What Does It Mean To Slash In Hockey?

The Purpose Of Stick Checking, Which Is A Form Of Defensive Play, Is To Dislodge Your Opponent From The Puck. 

The Poke Check And The Lift Check Are Two Of The Most Popular Forms Of Stick Checks That Can Be Performed.

The Term “Poke Check” Refers To The Act Of Directing The Blade Of Your Stick At The Stick Of The Player Who Is Carrying The Puck In An Effort To Dislodge It From Their Control.

A Lift Check Is A Gesture In Which You Eliminate Your Opponent’s Control Of The Puck By Using Your Blade And The Shaft Of Your Stick To Lift The Opponent’s Stick From Underneath. 

Stick Checking Is A Legitimate Component Of The Game; However, There Are Restrictions On How Else You Can Use The Stick In The Game. For Instance, You Are Not Permitted To Use Your Stick In Any Manner That Could Be Construed As A Threat To Others.

Sticks Can Be Used In A Violent Manner In A Variety Of Ways, Including Slashing, For Example.

What Does It Mean To Slash In Hockey?

The Act Of Swinging The Hockey Stick In An Axe-Like Motion At An Opponent Is Known As Slashing. This Occurs Regardless Of Whether Or Not Contact Is Made With The Opponent.

A Stick Foul Is Committed When The Player Makes Physical Contact With The Recipient’s Body Or Stick, Or When They Gesture A Violent Chop Against It.

Rule 61 Of The NHL Rulebook Stipulates That A Cutting Penalty Will Only Be Called For In The Event That The Hit Is Judged To Be Particularly Violent, And In Particular If The Offender Had No Intention Of Playing The Puck At The Time Of The Hit. 

You Will Receive An Additional Penalty If You Slash A Player Who Is Not In Control Of The Puck Or Who Is Entirely Removed From The Action Of The Game. 

Even If The Opponent’s Stick Shaft Is Broken As A Result Of The Slash, The Referee Will Still Call An Infraction On The Player.

In The Following Part, We Will Discuss The Various Degrees Of Slashing, As Well As What Calls Spectators Might Anticipate The Referees To Make.

Slashing Results In A Minor Penalty

A Minor Penalty Of Two Minutes Will Be Assessed For Any Slashing Action That Does Not Result In An Injury And Contains Only A Low Level Of Physicality And Roughness.

You Will Frequently Come Across A Minor Call For Slashing That Results In The Shaft Of The Stick Being Broken, But The Recipient Of The Blow Does Not Sustain Any Injuries. 

A Light Smack Across The Torso, Leg, Or Hands Is Also Grounds For A Two-Minute Penalty If It Occurs Elsewhere.  

This Indicates That The Receiving Side Will Get The Opportunity To Play With The Advantage.

A Minor Slashing Penalty Is Defined By The NHL As The Following:

A Player Who Slashes An Opponent Is Subject To A Minor Penalty, The Severity Of Which Is Determined By The Referee Based On The Nature Of The Contact. The Referee Has The Power To Enforce This Penalty.

Slashing Carries A Significant Penalty

When The Offender Intends To Or Purposefully Injures The Player, They Are Subject To A More Severe Penalty For The Act Of Slashing.

This Can Be The Consequence Of A Powerful Hit To Any Region Of The Body, Causing The Player To Experience Agony And Potentially Sustain An Injury In The Process.

A Major Slashing Penalty Is Defined By The NHL As The Following:

A Player Who Slashes An Opponent Is Subject To A Severe Penalty, The Severity Of Which Is Determined By The Referee Based On The Nature Of The Contact. This Penalty May Be Issued At The Referee’s Discretion. According To This Rule, A Significant Penalty Must Be Imposed Whenever There Is An Injury.

Misconduct During The Game

A Game Misconduct Is Immediately Imposed To The Offender Whenever A Major Penalty Is Called, Much Like A Cross Checking Offense Is. 

The Player Is Ejected From The Contest For The Remainder Of The Competition, And A Teammate Is Required To Serve Their Major Penalty Of Five Minutes.

