Penalty shot (ice hockey)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2010) |
In
Award
A penalty shot is awarded to a player who is deemed to have lost a clear scoring chance on a breakaway by way of a penalty infraction by an opposing player. A breakaway, in this case, means that there are no other players between the would-be shooter and the goaltender of the defending team. Generally, the penalty shot is awarded in lieu of what would normally be a minor penalty, so the fouled team will not get both a penalty shot and a power play from a single infraction, even if they did not score on the former.
According to National Hockey League (NHL) rules, various infractions during a breakaway that can lead to a penalty shot being awarded include a goaltender deliberately dislodging a goal-post (delay of game), a defending player using a stick or any other part of his body to interfere with the attacking player, a goaltender or other player throwing his stick to distract or hinder the attacking player, or any other foul committed against the attacking player from behind. In addition to this, a penalty shot is awarded to the opposing team if a non-goalie player intentionally covers the puck in his own team's goal crease.[1]
In the
Upon observing any of the above scenarios, an official will signal a penalty shot by raising his crossed arms above his head with his fists clenched, and then point to centre ice. In the NHL, officials signal a penalty shot by just pointing to centre ice. A player is then picked to take the shot. This is usually (though not always) the player who was fouled on the preceding play. In some cases, the captain of the attacking team may pick a player from those on the ice at the time of the infraction. Only a goaltender or alternate goaltender may be selected to defend the penalty shot, although the original goaltender usually stays in the net.
According to NHL rules, if an infraction which would usually attract a penalty shot occurs while the defending team's goaltender is off the ice (i.e. an empty net scenario), a goal shall be awarded.[2]
Procedure
Following the announcement of the penalty shot, the official places the puck at centre ice. The identified shooter is allowed to skate a short distance to the puck in order to gain momentum and then, unlike
All players other than the selected shooter and the selected goaltender must move to either side of the ice surface in front of their respective benches.
If a penalty shot is awarded and the penalized team had pulled their goaltender in favour of an extra attacker, the player fouled is automatically awarded a penalty shot goal, regardless of whether the puck went in.
The goaltender must remain in the
During the attempt, the puck must move continuously towards the goal once touched. A goal may not be scored from a rebound off of the goaltender, the goal itself or the end boards (however, a goal can be scored from a shot which strikes the goal frame or the goaltender and then goes into the net as a result). Once the puck crosses the end line, the attempt is considered over, regardless of whether a shot was taken.
The goaltender may attempt to stop the shot using any means, except throwing his stick or any other object. Should the goaltender throw any object during the attempt, a goal is automatically awarded.
If the penalty shot is successful, the puck is placed at center ice and play resumes as normal. If the shot is unsuccessful, the puck is placed at either of the faceoff positions in the zone where the play occurred, and play resumes. The time necessary to complete the penalty shot is not taken off of the game clock.
Strategy
Strategy is considered to be very important during penalty shots and
Most shooters attempt to
Very rarely a shooter may take a
Players sometimes use the rarity of point-blank shots as a deking method. Sheldon Souray, owner of one of the hardest slapshots in the NHL, has succeeded by faking a slapshot and simply flipping the puck in. Sometimes a player will even fake a wrist shot by lifting their opposite leg (left leg for a right-handed shooter) or just by flicking their stick directly above the puck. Thomas Vanek also uses this technique.
History
The penalty shot was invented in the
The penalty shot was added to the rule books of the NHL for the 1934–35 season, allowing them to be awarded when a player was fouled while in "a good scoring position."[4] In the first season, the puck was placed in a 10-foot (3.0 m) circle, 38 feet (12 m) from the goalmouth. The player could shoot while stationary within the circle, or could shoot while moving, as long as the shot was taken within the circle.[4] The goaltender had to be stationary until the puck was shot, and no more than 1 foot (0.30 m) in front of the goal mouth.[4]
The first NHL penalty shot was awarded to the
The occurrence of a penalty shot being called during regular season overtime in the NHL is a comparative rarity since the institution of a limited, five-minute sudden-death overtime for tie-breaking purposes following the
Since then, in Stanley Cup play, 46 penalty shots have been called, and only ten[6] in the Final since the first one in NHL play in 1937. The first eight[6] resulted in no score. The first successful penalty shot in NHL Stanley Cup Finals history occurred on June 5, 2006, when Chris Pronger of the Edmonton Oilers beat Cam Ward of the Carolina Hurricanes, following an illegal covering of the puck by Carolina's Niclas Wallin. As of 2010[update], the most recent failed attempt occurred in the 2007 Final, when Antoine Vermette of the Ottawa Senators had his shot turned aside by Jean-Sébastien Giguère of the Anaheim Ducks.
For possibly the first time in professional hockey, a player was awarded two penalty shots on the same play. This occurred on Friday, November 27, 2009 in a game from the ECHL league between the Utah Grizzlies and the Alaska Aces. Vladimir Nikiforov of the Utah Grizzlies was pulled down from behind on a breakaway and as the play continued the opposing team knocked the net off of its moorings intentionally. Once the referee stopped play he awarded Nikiforov two shots, with the second being negated if a goal was scored on the first, however the goaltender, Scott Reid stopped both shots. A similar sequence happened in the 2019 World Juniors in a game between Switzerland and Russia, where Swiss forward Marco Lehmann was tripped twice on the same breakaway, resulting in two penalty shots for Switzerland, both of which were missed, by Lehmann and Philipp Kurashev.[7]
See also
- Ice hockey rules
- Shootout
- National Hockey League
- Breakaway (ice hockey)
- Penalty shoot-out (field hockey)
References
- ^ "Table 13 - Rule 25 - Penalty Shot Summary of Penalty Shots". NHL. Retrieved September 2, 2010.
- ^ "Rule 5 - Awarded Goals". NHL. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
- ^ Boileau and Wolf 2000, p. 53
- ^ a b c "N.H.L. Coaches Are Picking Their Penalty Shot Artists". Montreal Gazette. October 20, 1934. p. 16.
- ^ "Alex DeBrincat, Andrew Copp lift Red Wings to third win in row". Retrieved 2023-10-18.
- ^ a b "Anaheim Ducks win Stanley Cup". Archived from the original on 2006-06-30. Retrieved 2007-06-07.
- ^ Powers, Christopher. "Switzerland gets awarded two penalty shots on same play, fail to capitalize on either". Golf Digest. Retrieved 2018-12-31.
Bibliography
- Boileau, Ron; Wolf, Philip (2000), "The Pacific Coast Hockey Association", in Diamond, Dan (ed.), Total Hockey, Total Sports Pub., pp. 51–54, ISBN 1-892129-85-X