In ice hockey, a major penalty is five minutes long. The penalized player must serve the full time, and the team normally plays short-handed for those five minutes.
Major penalties are reserved for serious infractions such as fighting, spearing, butt-ending, charging, and dangerous boarding. Unlike a minor penalty, a major does not end early when the opposing team scores. Another player may serve the time, but the offending player remains penalized.
The phrase “five for fighting” comes directly from this rule. Fighting commonly brings a five-minute major penalty, although leagues can add misconduct or game-misconduct penalties depending on the circumstances. In the NHL, major calls other than fighting have also been subject to video review since the 2019–20 season.
A common mix-up is confusing a major penalty with a minor penalty, which lasts two minutes. Ten minutes is generally associated with a misconduct penalty, while a game misconduct results in ejection rather than a simple ten-minute stay in the box.