Is body-checking allowed in female hockey?

No. Rule 7.3 applies in divisions of U13 and below, in female hockey, and in any other division approved by a Member of Hockey Canada. A Minor penalty is assessed to any player who, in the referee's opinion, intentionally body-checks, bumps, shoves or pushes an opponent.

What is allowed: incidental body contact, which is contact between two opposing players in pursuit of the puck on the ice in the same direction. No penalty is assessed for it.

What counts as body-checking: deliberate contact with an opponent with opposite-directional force, leaving your skating lane to make contact, or extending an arm, shoulder or hip after angling an opponent.

The referee may assess a Major penalty and Game Misconduct depending on the degree of violence of the impact. If a player is injured by a body-checking infraction that would otherwise be a Minor, a Major and Game Misconduct must be assessed.

Source: Hockey Canada Playing Rules 2026-2028, Rule 7.3.