What’s That Call? About the Slashing Call
What’s That Call? Everything you need to know about hockey calls but are embarrassed to ask.
Slashing - An opinionated former football player is constantly advising my son that he needs to “learn to hit people with his stick.” This man, who can’t seem to understand that he’s not watching lacrosse, needs to learn about slashing.
Here’s what you need to know about slashing: In hockey, the bottom line is you can’t go around hitting people with your stick. If a player is trying to hit something, it better be the puck. No hitting, or even swinging at, other player’s legs, arms, hands, or even the upper part of the stick. You also can’t hack at the goalie while the puck is caught or covered.
The referee indicates slashing with a chopping motion across a straightened forearm. (Demonstrated by Rob Shick of the NHL Officials Association to the right) Slashing earns a player a minor or major penalty, which means they will be in the box for 2 to 10 minutes, or worse. A slashing call leaves the team short-handed (on a penalty kill). And during a penalty kill, the team is more likely to be scored on.
Video: The following video demonstrates the slashing call in action.
What else is there to know? You can read the four-point description of slashing in the 2007–09 Official Rules of Ice Hockey booklet by clicking here (pdf).
Editor’s Note: Thank you to Kelly Kordes Anton for this article.
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