(a) When a player is injured or compelled to leave the ice during a game, they may retire from the game and be replaced by a substitute under the player substitution rules.
When a player is injured and is unable to continue play or go to their bench, play shall be stopped immediately unless the opposing team is in possession of the puck, in which case play shall not be stopped until a change of possession has occurred.
In the case where it is obvious that a player has sustained a serious injury, the Referee and/or Linesman may stop the play immediately.
A player other than a goalkeeper, whose injury appears serious enough to warrant the stoppage of play, may not participate further in the game until the completion of the ensuing face-off.
(b) If a goalkeeper sustains an injury or becomes ill they must be ready to resume play immediately or be replaced by a substitute goalkeeper. No additional time shall be allowed by the Referee for the purpose of enabling the injured or ill goalkeeper to resume their position. (See also Rule 205(a).)
The substitute goalkeeper shall be subject to the rules governing goalkeepers and shall be entitled to the same privileges.
(c) A player or goalkeeper who is obviously bleeding shall cause an immediate stoppage of play. The bleeding player shall be ruled off the ice and shall not be allowed to return to play until the bleeding has been stopped and the cut or abrasion covered. It is required that any affected equipment/uniform be properly decontaminated or exchanged.
(d) If a penalized player has been injured they may proceed to the dressing room without the necessity of taking a seat on the penalty bench.
The penalized team shall place a substitute on the penalty bench immediately and no replacement for the penalized player shall be permitted to enter the game except from the penalty bench, unless otherwise specified under Rule 403(d) or 405(a).
The penalized player who has been injured and been replaced on the penalty bench shall not be eligible to play in the game until the penalty has expired. Should the penalized player return to the game before the penalty has expired, they shall replace the substitute player on the penalty bench
during a stoppage of play.
For a violation of this rule a bench minor penalty for illegal substitution shall be imposed.
(Note) No substitution on the penalty bench is required under this rule for any player(s) who have been immediately substituted on the ice under Rule 402(f)-coincidental minor penalties and/or Rule 403(c)-coincidental major penalties.
