Rule 639. Tripping

1. A minor penalty shall be imposed on any player who shall place his stick, foot, arm, hand or elbow in such a manner that it shall cause his opponent to trip or fall.

   (Note 1) If, in the opinion of the Referee, a player is unquestionably hook-checking the puck and obtains possession of it, thereby tripping the puck carrier, no penalty shall be imposed.

   (Note 2) Accidental trips which occur simultaneously with or after a stoppage of play will not be penalized.

   Any player who deliberately leaves his feet and contacts an opponent with any part of his body thereby causing the opponent to trip or fall shall be assessed a minor penalty (Clipping).

   (Note 3) This rule does not apply to a player who has dropped to his knee(s) to block a shot.

2. A minor or major penalty shall be imposed on any player who extends his leg in such a manner as to cause the opponent to trip or fall (Leg Checking). A major penalty plus a game misconduct penalty ( For Juniors only - option of major plus game ejection) shall be imposed on any player who injures an opponent as a result of a foul committed by leg checking.

3. When a player, in control of the puck on the opponent's side of the center red line and having no other opponent to pass than the goalkeeper, is tripped or otherwise fouled from behind, thus preventing a reasonable scoring opportunity, a penalty shot/optional minor shall be awarded to the non-offending team. Nevertheless, the Referee shall not stop the play until the attacking team has lost possession and control of the puck to the defending team.

   (Note) The intention of this rule is to restore a reasonable scoring opportunity which has been lost by reason of a foul from behind when the foul is committed on the opponent's side of the center red line.

   ``Possession and control of the puck'' (See Glossary) means the act of propelling the puck with a stick. If, while it is being propelled, the puck is touched by another player or his equipment or hits the goal or goes free, the player shall no longer be considered to be ``in possession and control of the puck.''

4. If, when the opposing goalkeeper has been removed from the ice, a player in control of the puck on the attacking side of the center red line is tripped or otherwise fouled with no opposition between him and the opposing goal, thus preventing an obvious and imminent scoring opportunity, the Referee shall immediately stop the play and award a goal to the attacking team.