Hockey authority toughens rules on checking
St. Paul, Minn. Minnesota Hockey, the organization that governs amateur youth hockey in Minnesota, voted unanimously this weekend to adopt tougher penalties for illegal checking.
Players who engage in illegal checking or boarding will now receive a mandatory five-minute major penalty. In the past, referees could opt for a lesser, two-minute minor penalty for an illegal check. The new rule applies to all amateur youth players. The group that oversees high school hockey players recently announced a similar rule change.
The changes come in the wake of 16-year-old Jack Jablonski’s paralyzing injuries after being checked during a game in December. Jablonski, a sophomore at Benilde-St.