Why are penalties for Illegal Sticks so minor?

[LaxGranny]

Obviously 3 minutes could hurt a team in one game, but if illegal sticks are so bad - why don't they have player suspensions or something equally severe.

Seems like the 'odd' stick check and relatively minor consequence only encourages the practice of using illegal sticks.

There must be some real advantage to risking it, if great's like Danowski risk it.

I thought most illegal stick issues were pocket related, but I thought I heard that Danowski's call was due to his stick being the wrong length.

Was it too short or too long?

I can understand how a pocket that's uncheckable can give a player an advantage, but what's the benefit of a non-standard length stick, and can someone explain the mechanics for me please.

Thanks,
Granny

[LaxRef]

Obviously 3 minutes could hurt a team in one game, but if illegal sticks are so bad - why don't they have player suspensions or something equally severe.

Seems like the 'odd' stick check and relatively minor consequence only encourages the practice of using illegal sticks.

There must be some real advantage to risking it, if great's like Danowski risk it.

I thought most illegal stick issues were pocket related, but I thought I heard that Danowski's call was due to his stick being the wrong length.

Was it too short or too long?

I can understand how a pocket that's uncheckable can give a player an advantage, but what's the benefit of a non-standard length stick, and can someone explain the mechanics for me please.

Thanks,
Granny

A short stick is harder to check/easier to hide behind your body.

I submitted a suggestion that the coach be ejected for the second 3:00 NR stick penalty in a game, but it was not accepted. I thought this was a good suggestion, since the coach certifies that he checked all of the equipment and that it's all legal. If one stick is illegal, it could have maybe happened through play, but two?

Deep pockets are 1:00 NR penalties; if it gets wet, a pocket can sag, so that would not be included in this ejection rule.

[viking goalie]

Dano's stick was short, I believe it was the head being shorter than 10 inches but i'm not 100%

a shorter stick gives offensive players an advantage by having less stick for defender to hit and being able to protect his stick better.

but i can assure you Dano's greatness has nothing to do with the stick. I'm guessing that his head became illegal without his knowledge during game play, I've seen it happen before.

[CardinalPuff]

A short stick is harder to check/easier to hide behind your body.

and if too long a player can create greater head speed on shots, etc....(i got away with it for years).

[LaxGranny]

how can a head become shorter during game play?

[CardinalPuff]

how can a head become shorter during game play?

one way is that players have a tendency to lean on their crosses....it sort of squishes the head...

[MElaxRef]

I can understand how a pocket that's uncheckable can give a player an advantage, but what's the benefit of a non-standard length stick, and can someone explain the mechanics for me please.

Illegal sticks fall into two general categories:

[1] Failure to meet the dimensions in the rule book. The dimensions we always check (with a tape measure) are width of the head at the widest point (minimum 6.5" - haven't seen any head near maximum for 25 years), length of the head from tip to base of the throat (minimum 10" - again haven't ever seen a long one) and overall length of a short stick (40"-42"). A short stick (under 40") gives the defense less stick to check and can be handled more easily in traffic. Dimension problems are always a 3 minute nonreleasable penalty and the stick is out of the game.

[2] Failure for the ball to dislodge freely.
[a] Pocket too deep (uncheckable per Granny). This is a 1 minute nonreleasable penalty and the stick can be adjusted and brought back into play.
[b] Throat so narrow that ball gets stuck (also uncheckable). This can be because the plastic has been pinched or because of knots in the stringing that pinch the ball. In either case, this is a 3 minute nonreleasable penalty and the stick is out of the game.

To give you an idea of the tolerances, I once examined a stick that would release a ball freely one time and not release the next time (I always roll the ball out of the stick a several times). As it it happened, I had a brand new ball with a minute ridge of rubber around the equator of the ball, the excess from the molding process. The ridge was less than half a millimeter high, but if it was perpendicular to the shaft, then it would cause the ball to jam in the throat. I ruled the stick to be legal.

If you want to know more about the mechanics of stick checks, the NCAA rule book (available online at the NCAA site) has a compete description.

[LaxGranny]

Wow - thanks for the explanations everyone.

