalties:
The following videos show examples of illegal checks to the head during NHL games:
Charlie McAvoy
In late October, 2023, defenceman Charlie McAvoy of the Boston Bruins was suspended four games for an illegal check to the head of Florida Panthers’ defender Oliver Ekman-Larsson. If you are looking for the perfect example of an illegal checking to the head infraction, this is it.
Bruins’ McAvoy lays out Blue Jackets’ Anderson with a controversial hit late in the second period of Game 6
Thoughts on the minor penalty call? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/zSMqrhLOKM
— Hockey Night in Canada (@hockeynight) May 7, 2019
McAvoy was previously suspended one game for a hit to the head of forward Josh Anderson of the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2018/19 playoffs.
Scott Hartnell
The above video is another example of an illegal hit to the head thrown by Philadelphia Flyers’ forward Scott Hartnell on defenceman Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2014. However, Hartnell didn’t receive a suspension.
Brett Howden
The above video shows an illegal hit to the head by forward Brett Howden of the Vegas Golden Knights on forward Brandon Tanev of the Seattle Kraken. Howden received a match penalty and was suspended for the October 2023 incident.
What’s the Referee’s Signal for a Checking to the Head Penalty?
Rule 29.20 of the NHL rule book deals with the referee’s signal for an illegal check to the head and describes it as the ref patting his flat open palm of his non-whistle hand against the side of his head.
What’s the Difference Between Head-Butting and Checking to the Head?
Head-butting occurs when one player makes contact with another player or attempts to make contact with him by moving his head in a forward motion. The contact is typically made with the instigator’s forehead or helmet and connects with the head or face of the opponent.
However, it is possible to head-butt any part of an opponent’s body. While checking to the head means making contact with the opponent’s head with your body, usually the shoulder.
Read our related penalty posts:
- NHL Cross-Checking Penalty Explained
- NHL Checking from Behind Rule Explained
- What Is Body Checking in Hockey?
- Can Goalies Check Players in Hockey?
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.
