From the Rulebook:
Section 4.a  A minor or major penalty, at the discretion of the referee
based upon the degree of violence of the impact with the boards, shall
be imposed on any player who body-checks, cross-checks, elbows,
charges or trips an opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent
to be thrown violently into the boards (see 6-20).
 
Note: Any unnecessary contact with a player playing the puck on an obvious
offside play that results in that player being knocked into the goards is
"boardihg" and must be penalized as such.  In other instances where there
is no contact with the boards, it should be treated as "charging".
 
-glen-
 
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