NCRHA Rule of the Week

We?re going to start a new feature on NCRHA.org, hopefully weekly, which will explore the NCRHA rulebook in depth and explain rules which are often misunderstood or unknown by players and coaches. This week we will start with sticks, found in Section 3 (Equipment) of the NCRHA Rulebook which can be downloaded in the Documents section. Rule 302: Sticks (a) Sticks shall be made of wood, carbon composite, graphite, aluminum or rubber composite materials approved by NCRHA and must not have any projections extending from the stick. (b) The hollow end of a stick must be fully covered. (c) Adhesive tape of any color may be wrapped around the stick at any place. (d) No stick shall exceed 63 inches in length from the heel to the end of the shaft, nor more than 12½ inches from the heel to the end of the blade. (e) The blade of the stick shall not be less than 2 inches nor more than 3 inches in width at any point. (f) The curvature of the blade of the stick shall not be restricted. It is recommended, however, that the curvature of the blade of the stick not exceed ½ inch. (g) The blade of the goalkeeper's stick shall not exceed 3½ inches in width at any point except at the heel where it shall not exceed 4½ inches. The length of the blade shall not exceed 15½ inches in length from the heel to the end of the blade. (h) The widened portion of the goalkeeper's stick extending up the shaft from the blade shall not extend more than 26 inches from the heel and shall not exceed 3½ inches in width. (i) A minor penalty shall be assessed to any player or goalkeeper who uses a stick not conforming to the provisions of this rule. (j) If a goal is scored with an illegal stick, the proper penalty shall be assessed and the goal shall be allowed. (k) A minor penalty shall be assessed to a player or goalkeeper who participates in the play while in possession of more than one stick, except that no penalty shall be assessed to a player who is accidentally struck by the puck while carrying a replacement stick to a teammate. Often, people ask if there is a rule in place to establish ?illegal curves? like in ice hockey. There is not in the NCRHA, although the book does officially recommend that the stick have less than a ½ inch curve, shown in section 302(f). There are other rules governing sticks, however, and they are as follows: 1) No stick longer than 63 inches and no blade longer than 12.5 inches. 2) Blade between 2 and 3 inches wide. 3) Goalie blades must be less than 3.5 inches in width except on the heal, where it is limited to 4.5. The length of the blade must be less than 15.5 inches. 4) The wide portion of the shaft of the goalie stick must be less than 26 inches long and 3.5 inches wide. The application of this rule is the same as in standard ice hockey rules, meaning one team may ask the referee to check an opponent?s stick. If the stick is illegal, it is thrown out and the player is given a minor penalty. If the stick is legal, the questioning team is assessed a delay of game minor penalty. For more information or detail, see the NCRHA Rulebook or email a director.