Basic Rules of NHL Hockey: A

Visual Guide

ADHILDE • APR 10, 2020

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Welcome to HowTheyPlay!

adhilde is a hockey lover and enjoys sharing

their knowledge of the game through writing.

It saddens me to hear people comment that

hockey is too hard to understand because the
rules make no sense. I also hear that the game
is too slow and there are not enough points by
each team to make the game exciting. I want to
try to fix that here and now.

Like all sports, the NHL (National Hockey

League) goes through rule changes from
season to season. NHL standard rules are in
place to keep the game safe and make the
game more fun to watch.

Learn more

So let's start with the layout of the ice.

Hockey Rink Layout

As seen in the first graphic below, there are

different colored lines, as well as circles. As
would be expected, each of these has
significance, and have at least one rule tied to
how it affects the game.

NHL Rink Dimensions

1. Center Ice/Face-Off Circle: The face-off

circle at center ice is where the puck is put
in play (dropping the puck) by the referee
at the start of each period and after a
goal is scored. During the dropping of the
puck, only one player from each team may
be in the center ice circle. Once the puck is
dropped, however, teammates from both
teams can enter this area to assist in
controlling the puck for his team.

2. Neutral Zone: The area between the blue

lines indicating each teams' defensive
zone.

3. Neutral Zone Face-Off Dots: Four dots in

the neutral zone where a linesman can
drop the puck after a stoppage of play.

4. Blue Line: A solid blue line spanning the

width of the ice which indicates the border
between the neutral zone and a given
team's defensive zone.

5. Slot: The area directly in front of the

goaltender, between the two defensive
zone face-off circles. The "high slot" is an
area of the slot that is farthest away from
the goal, closer to the blue line.

6. Offensive and Defensive Zone Face-Off

Circles: Two large circles in a given team's
zone where a linesman can drop the puck
to restart play. There are four on the ice;
two in a team's offensive zone and two in
that team's defensive zone. Given that
each team has an offensive zone and a
defensive zone, there are only four of
these circles on the ice. I must state the
obvious that one team's defensive zone is
the other team's offensive zone.

7. Goal Line: The red line spanning the width

of the ice on which the goal sits in each
zone.

8. Trapezoid: The area directly behind the

goal in which it is permissible for the
goaltender to touch the puck.

9. Goal/Net: Goals sit on the center of each

goal line in a team's defensive zone.

10. Crease: The area directly in front of each

goal. This area is painted blue.

Basic Rules: Non-Penalty Stoppages

The basic rules of hockey are simple and can be

described in a few definitions.

Icing

This is one of the two most misunderstood calls

in hockey. The rule is that if the puck is passed
into the offensive zone by a team from their
side of the red center ice line, and it is either not
touched or could not be determined
"touchable" before it passes behind the goal
line in that team's offensive zone, then the puck
has been "iced." The play will stop in most
leagues such as international, collegiate, and
amateur play without the need for the defense
to touch the puck. In the NHL, play will not stop
until the defense touches the iced puck. This
gives the offense a chance to get to the puck
first. If the iced puck is touched first by the team
that iced it (the offense), then play will
continue.

In short, if I were on offense and I passed the

puck from my end of the ice into my offensive
zone, and no one touches it and it is
determined that no one could have touched it
before it passed behind the goal line in my
offensive zone, then one of my teammates or I
would have to get to the puck first and touch it
with a stick or the play will stop. If play is
stopped for icing, the puck will come back to be
dropped in a face-off circle in front of my
goaltender and the players on the ice at the
time the icing was happening from my team
must stay on the ice as a penalty. This is
significant because many teams ice the puck to
get it out of their zone and try to get new
players on the ice at the same time.

Offsides

This is also misunderstood sometimes. Offsides

is really not that hard to follow if you remember
one thing; the puck always has to be in the
offensive zone before the offensive players.
There is one exception; a defensive player can
put the puck back into his own zone while the
other team has offensive players in his zone.
Offsides is waived off and the offensive players
can touch the puck with no consequence.

There are a few things to understand about

offsides. First, the whistle will only blow if a
player attempts to make a play or touches the
puck while the linesman has indicated that a
team is offsides. The puck will then be dropped
to start play on a face-off dot in the neutral
zone. Second, delayed offsides is the term used
when a linesman has indicated that a team is
offsides and the whistle has not yet blown.
During this time, if all offensive players have left
the offensive zone (retreated back to the
neutral zone), and the puck has not come out of
the zone in question, the linesman will indicate
that the delayed offsides is over and the
offense can then re-enter the offensive zone to
pursue the puck. Third, there are times that
teams will cause offsides in the offensive zone
intentionally. If the linesmen feel that this is the
case, then the face-off will come back in front
of the goaltender of the team that is offsides.

Hand Pass

Before explaining hand passes (which really is

self-explanatory), at no time during play can
anyone close their hands on a puck. That will
be discussed in a later topic where minor
penalties are explained. So, to pass a puck with
a swinging motion of a player's arm (like a
baseball bat), or to push the puck along the
boards or ice with any part of the arm or hand
is considered to be a hand pass. Hand passes
stop play if the puck is touched by a player of
the same team as the one who committed the
hand pass. Hand passes are considered legal
only if a defensive player does a hand pass in
his own zone. The puck will be dropped in the
neutral zone on a face-off dot closest to where
the puck was touched after a hand pass.