Now for my dumbest question of the day... What's the difference between a 'releasable' and a 'non-releasable' penalty?

Don't both players get to go back in the game when the time is up?

[MElaxRef]

Wow - thanks for the explanations everyone.

Now for my dumbest question of the day... What's the difference between a 'releasable' and a 'non-releasable' penalty?

Don't both players get to go back in the game when the time is up?

On a releasable penalty, the player may return to the game if his opponent scores a goal before the penalty time expires.

On a nonreleasable penalty, the player may not return to the game until penalty time expires.

Certain penalties are nonreleasable by definition, such as unsportsmanlike conduct and spearing. In addition, penalties that are releasable can be locked in (made nonreleasable) when members of both teams start serving penalties at the same time; then everybody has to serve the longest common penalty time.

There are some other fine points, but trying to understand them will make your head hurt.:banghead:

[LaxGranny]

On a releasable penalty, the player may return to the game if his opponent scores a goal before the penalty time expires.

On a nonreleasable penalty, the player may not return to the game until penalty time expires.

Certain penalties are nonreleasable by definition, such as unsportsmanlike conduct and spearing. In addition, penalties that are releasable can be locked in (made nonreleasable) when members of both teams start serving penalties at the same time; then everybody has to serve the longest common penalty time.

There are some other fine points, but trying to understand them will make your head hurt.:banghead:


MElaxRef,

Just to clarify a little further.

Is it ONLY released early if the opponents score a goal, or is there any other event (such as end of a period) where players go back in before their time is up?

And regarding the locked penalty situation, when you say 'teams start serving penalties at the same time, do you mean that literally, as in only if the offending penalties happen on the same stoppage of play....

...., or could it ever apply to penalties that happen at the beginning of the next play?

[spenny]

back in the 80s you could release a penalty by gaining posession (aka "tapping in") in the other team's box. i dont recall when that ended.

nowdays the only way to end a penalty is:
1) goal
2) time served
3) end of game (not quarter, not half-- end of game)

[MElaxRef]

MElaxRef,

Just to clarify a little further.

Is it ONLY released early if the opponents score a goal, or is there any other event (such as end of a period) where players go back in before their time is up?

And regarding the locked penalty situation, when you say 'teams start serving penalties at the same time, do you mean that literally, as in only if the offending penalties happen on the same stoppage of play....

...., or could it ever apply to penalties that happen at the beginning of the next play?

spenny answered your first question.

As to the locked in penalties, you need to realize that whether penalties are earned with the clock running (during a live ball) or with the clock stopped (during a stoppage or dead ball), penalties are always assessed during a dead ball. So, when penalty time for members of opposing teams will start on the same tick of the game clock, all players starting to serve at the same time will serve the longest common penalty time.

Example: A1 is pushed by B1; flag down. A1 is then slashed by B2; flag down; A1 then throws a bad pass out of bounds; the official sounds the whistle to stop play. A1 then retaliates and cross checks B2; flag down. B1 is penalized 30 seconds for the live ball push; B2 is penalized 60 seconds for the live ball slash; A1 is penalized 60 seconds for the dead ball cross check. All three players are locked in the penalty box for 30 seconds.

[bigdale9]

A short stick is harder to check/easier to hide behind your body.

I submitted a suggestion that the coach be ejected for the second 3:00 NR stick penalty in a game, but it was not accepted. I thought this was a good suggestion, since the coach certifies that he checked all of the equipment and that it's all legal. If one stick is illegal, it could have maybe happened through play, but two?

Deep pockets are 1:00 NR penalties; if it gets wet, a pocket can sag, so that would not be included in this ejection rule.

i heard they eject the coach in th mll if the stick is illegal. i wouldnt be surprised if the ncaa takes your suggestion one day

[laxfan25]

With better teams, a 3 min. NR for an illegal stick is like the death penalty. With weaker teams they will struggle to score even once. I did a JV game last night and we only check 4 sticks - two of them were illegal for not letting the ball roll out.
I love making that call - it's one of the few where you get no objections as you walk the stick to the box upside down with the ball stuck there.