>Obviously, the referee's judgment is the final qualification for a penalty >shot to be offered to a player who is taken down on a breakaway. But is >there an official rule covering times when it is required or necessary? > >Jeffrey Anbinder There are many rules under which a penalty shot can be awarded: 2-5-g: extra player from the bench or penalty box tries to prevent a breakaway 2-5-h: deliberate illegal substitution (too many men on the ice) in the last two minutes of regulation or any time in overtime 6-28-e: essentially the same as 2-5-g 6-9-c: player or goalkeeper deliberately displaces goal and, in the opinion of the referee, the puck would have entered the goal if it had not been displaced 6-9-d: with less than two minutes remaining in regulation time or at any time in overtime, a player or goalkeeper delays the game by deliberately batting or shooting the puck out of the rink, holding or freezing the puck, or deliberately displacing the goal post, or a goalkeeper deliberately removes his helmet or facemask [that's a paraphrase of the rule, which is nearly incomprehensible] 6-24-e: a player controlling the puck in his attacking zone and having no opponent to pass other than the goalkeeper is interfered with by a stick or part thereof or other object thrown or shot by any member of the defending team 6-46-b: when a player in control of the puck in his attacking zone is tripped or fouled from behind, thus preventing a reasonable scoring opportunity 6-9-e: in the course of a breakaway, a player or goalkeeper deliberately displaces the goal post, or a goalkeeper deliberately removes his helmet or facemask. In addition, there is rule 4 section 6 paragraphs a through j which cover two full pages in the rulebook and describe the mechanics of conducting a penalty shot, including, for each of the situations described above, who may be designated to take the shot and who is responsible for making the designation.