Updated 14:20 | Posted 14:11
The rulebook for the 2023/2024 ice hockey season is complete.
It contains several rule changes for the Swedish series.
– Everything we do depends on the changes of the International Ice Hockey Federation, says SHL President Thomas Thorsprink.
Nowadays, there is a common rule book within the International Ice Hockey Federation that affects the Swedish series.
Thomas Thorsprink, Director of Refereeing for the SHL, explains the rule changes on the league’s website.
Except in the event of a tie, the ejected player on each team makes the game five-on-five instead of four-on-four.
We always strive to get as many players on the ice as possible. This would be a simplification of the regulations as we had an exception before in Sweden, says Thomas Thorsprink.
Major penalties may be waived entirely after a video review.
– In the past, judges have had the opportunity to video-review the major penalty, where they can either select the major penalty or rename the penalty to two minutes. Now the option is also given to cancel the entire sentence, that is, to remove the expulsion entirely, says Thomas Thorsprink.
No automatic shutdown
The match penalty option is completely removed and only the concept of misconduct remains, so that the referees do not have to decide on a suspension.
– This means that there will be no automatic shutdown. Instead, the situations are then reported, and then an assessment is made as to whether or not they should be referred to the disciplinary board, says Thomas Thorsprink.
Officials’ physical abuse can be reviewed on video when someone pushes or hits the referee.
In addition, actions intended to be indifferent are now also equated with intentional physical contact. Physical contact that could have been avoided and where a player or manager has shown indifference to the consequences of their actions is deemed to be intentional physical contact under this rule, even where it was not intended. The player or manager clearly initiate physical contact with the referee,” the rule book states.
Increased punishment
Austerity can result in a five-minute suspension, previously two minutes plus two minutes without game misconduct.
The rules regulation states that “the major penalty is awarded to a player who continues to be involved in a difficult situation and who, in the judgment of the referee, is not adequately punished by the minor penalty”.
Explains the difference between roughhousing and fighting: “Roughing is a smaller type of roughneck that does not turn into a fight. A foul is a situation involving two players in which at least one of them is knocked out. A fight is considered to have occurred when one (1) player repeatedly hits or attempts to hit an opponent, or when Two (2) players grapple with each other in such a way as to make it difficult for the line umpires to step in and separate the players.”
In addition, a goal is awarded instead of a penalty in the case of a free stop where the goalkeeper takes off his helmet, just as in the case of the moving goal cage before.
In Hockeyallsvenskan, the possibility of referees substituting scorers in the event of a scoring is also tested.
A warning still applies before the puck is released, but the player can be replaced after an incorrect mark.