In ice hockey, a ten-minute penalty, often referred to as a misconduct penalty, results in the offending player being removed from the ice for ten minutes of game time. This penalty does not result in the team playing shorthanded, unlike a minor or major penalty. For example, a player may receive this penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct or for accumulating multiple minor penalties within a game.
The imposition of a lengthy removal from play serves to discourage actions deemed detrimental to the sport’s integrity and player safety. Historically, such penalties have been used to address a range of infractions, from verbal abuse of officials to instigating altercations. The length of the penalty emphasizes the seriousness of the infraction while avoiding placing the penalized team at an immediate disadvantage on the ice.
