The penalty box keeper is responsible for making sure penalties are correctly served by offending players. He opens the door of the box to alow players in and to let them out. he does not open the door if a player involved in a play is about to hit the boards near or at the door. He should also keep a sharp eye open at all times for pucks or stray sticks heading in his direction.

The penalty box keeper should try to ensure that there is seating for at least a couple of players to be able to sit down whilst serving their penalties. He is not a drinks supplier - communal water bottles are not allowed nowadays - so the player needs to get a teammate to bring him his own bottle.

If a penalty is shown on the clock the penalty box keeper should let the player out when the penalty expires. Do not have the door open several seconds in advance as this is dangerous if players or the puck come your way and also may tempt a player to leave the box early. If the player wishes to leave the box by stepping over the boards make sure he waits until the penalty expires. Do not let him start to climb over too soon and if he tries to leave early you can hold him by the back of his shirt and pull him back - warn him in advance that you will do this if he shows signs of jumping the gun. It is embarrassing for you if you let him go and at that moment play stops and the penalty clock still shows time to be served. If he goes despite you trying to stop him then he makes himself liable to further penalties, but if you let him out early that is your fault.

When a player is in the penalty box he should remain in the designated area (i.e. he should not walk round the back of the announcer's box to abuse anybody in the other team's box). You should not hassle or abuse him in any way, but similarly he is not entitled to abuse you either physically or verbally. If he does give you such problems please report this to the scorer/announcer who may call the referee over to report the problem at the next break in play. Your job is not to get involved in a physical tussle so if you cannot easily stop him from doing something or if you become nervous for your own safety then step out of the way and be a witness to his actions (if he seems likely to attack someone then warn them as best you can).

In the case of penalties that do not appear on the clock (e.g. delayed penalties where more two players from the same team have been assessed penalties and are in the box at the same time, and coincidental penalties) the scorer or timekeeper should notify you of what is happening and when (on the main game clock) the player(s) whose penalty does not appear may leave. Also the scorer or timekeeper should notify you of any player who cannot leave the penalty box until the first whistle after his penalty has expired (e.g. coincidental pealties, 10 minute major, or a player who has a teammate waiting to serve a delayed penalty that starts when his finishes). An example is if three players on one team are to serve minor penalties, none of which are called as coincidental - when the first penalty runs out the third immediately starts so the team should still be two men short on the ice and if the first player returns before a break in play his team will have too many men on the ice (if no other penalty is called the second and third players will leave the box normally when their penalties are completed). The basic concept is that a player cannot return to the ice until a whistle if that return would mean his team having too many players on the ice. If they are not playing shorter of men than they should be after the expiration of the penalty (or the penalty did not lead to a reduction of players on the ice) the player whose penalty has expired waits for a whistle.

Penalty box keepers can wander around and chat with each other or other minor officials if things are quiet but they must not allow anybody (e.g. their mates) into the penalty box area during the game.

If members of the crowd approach the penalty box area to try to physically or verbally abuse a player move the player out of the way as far as you can within the confines of the box. Warn the spectators that they risk ejection and ask the announcer to request rink security. Ask the player to ignore the crowd as if he reacts he may get into further trouble himself and will only exacerbate the situation. Keep your eyes and ears open and be prepared to act as a witness to any incidents that happen in such a situation.