> I'm admittedly no expert on the arcania (sp ??) of the rulebook, but I >hadn't realized that this infraction was coupled to a CHOICE of outcomes. >Are penalty shots always offered as a choice to the appropriate team/coach, >or are there instances where a penalty shot is AUTOMATICALLY awarded ?? >And given the choice, why would a coach choose to accept a power-play ?? >My understanding is that the odds of successfully completing a PS are ca. >50-50, whereas a good PP scores only on roughly 30% of its opportunities, >and there's always the danger of surrendering a SHG too. If I'm the coach, >and the ref offers my team a PS, I think I'd be foolish to decline .... A Delay of Game penalty with less than 2 minutes remaining in regulation or overtime results in a penalty shot rather than a power play. It may be that a team has the choice of which to take, but, as you point out, it's an easy call; I've never seen anyone opt for the power play, so I don't know for sure whether it's an option. J. Michael Neal HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.