The penalty box is hockey’s great equalizer, a place where tempers cool, momentum shifts, and occasionally, history is made. While most penalties follow predictable patterns, a handful of incidents stand out because of their impact, controversy, or sheer uniqueness.

These aren’t stories passed down through locker-room whispers.

These are verified, documented, and unmistakably real penalty moments from NHL history.

Below is a fully factual list, no assumptions, no disputed claims, of penalty box confessions that truly shaped the game.

The Marty McSorley Illegal Stick Penalty — 1993 Stanley Cup Final

Date: June 3, 1993

Teams: Los Angeles Kings vs. Montreal Canadiens

This is one of the most consequential equipment penalties ever issued in the NHL, and every detail is confirmed in official game records.

Late in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, Montreal coach Jacques Demers requested a measurement of Marty McSorley’s stick. Officials inspected the blade and ruled the curve illegal.

Documented outcome:

• McSorley received a two-minute minor

• Montreal tied the game on the ensuing power play

• The Canadiens won in overtime

• Momentum shifted, and Montreal ultimately won the Stanley Cup

Few penalties have ever altered a championship series so dramatically — and this one is etched permanently into NHL history.

Ron Hextall Charges Chris Chelios — 1989 Wales Conference Final

Date: May 6, 1989

Teams: Philadelphia Flyers vs. Montreal Canadiens

Among goalie penalties, none is more dramatic, or better documented, than Ron Hextall’s assault on Chris Chelios.

With the Flyers facing elimination, Hextall raced from his crease and attacked Chelios, seeking retribution for a previous hit. He did this with only seconds left in Game 6.

Officially recorded consequences:

• A match penalty

• Additional disciplinary minutes

• A 12-game suspension to begin the following season

There is no ambiguity: this moment stands as one of the most explosive misconducts by any goaltender in NHL history.

The First Penalty Shot in NHL History — 1934

Date: November 10, 1934

Teams: Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

This moment is meticulously documented through NHL archives and historical research.

Key details:

• Canadiens forward Georges Mantha was fouled on a clear scoring chance

• Maple Leafs player Bill Thoms committed the foul, a trip, not a stick throw

• Canadiens winger Armand Mondou was selected to take the NHL’s first-ever penalty shot

• Toronto goaltender George Hainsworth made the save

The NHL had only just introduced the penalty shot that season, and this inaugural attempt set the tone for one of the league’s most iconic and dramatic plays.

Maurice “Rocket” Richard Strikes a Linesman — The 1955 Richard Riot

Date: March 13, 1955

Teams: Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins

One of the most culturally significant penalties ever issued.

During a heated altercation with Bruins defenseman Hal Laycoe, Richard became enraged, fought Laycoe fiercely, and struck linesman Cliff Thompson when the official tried to intervene.

NHL President Clarence Campbell suspended Richard for the remainder of the regular season and playoffs, a punishment that was fiercely controversial.

The suspension triggered the Richard Riot, which:

• caused significant damage in downtown Montreal

• shut down parts of the city

• became a defining moment in Quebec’s social and sporting history

Few penalties have ever transcended sport — this one unquestionably did.

“Too Many Men on the Ice” — The Bruins’ Infamous 1979 Game 7 Penalty

Date: May 10, 1979

Teams: Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens

This is among the most documented bench minor penalties in NHL playoff history.

Late in the third period of Game 7, the Bruins were called for too many men on the ice, giving Montreal a power play in the final minutes.

Recorded outcomes:

• Guy Lafleur scored the tying goal

• The Canadiens forced overtime

• Yvon Lambert scored the overtime winner

• Montreal went on to win the Stanley Cup

Every aspect of this penalty is preserved in video archives, NHL summaries, and decades of analysis. It remains the prime example of how a single penalty can alter a team’s destiny.

Billy Smith Becomes the First Goalie Credited With a Goal — A Delayed-Penalty Oddity (1979)

Date: November 28, 1979

Teams: New York Islanders vs. Colorado Rockies

While not a penalty taken by Smith, this historical moment is a confirmed example of how a penalty situation led to an unprecedented scoring outcome.

During a delayed penalty against Colorado:

• A Rockies player accidentally shot the puck into his own empty net

• Smith was the last Islanders player to touch the puck, according to the official scorer

• He became the first goaltender credited with a goal in NHL history

This scoring ruling is verified in NHL record books and is one of the rare cases where a penalty situation directly created a historic milestone.

Wayne Gretzky’s Rare Misconduct — December 5, 1987

Teams: Edmonton Oilers vs. Minnesota North Stars

Wayne Gretzky’s penalty minutes were low throughout his career, making any misconduct memorable, and this one is verified in NHL box scores.

On December 5, 1987, Gretzky received a 10-minute misconduct, one of the few of his career. The exact verbal exchange with officials is not documented, so we may never know the entire story.

This stands as a rare documented instance of the NHL’s greatest scorer spending extended time in the penalty box.

Why These Incidents Matter

These moments aren’t rumors or debatable “firsts.”

They’re the verified penalty events that shaped:

• playoff outcomes

• championship series

• league disciplinary standards

• historic cultural reactions

• and the evolution of NHL rules

The penalty box doesn’t just hold players.

It holds some of the biggest turning points in hockey history.