What Does PIM Mean In Hockey? - Gaimday

When it comes to NHL player stats, most eyeballs will zero in on the goal and point totals.

But the NHL stat pages contain much more than that.

For starters, you wouldn’t normally look up the point totals of a goaltender. Rather, you’d focus on their goals against average, save percentage, win record and shutout totals.

Coming back to the player side of things, such as forwards and defensemen, you might see a column dedicated to their PIM totals.

PIM totals have to do with player punishment, but what’s the exact definition?

Let me explain…

What does PIM mean in Hockey?

PIM stands for penalty minutes or, more specifically, penalty infraction minutes for hockey. Players, goalies or even the team can be assessed penalties during a game. Penalties can be 2 minutes (minor), 5 minutes (major) or 10 minutes (game misconduct) in length.

People also refer to PIM as penalty in minutes. They are the sum of all the penalties handed to a player, excluding match penalties.

A player handed a penalty is expected to sit in the penalty box for the entire duration.

Unless the opposing team scores during a minor penalty.

I cover this in further detail, so continue reading for the noteworthy tidbits of information.

Types of Penalties and Length in Minutes (PIM)

Minor Penalties

Minor penalties are 2 minutes in length and represent the least severe penalty-type assessed.

Penalties that fall under this category include tripping, slashing, roughing, holding, interference, delay of game, high sticking and so on.

Whenever a goal is scored during a 2-minute powerplay, the remainder of the penalty is nullified.

But this doesn’t change the PIM totals of the offending player. It still is marked down as a full two minutes in season and career totals.

Note that if the penalized team scores while shorthanded, the power play will continue for the other team.

Double Minor Penalties

A double minor penalty is simply two 2-minute penalties assessed to the same player from the same play.

This is usually from a high sticking play causing the opposing player to bleed.

When a player is assessed a double-minor, they must serve the entire 4 minutes unless a goal is scored on the powerplay.

If the advantaged team scores during the first penalty, the powerplay clock is reduced to 2 minutes.

Should they score again during the second 2-minutes, the penalty will be completely nullified.

Major Penalties

Major penalties are 5 minutes in length and characterize a more serious offense such as boarding, cross-checking, spearing and so forth.

The most common major is usually attributed to players fighting, commonly referred to “5 for fighting”.

However, since it takes two players to fight, the penalties would cancel each other off.

When a player receives a major, they must serve the full 5 minutes regardless of the penalized team being scored against.