Hooking or Holding the Stick

Hooking has become a horrible penalty call in the NHL. After the lockout, they started calling the penalty frequently but inconstantly whenever a player accidentally touched an opponent with their stick. When I complain about touching penalties, I am usually complaining about a hooking call.

The players are aware of the eagerness of officials to call hooking ever since the NHL took a stance of zero tolerance towards penalties. They now try to position themselves to increase the odds of getting the call. In some cases, they will actually try to close an arm on the stick. If the other player tries to remove the stick, it will pull on the arm and allow the refs to see the hook. As far as I’m concerned, this maneuver is on par with embellishment for unsportsmanlike behavior.

There is a penalty in the rules for holding the stick. I wish that they would call this more often. If a player closes an arm on a stick for the sake of drawing a penalty, the penalty should be for the stick hold and not the hook.