Puck Over Glass

Simply put, the puck leaves the rink and ends

up in the spectator seating. There are times
that this can be considered a minor penalty, but
again, we will get into that later. For this variety
of play stoppage, if the puck leaves the rink,
the face-off will then happen as close to where
the player was when he put the puck off the
rink.

Learn more

Puck Touched by a High Stick

This is a simple rule to see and understand. If

the puck is touched by a stick above the
player's shoulders, it has been played with a
high stick. If this occurs, play will stop if the next
player who plays the puck is on the same team
as he who touched the puck with a high stick.
Also, if a goal is scored by a player who last
touched the puck with a high stick, that goal
will not be counted and the face-off will come
to the face-off circle or dot closest to where
that player was standing at the time of the high
stick. There is no grey area for this call. If the
other team controls the puck after the incident
of a high stick, and play has not yet been
halted (meaning the same team has not
touched the puck), then the high stick infraction
is waved off and play will continue.

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Puck Kicked in Net With Distinct Kicking

Motion

In hockey, sticks get dropped, broken, tangled

with another player, etc. So, players are trained
to develop the ability to kick and control the
puck with their feet. Kicking the puck is very
common and is often used by skilled players to
trick other players all the time. No matter how
fancy a player's footwork is, it is not allowed to
kick the puck in the net intentionally. This is not
saying that a puck that is scored off the feet of
an offensive player does not count. The rule is
stated that the puck cannot be scored with a
"distinct kicking motion." Players may angle
their feet with the intent of deflecting the puck
in, as long as it does not appear that their feet
move in a kicking motion. Officials have spent
considerable amounts of time reviewing goals
scored off of players' feet to determine if they
were "kicked" into the net. In the event of the
non-kicking motion goals, they will count
(subject to the opinion of the referee and
official staff reviewing the goal.) However, in
the case that the staff feels that the puck was
kicked in with the motion of a kick, the goal will
not be counted and the faceoff will come to the
closest face-off circle or dot to where the puck
was kicked.

Goaltender "Freezes" the Puck

I have included this event in this section only

because the whistle will blow and play will
stop. In hockey, the only person who can stop
the puck on the ice, catch it and close his hand
on it, or pin it in clothing and equipment with
the intent to stop play is the goalie. The
goaltender can and often does stop play when
the opposing team is threatening to score.
Referees are instructed to stop play once they
lose sight of the puck under a goalie. Unlike
soccer where the game clock continues to run
even if the goaltender has the ball, hockey
game clocks will stop and the puck will be
dropped in a face-off circle close to that
goaltender to resume play upon goalies
freezing the puck.

NHL Penalty Signals

Basic Rules: Minor Penalties

To start, penalties are stoppages where players

do personal offenses against other players. In
the event that a penalty is to be called and
play is to be stopped, a referee will raise his
hand above his head. He will then wait to stop
play until a player from the offending team
touches the puck. The referee waiting for this
touch up is known as a delayed penalty. During
this time, teams often will have their goaltender
rush to the bench to get an extra offensive
skater on the ice to try to score during the
delay.

Penalties will result in the offending player

sitting in a penalty box for the allotted time.
This period of time is known as a power play.
The team of the offending player can not put a
player on the ice to replace the penalized
player (teams are allowed 6 players on the ice
during regulation play, usually 5 players and a
goaltender.) During the power play, the team of
the penalized player will then be down a man
resulting in a 5 on 4 advantage for the other
team. There are often times that teams can be
down two players resulting in a 5 on 3. Other
combinations are 3 on 3, 3 on 4, and 4 on 4. No
matter how many players are in the penalty box
for a given team, the fewest number of players
a team can be restricted to is 3 skaters and
their goaltender.

Minor penalties that have caused one team to

be shorthanded can end early if the team with
more players (on the power play) scores a goal.
Then the penalized player with the least
amount of time can come out. Any remaining
players with time remaining are to remain in the
box. For example, if there is a 5 on 3, and player
1 has 20 seconds left while player 2 has 50
seconds left, and the team with 5 players
scores, then the face-off comes to center ice. A
5 on 4 will result for the next 50 seconds and
the player who had 20 seconds left on his
penalty will be permitted to leave the box
before the face-off. Otherwise, if the time were
to expire naturally, and no goal is scored in the
period of time during the penalty, then play
continues as the penalized player will come out
of the box to continue play.

I will discuss major penalties later. Here are the

minor penalties with their appropriate time
penalties.

High Sticking (2 or 4 min)

High sticking is a minor penalty where a

player's stick makes contact with any part of an
opposing player above the shoulders. Intent
has nothing to do with most minor penalties. In
the case of a player's stick, they are to always
be in control. Even if someone else causes a
high sticking penalty, there is no argument and
no grey area. High Sticking is a 2-minute minor
offense. However, if blood is drawn by a high
stick, the time will be counted as two minor
penalties in a row. Because it is determined as
two minor penalties, if a goal is scored in the
first 2 minutes, then the rest of that 2 minute
period is removed and the second minor is
started. If a goal is scored in the second 2
minute period, then the player can come out of
the box and continue play.

Tripping (2 min)

Tripping is the act of taking down an opposing

player by taking his skates out from under him.
This can be done with a stick, skate, arm, or
another part of the player's body and/or
equipment.