Ref gives a player two penalty shots after he's tripped twice on one breakaway

PUBLICATION

Josh Tupper
October 19, 2023 (3:36 PM)

SHARE THIS STORY

This likely sounds crazy to most hockey fans the first time they hear it. However, the video shows there is some logic behind this decision.

A play that occurred during the Champions Hockey League, an annual tournament that brings together the best teams from six top-tier European hockey leagues, is now getting plenty of attention. This might be the first time in any pro league that a player has been awarded two penalty shots on the same breakaway.

The video shows a player from Ilves (the Finnish Elite League) managing to breakaway from everyone with the puck. However, before he can get a clean break down the ice, Sacha Guimond of Rouen (a French team) trips him with his stick. That draws a penalty shot. However, with the puck still on his stick, the Ilves player gets up from his knees and continues down the ice. Again, he's taken down with a trip by Guimond before he can get the shot away.

When the dust finally settles, Ilves gets two penalty shots from the ordeal because of the two separate trips. Also, due to new rules instituted just this year that state a CHL player who gets tripped on a breakaway draws a shot and a two-minute minor, Guimond was given two tripping penalties, a total of four minutes in the box.

To cap off this strange situation, Ilves failed to score on both penalty shots and on the double minor. Another new CHL rule for this year says a team on a powerplay after a minor penalty is called gets the full two minutes, no matter how many times they score. For the team killing the penalty, a short-handed goal get the penalized player back on the ice. In this case, Rouen would have needed to score twice to eliminate the double-minor.