By Scott Pionk

During the 2009-10 playing season over a 47-game span, I witnessed four checking from behind penalties in the final minute of a game. In each case, the player hit contacted the boards facemask first. I would not describe the hits as vicious, but clearly illegal, dangerous hits from behind.

In each case the checker received a two-minute minor penalty and a 10 minute misconduct penalty. One check happened with 55 seconds left in the game, one with 17 seconds left, one with seven seconds left and one with three seconds left.

In other words, those were the total times spent in the penalty box for the infractions as none of the games went into overtime. Three seconds were served for a check from behind that sent the opponent into the boards face first. In asking local senior officials for direction in fixing this loophole, I was told that each player should have received a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

Fast forward to the fall to 2010. USA Hockey solicited its members for rule change suggestions at its Annual Congress in June of 2011. I e-mailed a suggested rule change that gave an automatic game misconduct to any player checking another player from behind in the final 10 minutes of a game. This would guarantee that all players committing this infraction would at least serve their time and not seconds in the penalty box, provided of course, that the officials did indeed term the penalty a “check from behind” and not something lesser.

The rule change was not approved at the Annual Congress. I sent an e-mail inquiring why and was informed among other things that the rule was already in the books and had to be called properly. I was also told that the rule could be changed at the state or local level.

With that, I emailed Minnesota’s referee in chief. I informed them of USA Hockey’s answer and asked if this was something we could handle at the state level. I never got a response.

However, Minnesota Hockey did make a rule change recently, changing the rule to an automatic five-minute major penalty. The problem is, there nothing preventing an agitated player from “getting his last shot in” late in a game. If he does it with three seconds left, the referee can still opt to give the major penalty and 10-minute misconduct and forego the game misconduct. Guess what? The player will sit three seconds for his infraction.

Given the tragic events of this season, is adding three minutes to a checking from behind penalty enough? Paint the scenario here. Under a minute left in a game,  check from behind occurs, two 20-something referees confer, coach inquires “You’re not going to give him a game for that are you?” Now the referees have a choice – five and 10 or five and a game misconduct. There should be no choice here for the official. The player does not play the next game, period.

f we are going to make checking from behind as “unthinkable as slashing someone in the face” as Benilde-St. Margaret’s coach Ken Pauly put it best, the rules have to make the players understand the penalty is just something you do not do. You don’t go there. Just as you would not two hand someone in the head.

Keep in mind, 10-15 years from now, the 20-somethings officiating the games might not know Jack Jablonski’s or Jenna Privette’s names or stories.  The rule book should be written to always remind all of us.