Ice Hockey
Ice hockey rules: Get to know the essentials
Uncover the key rules of ice hockey, from penalties to scoring and special teams, with insights into league differences and recent updates.
Ice hockey is fast-paced, thrilling and a lot of hard work — just ask Laila Edwards. "Off-season prep is way harder than in-season prep because you’re trying to get ready for in-season and you’re giving it your all,” Edwards said.
But to truly appreciate ice hockey, you need to understand its rules first.
Laila Edwards
© Suvir Grover
This breakdown of ice hockey rules covers the details that define the sport. Whether you're a new fan or a seasoned viewer looking for clarity, this guide will ensure you’re ready for every face-off, power play, and breakaway.
Rule framework and governing bodies
Ice hockey’s rules aren’t universal. The NHL (National Hockey League) sets the standard for professional play in North America, while the IIHF (International Ice Hockey Federation) oversees international tournaments. USA Hockey, the national governing body for ice hockey in America, has its own set of regulations as well, tailored to casual players who aren’t likely to go pro.
NHL, IIHF, and collegiate hockey each have distinct rules. For example, IIHF games are played on larger rinks (200 feet by 100 feet) than the NHL’s standard 200’ by 85’ size. Overtime rules also differ — the NHL uses 3-on-3 during the regular season, while IIHF uses a full overtime period before a shootout. Penalty enforcement and equipment standards, like helmet requirements, also vary.
Will Smith
© Red Bull
Within this framework, leagues often adapt the rules to suit different age groups and competition levels. While the core principles stay the same, differences exist in rink size, overtime rules, and equipment regulations. For example, the NCAA rules resemble NHL regulations with a few distinctions, such as differences in hockey stick size regulations. This helps prepare college players with dreams of going pro, such as NCAA-turned-NHL player Will Smith.
The rules in this guide cover general ice hockey regulations, so keep in mind that the precise details may differ between leagues, player levels, and location.
01
Detailed gameplay rules
Puck movement and possession
The puck is constantly in motion during ice hockey, but how it moves is tightly regulated. Proper puck handling requires precision, and there are penalties for breaking these rules. For instance, contacting the puck with a stick above shoulder height is known as a high stick infraction. When this happens in ice hockey, players typically go into a face-off in that team’s defensive zone.
The key thing to remember is that players can only pass and shoot with their sticks. Using their hands to pass the puck to a teammate is illegal, except in defensive zones. When a player uses their hands to score, it’s an illegal move called batting the puck.
Face-offs
Match between KAC Klagenfurt and EC Red Bull Salzburg in Austria in 2014
© GEPA pictures / Red Bull Content Pool
Face-offs are used to resume the game when the puck is put into play or after a stoppage occurs. A player from each team squares off, attempting to win possession of the puck as it’s dropped by an official. The official indicates exactly where teams can face-off in the rink, typically in a designated zone marked by dots on the ice. There are nine “dots” or face-off spots: two in each attacking zone (four), two in each neutral zone end (four), and one in the rink’s center.
If a player moves too early or violates positioning rules, the face-off may be re-dropped, and repeat violations can lead to a player’s removal from the face-off. The player who made the violation will face a minor bench penalty due to the delay of the game. Besides moving too early, other violations include not getting into the instructed position, improper stick placement, not being square at the face-off spot, and if you intrude into the face-off circle.
02
Scoring rules
Valid goals
For a goal to count, the entire puck must cross the goal line between the goalposts and under the crossbar. Players can score using their sticks, but they can’t intentionally kick, throw, or bat the puck into the net. Deflecting a puck off another player’s skates or body is allowed only if done unintentionally.
EC Red Bull Salzburg
© GEPA pictures / Red Bull Content Pool
Disallowed goals
Certain actions result in disallowed goals. Even though most deflections are allowed, if it bounces off of an official, then the goal won’t count. Goaltender interference — when a player impedes the goalie’s ability to make a save — is a common reason this might happen.
Other disallowed goals include:
- Goals scored by intentionally kicking or batting the puck with a hand
- If a player’s stick is raised above the crossbar’s height
- An attacker hinders the goaltender from preventing a goal
- Too many players on the ice at once
- A broken stick is used
- The puck breaks
- The shot makes the scoring team become offside
- The goal net is dislodged
- If the goaltender crosses the center line and shoots the puck
03
Understanding offsides
An offside occurs when an attacking player enters the offensive zone before the puck does. If the puck isn’t the first to cross the blue line, then the play is stopped and a face-off begins. However, in a “delayed offside,” players have a chance to “tag up” by clearing the offensive zone before re-engaging. In a delayed offside, play continues as long as the attacking players exit the offensive zone, or tag up, by touching the blue line with both skates before re-entering.
Offside rules maintain fair play and prevent players from “cherry-picking.” This is when a player waits at the opponent’s end of the ice for one of their teammates to pass the puck at an opportune moment, leading to an easy score.
04
The rules around icing
Icing occurs when a player shoots the puck from behind the center red line and it crosses the opposing goal line without being touched. The play is stopped, and a face-off takes place in the offending team’s defensive zone. Hybrid icing allows officials to call icing if a defensive player reaches the puck’s location first, ensuring player safety.
05
Penalties and infractions
EC Red Bull Salzburg in Graz, Austria
© GEPA pictures / Red Bull Content Pool
Types of penalties
Penalties are split into four main categories: minor, major, misconduct, and match penalties.
