Gross Misconduct

Gross Misconduct is a match penalty that was imposed to players and team personnel for extreme unsportsmanlike conduct. Gross misconducts were eliminated from the NHL in 2000, and this type of infraction is now given as a game misconduct.

Players and/or managers who were given a gross misconduct penalty would be suspended from participating in the remainder of the game in which they were assessed the penalty and they would automatically be fined a sum of $200. Furthermore, they were subject to additional fines or suspensions depending on the severity of their actions. In the official NHL league record, players who received gross misconduct penalties would be assessed a ten-minute penalty. Examples of incidents that were assessed gross misconducts were abuse of an on-ice official or abuse of a spectator.

The gross misconduct penalty (formerly Rule 24 of the NHL rulebook) no longer exists and the penalty is part of the rules for game misconduct penalties. The term “gross misconduct” is officially no longer in use by the NHL.