1. All players who become involved in fighting will be assessed match penalties.

2. A player who retaliates to being punched will be assessed a minor penalty.

3. A player who removes his glove(s) or helmet with the intention of fighting with an opponent will be assessed a misconduct penalty in addition to any other penalties.

4. If there is a clear instigator in a fight, that player will be assessed an additional minor penalty.

5. A player who is on the ice and is the first to intervene in a fight already in progress between two players ("third man in") will be assessed a game-misconduct penalty.

6. A player who tries to fight or continues to fight after he has been ordered by the referee to stop, or who resists a linesman who is trying to circumvent the continuation of a fight, will be assessed a double-minor penalty, a major and automatic game-misconduct penalty, or a match penalty.

7. A team official who is involved in a fight, on ice or off, will be assessed either a game-misconduct penalty or a match penalty.

8. The first player from either team to leave the players’ bench or penalty box during a player confrontation on ice will be assessed a double-minor penalty and an automatic game-misconduct penalty. Subsequent players who leave the players’ bench during a player confrontation will be assessed a misconduct penalty. Subsequent skaters who leave the penalty box during a player confrontation will be assessed a minor and game-misconduct penalties. These penalties will be served at the expiration of all previous penalties. The act alone of leaving either the players’ bench or penalty box constitutes a violation of these rules, even if the players do not engage in fighting once they are on the ice.

9. If a player confrontation arises during player substitutions (i.e., line changes), normal rules will apply. But any player who subsequently becomes involved in a confrontation who is not part of the line change will be penalized as if he left players’ bench or penalty box specifically to participate in that confrontation.

10. If players of both teams leave their respective benches at the same time, or if players from one team leave their players’ bench after seeing players from the other team do so, the first identifiable player of each team will be penalized under this rule.

11. A maximum of five misconduct and/or game-misconduct penalties per team can be assessed under this rule.

12. A player cannot be assessed both a match penalty and a game- misconduct penalty for continuing a fight.