Hook Check

Hook Check is a technique in which a defensive player sweeps his stick low to the ice in an effort to remove the puck from an opponent’s stick.

The hook check is a perfectly legal technique if executed properly, allowing defensive players to gain possession or spoil breakaways to the goal. It is often confused with hooking, and can sometimes turn into hooking if the defensive player is obviously not going for the puck, but is not a penalty on its own. In order to successfully execute a hook check, the defensive player must be alongside the offensive player controlling the puck. The defensive player then turns the head of their stick down, nearly flat to the ice, and uses the curved end or “crook” of the stick to remove the puck.

The hook check is often referred to as a “stick check”, and there are numerous variations: the poke check, sweep check, lift the stick check and stick press.