(a) A major plus a game misconduct penalty shall be assessed to any player who leaves the players’ bench or the penalty bench during an altercation or for the purpose of starting an altercation. These penalties are in addition to any other penalties that may be assessed during the incident.
Substitutions made prior to the altercation shall not be penalized under this rule provided the players so substituting do not enter the altercation.
For purpose of this rule, an altercation is considered to be concluded when the referee enters the referee's crease or, in the absence of penalties, signals a face-off location.
(b) No penalized player may leave the penalty bench except on the expiration of his penalty or at the end of a period.
A minor penalty shall be assessed to any player who leaves the penalty bench before his penalty has expired, unless it resulted from an error by the Penalty Timekeeper. In all situations, the player shall serve the remaining penalty time. If a Penalty Timekeeper error occurred, no additional minor penalty assessed.
(Note) In all cases where a penalized player has left the penalty bench prematurely, whether the result of Penalty Timekeeper error or not, the Penalty Timekeeper shall note the time and verbally alert the Referee who shall stop play when the offending team gains possession and control of the puck.
(c) If a player illegally enters the game either from the players’ bench or penalty bench (Timekeeper error or not), any goal that is scored by the offending team while he is illegally on the ice shall be disallowed. However, all penalties assessed to either team shall be served in the normal manner.
A penalty shot/optional minor penalty shall be awarded to the non-offending team anytime a player who is on a breakaway (see Glossary) is interfered with, in any manner, by an opposing player who has illegally entered the game.
(d) A bench minor penalty to the team, or a game misconduct penalty to the team official, or both, shall be assessed when any Team Official enters the ice surface after the start of the period and prior to its end without the permission of the Referee.
(Note) Any incident involving a Team Official entering the ice surface without permission during the course of a game shall be reported to the Proper Authorities for further disciplinary action.
(e) Play shall be stopped and the face-off conducted at the last play face-off location anytime a team starts play with fewer players than entitled to and the additional entering player is the first to play any puck coming from his defending zone, unless he has first made skate contact with his defending zone.
