Cross-checking

Cross-checking is when a player holds their stick with both hands off the ice and shoves it into an opponent, typically in the back or torso. It's illegal at any point in the shaft, unlike a legal check made with the body. Most cross-checks draw a standard two-minute minor, but a referee can upgrade to a major plus game misconduct, or even a match penalty, if the act looks like an attempt to injure. The league made no rulebook changes in 2021 but instructed officials to call the infraction far more strictly, specifically targeting the cross-checks players had been getting away with in front of the net during scrums for position. That crackdown noticeably changed how forwards battle for space in the crease, since the leniency officials had shown for years around the net suddenly disappeared. Enforcement history at Scouting the Refs.