There have been some legendary hits in the NHL over the years as certain players perfected the art of open-ice body checking. However, there have also been a few infamous illegal hits as well as some players took things a bit too far by nailing their opponents from behind.
In this article, I will explain the rule on hitting from behind and explain why it can be a very dangerous infraction.
What is a Checking from Behind Penalty in Hockey?
Checking from behind means exactly what it says as it deals with players making physical contact with an opponent while positioned behind them. This means the recipient doesn’t usually see the hit coming and can’t properly prepare himself for it or brace his body for the collision.
Checking from Behind Rule Explained:
The NHL deals with checking from behind with rule number 43 in the league’s rule book. The rule states:
A check from behind is a check delivered on a player who is not aware of the impending hit, therefore unable to protect or defend himself, and contact is made on the back part of the body. When a player intentionally turns his body to create contact with his back, no penalty shall be assessed. – NHL Rulebook 2023/24
Contact is typically made when a player charges, pushes, or cross-checks the opponent in the back. Often these penalties are called when a player is hit from behind into the boards, as these are the most dangerous checking from behind situations and can result in serious injury.
How Long is a Checking from Behind Penalty?
The penalty for checking from behind in the NHL is a bit of a rare one as there is no two-minute minor given for the infraction.
Instead, anybody found guilty of breaking the rule is assessed an automatic five-minute major penalty regardless of where the collision takes place on the ice.
If the referee feels the hit was particularly dangerous or violent, and the aggressor deliberately attempted to injure his opponent or did injure him, he will hand out a match penalty for the infraction. This means the aggressor is tossed from the game and also receives an automatic major penalty.
If there referee believes the attacker didn’t intentionally attempt to injure the opponent he will dish out a major penalty and this comes with an automatic game misconduct anyway. So due to the fact that there is no minor penalty for checking from behind, the perpetrator will be handed a major and game misconduct or a match penalty and automatic major.
Either way, his team is going to be shorthanded for five minutes if a checking from behind penalty is called and he will be ejected from the game.
What’s the Difference Between Checking from Behind and Boarding?
Sometimes people may confuse boarding and checking from behind in hockey, but they are significantly different when it comes to penalty time and the seriousness of the call.
A boarding penalty is when a player is checked or pushed into the boards when they are in a defenseless (vulnerable) position, causing the player to violently hit the boards.
Checking from behind can be a hit from behind into the boards, and this is often when you will see this penalty called. However, a check from behind can happen in open ice too, while boarding can’t.
Another difference is the fact that a player can be handed a minor penalty if the boarding impact is considered to be tame but a checking from behind penalty is an automatic five-minute major.
Read all about boarding here in the full guide.
Watch this Video Compilation of Checking from Behind Hits:
Can You Get Suspended and/or Fined for Checking from Behind?
Yes, in the NHL, players can be suspended or fined for checking from behind. The severity and duration of suspensions increase with repeated game misconducts for physical infractions.
Here is some more information about suspensions and fines for checking from behind:
- If you get 2 game misconducts due to checking from behind (or other physical infraction penalties) in 41 consecutive games results in a 1 game suspension. Each additional game misconduct extends the suspension in this 41-game time frame.
- During playoffs, two misconducts lead to a one-game suspension, with added suspensions for further misconducts.
- Before the Stanley Cup Finals, players’ misconduct counts are reset, but remain on their long-term record.
- After 41 games, the players without major physical infractions see prior misconducts cleared from the current season but retained in historical stats.
- Checking from behind can lead to longer suspensions or fines after league review.
- Teams can request a game misconduct review within 48 hours.
- The league can also impose additional suspensions or fines for any in-game offenses, with or without a given penalty, as per Rule 28.1. Investigations must commence within 24 hours of the game’s conclusion.
- If deemed appropriate, supplementary discipline can be applied by the Commissioner at his discretion.
Learn all about game misconducts here in the full guide.
Can a Checking from Behind Penalty be Reviewed?
All major penalties handed out in the NHL, other than those assessed for fighting, are automatically reviewed at the time by the on-ice officials using video replay. This allows the officials to either confirm the original penalty or to modify it by reducing the call to a double-minor or minor penalty or to nullify the penalty altogether.
However, since there is no minor penalty for checking from behind, just a major, this means the referee must uphold the original call or rescind it altogether.
What is the Referee Checking from Behind Signal?
The referee’s checking from behind signal is covered by rule number 29.4 and describes it in the following way: The referee will make a forward motion with of both of his arms, which are at chest level and extended from the chest. The palms of his hands are open and facing away from his body at shoulder level.
Are Checking from Behind Penalties Common in the NHL?
It’s rare to see a checking from behind penalty in the NHL as it’s a major infraction with no option for receiving a minor penalty. If a player is checked from behind along the boards it typically results in a boarding penalty and if the infraction takes place in open ice it usually ends up with a charging penalty call.
Also, when a player checks an opponent from behind with the shaft of his stick it results in a penalty for cross-checking.
Why Checking from Behind is an Important Penalty in Hockey
It’s important to protect all hockey players from injury during the course of action and this is why the checking from behind rule and punishment exists. It’s a very dangerous play which could result in a serious season or career-ending injury.
One of the most infamous hits from behind in the NHL took place way back on December 12th, 1933 when Boston Bruin defenceman Eddie Shore nailed Toronto Maple Leaf winger Ace Bailey at the old Boston Garden. It was the last game the 30-year-old Ace Bailey would ever play as he suffered a fractured skull when he fell to the ice. He almost lost his life and had to undergo two brain surgeries to survive.
Shore was hit with a 16-game suspension but the two players would later shake hands and all was forgiven. Bailey was quoted as saying, “During the first year and a half I suffered some bad after-effects of the injury but since then I’ve felt fine. No, I never bore any ill-will toward Shore. He and I are good friends.”
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.
