High-sticking

High-sticking is a penalty called when a player's stick makes contact with an opponent above shoulder height, whether intentional or not. The rule exists purely for player safety: a stick swung at head height carries obvious risk, so the league penalizes the contact regardless of intent. A standard high-sticking minor is two minutes, but it automatically upgrades to a double minor if the contact draws blood, and can escalate further if a referee judges it deliberate. There's a specific exception for a normal shooting motion's natural follow-through and for a centre bent over a faceoff, since incidental contact in those situations isn't considered a foul. If a goal is scored off a puck that's been played with a high stick, the goal is disallowed regardless of who benefited. Full rule text at USA Hockey's rulebook.