What is the primary penalty for fighting in hockey?

The primary penalty for fighting in hockey is a five-minute major penalty. This is due to the nature of fighting within the game, where the sport seeks to maintain a certain level of physicality but also aims to discourage excessive violence. A five-minute major penalty allows players involved in the fight to serve a longer penalty time without putting their teams at a severe disadvantage since both players typically receive identical penalties.

This penalty system intends to provide a significant enough deterrent to curtail fighting, while still acknowledging that such incidents may occur in the heat of the game. The players involved are sent to the penalty box for the full five minutes, and their teams play shorthanded during that time. This approach allows for the rules to remain consistent and ensures that fighting is not seen as a regular part of gameplay but rather an action that carries genuine consequences.

The other options, such as a two-minute minor penalty, are typically reserved for less severe infractions, and the ten-minute misconduct penalty or game misconduct would apply to different violations rather than fighting itself.