- Minor penalty: This is the lowest level of infraction that gets players sent to the penalty box for a brief two minutes. Common infractions include tripping, roughing, cross-checking, hooking, high sticking, slashing, and holding.
- Major penalty: Lasting five minutes in the penalty box, major penalties are typically for fighting and other serious infractions. Other reasons players get major penalties include boarding, spearing, charging, checking from behind or to the head, and slashing.
- Misconduct: Misconduct is a 10-minute penalty given for unsportsmanlike behavior. While the penalized player sits in the penalty box, the team subs in another player for the duration of the penalty consequence. Misconduct penalties are often called when players fight off the ice, continue fighting after officials break it up, throw equipment, or use abusive language toward an official. Officials might also call misconduct if they notice a player needs to calm their temper.
- Match penalty: This is a total ejection from the game, and it’s usually called for dangerous or reckless behavior. If a player is kicked out of the game with a match penalty, a 10-minute penalty is added to the scorebook and their team is then required to play shorthanded for five minutes. Players get ejected when they intentionally hurt or try to hurt another player. Stick offenses, checking from behind or to the head, boarding, and biting are all reasons players may receive match penalties.
Common infractions
Hockey’s fast pace means that there are a lot of violations. The most common infractions include tripping (using a stick to trip an opponent), slashing (swinging the stick at another player), and too many men on the ice (when a team has more players on the ice than allowed).
Penalty shots
VSV Villach and EC Red Bull Salzburg in Villach, Austria
© GEPA pictures / Red Bull Content Pool
When a player is fouled during a clear breakaway, a penalty shot may be awarded. During a penalty shot, the shooter starts at center ice and only has one chance to score.
Penalty shots may also get called when a player makes contact in order to stop an opponent. Sometimes, officials will opt for a penalty shot over a minor penalty on a player. This one-on-one showdown between the shooter and goalie is a high drama event, as the shooter has an unimpeded chance to score.
06
The rules for special teams
Power play strategies
If one team is short-handed because they were served too many penalties, the other team has the advantage of extra headcount on the ice. This opportunity is called a power play, and teams use this time to create scoring opportunities.
NHL clubs have four power play systems: the umbrella, the overload, the 1-3-1, and the spread.
- Umbrella: The umbrella power play system positions three players near the blue line with two forwards at the goal crease. This helps prevent turnovers and creates rebounds to screen goalies.
- Overload: The overload system concentrates players on the puck. They cycle the puck to “overload” the defenders. This helps to outnumber defenders, creating passing and shooting opportunities. Also called the 1-2-2 system, overloading opens up cross-ice passing lanes for high-danger scoring chances.
- 1-3-1: In the 1-3-1 system, players are arranged in four triangles with players quarterbacked from the point, half boards, or below the goal line. They try to pass the puck and keep an eye out for one-time slappers. This balanced structure maximizes puck movement options and creates multiple shooting lanes, increasing the likelihood of high-quality scoring chances.
- Spread: The spread system spaces out players across the offensive zone. This stretches the other team’s defense, forcing them to cover more ground. Also called 2-1-2 formation, it creates wider passing lanes and open shooting opportunities, especially for cross-ice one-timer shots.
Penalty kill dynamics
EC Red Bull Salzburg vs EV Vienna Capitals
© GEPA pictures / Red Bull Content Pool
Penalty killing in ice hockey is a critical defensive strategy. It’s put into play when a team is down a player due to a penalty. Success relies on pressure, positioning, and teamwork to neutralize the opposing power play. Effective penalty killing demands constant communication, quick decision-making, and the ability to read and react to opponents' movements.
Teams often form a box-shaped defensive structure to clog shooting lanes and limit scoring chances, with players blocking shots to intercept passes. Aggressive forechecking disrupts the opponent’s ability to set up plays, while timely puck clearances force the opposing team to reset their attack.
07
Goaltender-specific rules
Restricted zones
Goalies have their own set of rules to follow. An important series of them focuses on the trapezoid behind the net where they’re allowed to play the puck. The trapezoid area encompasses two diagonal lines that extend out diagonally six feet from the goalposts to points that sit 28 feet from the end boards. Goalies cannot handle the puck outside this area and must stay within this area whenever they have the puck.
Goalie interference
Contact with the goalie can result in disallowed goals or penalties. If a player’s actions prevent the goalie from making a save, it’s considered interference. Players can’t interact with the goalie unless they want to receive a penalty. That includes pushing a player into the goalie.
08
Overtime and shootout regulations
During the regular season, if the game is tied at the end of regulation, teams play a sudden-death overtime period, typically 3-on-3, for five minutes. If a goal is scored in overtime, the scoring team wins. If no goal is scored, a shootout follows.
In overtime, each team sends three players, plus the goalie, to face the opposing goalie. There’s no interference from the opposing side. The teams try to shoot a goal. If still tied, the shootout moves to sudden death, with each team taking as many shots as they can in five minutes.
Overtime rules are different in the postseason and during the Stanley Cup. During those games, if the game is tied by the third period, an overtime period lasting up to 20 minutes is called. Five players are kept on the ice during overtime. If the first overtime period ends without a goal, the game keeps adding more 20-minute overtime periods until someone scores.
Mastering the rules: Elevate your ice hockey knowledge
Mastering ice hockey rules transforms your experience as a fan — and there are a lot of rules to know. Understanding the nuances gives you a sharper appreciation for the strategy, power, and skill on display. Whether you’re watching the NHL, IIHF, or a local game, having a firm grasp of these rules makes every face-off and overtime moment more exciting.