Hockey

New focus on old faceoff rule has NHL fans fuming

If you had nothing better to do Monday night than check out pre-season NHL boxscores, you would have noticed numerous minor penalties for faceoff infractions. And they had fans scratching their heads.

Linesmen are laying down the law in early going of pre-season

The NHL is cracking down on faceoff interference by enforcing existing rule 76.6, which calls for a minor penalty. (Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)

If you had nothing better to do Monday night than check out pre-season NHL boxscores, you would have noticed numerous minor penalties for faceoff infractions.

There were three in the Toronto-Ottawa game alone. Same in the Washington-New Jersey game. And they had fans scratching their heads.

However, it's not a new rule — just ask the 2015 Ottawa Senators.

Sens penalized for violating face-off rule 76.6

10 years ago
Duration 1:12
The Ottawa Senators received a rare bench minor for two straight face-off violations.

The NHL, at least in the pre-season, is simply calling it by the book, as they did with hooking and interference coming out of the 2004-05 lockout.

Rule 76.6 in the National Hockey League rule book states the following:

"When at least two face-off violations have been committed by the same team during the same faceoff, this team shall be penalized with a bench minor penalty to the offending team. This penalty shall be announced as a "Bench Minor Penalty for Delay of Game – Face-off Violation."

The violations vary, from failing to lineup properly to playing the puck by hand.