Penalty For Game Misconduct 61.5 Whenever A Severe Penalty Is Awarded For Slashing, A Game Misconduct Penalty Must Also Be Imposed On The Player. This Is A Requirement Of The Rule.

When A Player Causes Another Player To Receive An Injury To The Face Or Head In Conjunction With A Boarding Major Being Called, The Offending Player Is Given A Game Misconduct Penalty.

According To The Rulebook:

Penalty For Game Misconduct 41.5 When A Major Penalty Is Imposed Under This Rule For A Foul That Results In An Injury To The Face Or Head Of An Opponent, A Game Misconduct Penalty Must Also Be Imposed On The Player Who Committed The Violation.

The Player Is Ejected From The Contest For The Remainder Of The Competition, And A Teammate Is Required To Serve Their Major Penalty Of Five Minutes. 

The Incident Depicted In The Video Below Resulted In Pk Subban Of The Montreal Canadiens Receiving A Major Penalty As Well As A Game Punishment For His Slashing Of Mark Stone Of The Ottawa Senators. 

As A Result Of Further Evaluation, It Was Determined That Mark Stone Had Suffered A Micro-Fracture To His Wrist.

Equalize The Penalty

The Use Of A Match Penalty Is Only Permitted In Circumstances In Which The Offender Clearly Intended To Hurt The Opposing Player. 

The Recipient Isn’t Even In Control Of The Puck, And The Offender Is Acting Aggressively Despite This Fact. This Is The Clearest Indication That This Is The Case.  

According To The Regulations, A Match Penalty Consists Of The Following:

Match Penalty – The Referee Has The Authority To Impose A Match Penalty At His Own Discretion If He Determines That The Player Intentionally Intended To Damage His Opponent By Slashing Or That The Player Slashed His Opponent. 

A Slashing Play Resulted In A Penalty Shot And Two Awarded Goals.

When A Player Has A Clean Path To The Net But Is Slashed Or Otherwise Prevented From Seeing The Play Through, The Referee Will Give That Player The Opportunity To Take A Penalty Shot. 

In Other Words, The Referee Will Award A Penalty Shot To The Player Who Was Slashed If The Player Was Unable To Shoot The Puck As A Result Of The Hit. 

As A Point To Remember, The Referee Will Instead Call A Slashing Penalty On The Player If They Are Able To Recover From The Slash And Shoot The Puck Into The Net.  

In The Event That This Occurs When The Goalie For The Opposing Side Is Not Present, The Referee Will Automatically Award The Goal To The Team That Was The Receiver Of The Slash.

Signal From The Referee To Start Slashing

The Referee Will Signal The Off-Ice Officials And Spectators By The Timekeeper Box That An Infringement Has Been Committed When A Slashing Penalty Is Being Called.

The Gesture Is Performed By Moving One Hand Across The Forearm Of The Other Hand In An Upward-To-Downward Chopping Motion.

A Few Parting Thoughts

Even While Getting Called For Cutting With A Broken Stick Could Seem Like An Exaggerated Accusation At Times, The Act Itself Might Result In More Severe Injuries.

Injuries Such As Broken Fingers And Wrists Have Been Known To Occur During Gameplay, Which Can Result In Extended Recovery Times.

I Believe That The Referees Have A Responsibility To Hand Out Penalties To The Offenders When The Slashes Are Particularly Severe And Directed At The Body Of The Opponent.

When A Player Utilizes The Stick In A Violent Manner, They Should Receive Major Penalties And Perhaps Even Be Ejected From The Game.

Although I Enjoy The Energy And Violence Of NHL Games, I Am Not A Fan Of The Cheap Shots That Are Taken, Especially If They Are A Reaction To A Previous Cheap Shot That Was Taken.

I Enjoy It When The Player Carrying The Puck And The Defense Both Show Off Their Skills And Their Competitive Spirit. 

It’s Sad That We Had To Cut Ties With A Player Since They Got Hurt In A Slashing Incident.

Because Of The Speed At Which These Guys Play, Injuries Are Virtually Inevitable. However, Violent Attacks That Are Made With The Intention Of Injuring Another Player Are Not Allowed In The Game.

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