>As it stands, the 5-minute major serves as the penalty to the *team* for
>the altercation -- even though in such incidents neither the coaches nor
>teammates would be able to prevent or control what happens. If a player
>decides he wants to take the head off of his opponent (literally), that's a
>*severe* problem that will not be solved by penalizing the team. A
>10-minute major would simply make the penalized team angrier, and most
>likely uglier.
 
When you think about it, every penalty, including two-minute minors,
imposes a penalty on the team for the action(s) of a single player. In
football, if a lineman holds somebody, his *team* is penalized 10 yards. He
doesn't have to go back there by himself. That's the principle of a team
sport. If one part of that team breaks a rule, the entire team is
penalized.
 
John.
 
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