The OHL will crack down on fighting next season with a lower threshold for disciplinary action, the league announced Friday.
Players will now face automatic disciplinary action after three fights per season, as opposed to the 10-fight threshold that existed previously.
But the league noted that if a player is instigated upon, that fighting major does not count toward their total number of fights for further disciplinary action.
Since the adoption of the 10 fight threshold for the 2012-2013 season, the league has seen the number of fights in the league decrease by 49.5 per cent and for the last two seasons have not had a single player with more than 10 fights based on the threshold criteria established.
“As the number one development league in the world for the NHL and CIS, the OHL continually challenges ourselves to improve the on-ice environment and evolve the game for the benefit of the most important people in our game, our players,” said OHL commissioner David Branch, in a press release.
The OHL board of governors also adopted a blindside hit rule, where players who check an opponent from a blindside could receive a penalty.
Based on the discretion of the referee, a minor, major and game misconduct or match penalty may be assessed. Such infraction would also be subject to review and possible supplementary discipline by the league.
