High sticking in hockey means a player carries or uses their stick above normal shoulder (or crossbar) height in a way that affects play or another player, and it can lead to play stoppage or a penalty depending on what happened.

What it covers

  • Playing the puck with the stick above the crossbar (or above the player’s shoulders) — this usually stops play and leads to a face-off, and any goal scored after such a play is generally disallowed.
  • Making contact with an opponent above the shoulders (face, head, neck) — this is judged a penalty when the action is not part of a normal follow-through or incidental contact; referees commonly call a minor (two-minute) penalty, but a double-minor, major, or match penalty can be given if injury or intent is serious.
  • Carrying the blade at an illegal height even without contact can still be penalized to protect player safety.

Typical penalties and signals

  • Minor penalty (2 minutes) is the most common for accidental or less-severe contact.
  • Double-minor (4 minutes) or major (5 minutes) may be assessed for cuts, significant injury, or reckless/high-force contact.
  • The referee signals high-sticking by holding both fists together near the forehead (or similar visible gesture) and blowing the whistle to stop play.

Why the rule exists

  • The rule exists primarily for player safety — to prevent injuries to the face, head, and neck — and to keep play fair by preventing players from batting the puck dangerously above normal stick height.

Quick example

  • If a player swings a stick up and it accidentally clips an opponent’s face during a scrum, the referee will almost always stop play and assess a penalty; severity depends on contact and injury.

If you want, I can:

  1. Provide the exact NHL rule numbers and quoted rule text.
  2. Show a short table comparing “puck high-sticking” vs. “player-contact high-sticking” and typical consequences.
  3. Find video examples that illustrate each type of call.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.