I get a lot of hits here from people that need hockey rules and terminology. Above all else, it has always been my goal to encourage a love for the sport in everyone I meet and I have no problem explaining the basics. I’ve divided the most commonly asked questions into 3 sections below.
Rinks and Facilities
Players and Positions
The Rules and Misc.
It’s worth noting that rinks, rules and regulations change from league to league and sometimes between arenas within the same league. The information below reflects the rules as generally interpreted and applied in the NHL as of the time of writing. For 100% authoritative rulebooks and interpretations, you should contact your league. Rulebooks as freely available at NHL.com, USAHockey.com, and HockeyCanada.ca for those interested in more information.
Q: How big is the ice rink?
A: The size of a regulation rink depends on the league one plays in. Generally speaking, each arena is slightly different from the next, so rink size is specified as an acceptable range. The ideal NHL rink measures 200′ long x 85′ wide, with corners curved on an 11′ radius.
Q: What are dasher boards?
A: If you’ve ever seen a hockey rink, you must have noticed that the entire rink is surrounded by walls that keep players and the puck in play. The walls are typically made of 2 sections: the lower, solid section and the upper, glass section. The term “dasher boards”, while technically referencing the entire system of walls, is usually used to indicate the lower, solid section of the walls. Dasher boards are constructed of plastic (HDPE) or fiberglass panels on top of a boxed aluminum or steel frame.
Q: If glass breaks, why don’t they use plexi-glass for the boards?
A: The most common and safest material available for use in hockey rinks is actually tempered glass. Using plastics (such as plexi-glass) poses serious risks of injury to players and spectators. It all comes down to the fact that real glass is a super-cooled liquid, not a solid. Wait a second… what? Let me try to explain.
Plexi-glass (a trade name for a type of acrylic sheet) is a solid plastic. That is, it’s a man made material where the molecules are locked by chemical bonds into a very rigid, specific shape. Real glass is much more like Jell-O: that is to say, the molecules of glass are close together (so it feels solid) but not locked into such a rigid shape. If you don’t believe me, go take a look at some old windows (they need to be 50 or 75 years old, at least). Notice the subtle wave pattern in the window? That comes from the glass “melting” and dropping towards the bottom. If you find some really old glass you can even see the the bottom of the pane is significantly thicker than the top.
So how does this make glass safer? When a solid (acrylic) breaks you get pieces with sharp edges, because the molecules on the end don’t want to move. Acrylic sheet, in particular, tends to leave very rigid, pointy spikes and shards which can be very easy to impale yourself on. Not exactly something you want around when you’re slamming full-force into it on a regular basis. Tempered glass on the other hand can be made in such a way that when it breaks, two things happen: the broken pieces are very small and the edges flake off easier, creating smoother fragments. It’s the same reason we use tempered glass in car windows… broken glass from an accident is less likely to serious hurt you.
Another reason glass is safer is that it has more “give”. When a player hits a pane of glass, it actually bends significantly and absorbs the blow gradually, lessening the force of the hit. You don’t notice the bend because the entire wall usually shakes. A sheet of plexi-glass thick enough to withstand the force of hockey does not bend nearly as much, increasing the potential for injury.
Who knew chemistry could be useful?!
Q: What is the goal crease? What is its purpose?
A: The goal crease is a designated area directly in front of the goal mouth. It is usually indicated by a large section of blue ice. Although the shape and size of the crease differs between leagues, the purpose is the same. Within this area, goalies are given certain privileges that do not apply elsewhere. These privileges include the ability to hold the puck, protection from interference, and limits on the methods offensive players may use to play the puck. A goalie outside of his crease is generally considered to have only the same privileges as other skaters.
Q: What is ‘the trapezoid’?
A: The trapezoid is exactly that… it’s a trapezoidal area between the end boards on the goal line demarcated by red lines. Following the lockout, a number of new rules were implemented in order to speed up play. Among them was this: a goalie may not play the puck behind the goal line, outside of the trapezoid area. Any goalie playing the puck outside of the area (ie – in the corners) is assessed a minor penalty for delay of game. This penalty is served by another member of the team who was on ice when the infraction occurred.
Q: Who can be Captain and why are they important?
A: Team captains can be any skater, except the goalies. Typically, there is 1 captain (designated in the NHL by a “C” on the jersey) and 2 assistant captains (designated by an “A” on the jersey). Unlike other sports, the only players allowed to approach the officials to discuss penalties, rules or interpretations are the captains. The captains function as the main communications channel between the officials and the benches, ensuring that everybody hears the same, correct information. Other players approaching the officials can be assessed minor penalties for doing so.
Goalies are not permitted to be captains in order to speed up the game. The significant difference in goalie and skater equipment prevents goalies from moving around the ice surface as freely. In addition, their position at the end of the rink removes them from many situations that result in penalties. Designating a goalie as a captain would ad significant delays to the game and is discouraged.
Q: What is icing?
A: On an ice rink, there are 3 red lines: 1 stretching across center ice, and 1 at either end, even with the goal mouth (called the Goal Line). Icing the puck is when Team A passes the puck from the defensive zone into the offensive zone, crossing the center line and the goal line before being touched by a player from Team B. Got that? Feel free to go back and read it again before I give you some examples…
Example 1: A player from Team A passes the puck from his defensive zone across the center line. The puck goes all the way down to the end boards where his teammate touches it. In this case, there is no icing, just a really long pass.
Example 2: A player from Team A passes the puck from his defensive zone across the center line. The puck goes all the way down to the end boards where a player from Team B touches it. This is icing. Play is stopped and the puck is brought back into Team A’s defensive zone for a face-off. (However, there are some exceptions: see below.)
The icing rule was developed specifically to discourage use of the tactic for breaking up offensive rushes in conjunction with the offsides rule. It forces teams to control the puck more and generally serves to speed up the game. In this spirit, there are some exceptions to the icing rule.
- Icing may only be called on a team that is at even-strength or on the power play. Teams on the penalty kill are not called for icing, because it is considered a legitimate defensive tactic in this case.
- In the NHL (and some other leagues) icing may be waved off (not called) at the discretion of the officials when he feels that contact with the puck was deliberately avoided so as to result in an icing call. This includes players purposely skating too slow to catch the puck.
- Icing may also be waved off in the NHL when the official believes that a pass was missed due to the interference of an opposing player. That means if you’re about to get a pass and I check you out of the way, discretion may be used on the icing call.
Q: What is offsides?
A: A player is offsides when he enters the offensive zone (delineated by the blue line) before the puck. If the puck leaves the offensive zone, all offensive players must also leave the zone before the puck can re-enter. An exception is the tag-up rule in the NHL. In this case, the puck may re-enter the zone as long as all remaining offensive players are in the process of exiting the zone AND they do not interact with the puck or any other players. This is referred to as “delayed offsides” and is then waved off.
Q: What is a power play?
A: A power play occurs after the opposing team is charged with a penalty. One of the players on the opposing team is removed from the ice for a predetermined period of time (based on the type of infraction) and may not be replaced. A team on the power play thus has 1 or more skaters in excess of the penalized team, who is said to be on the penalty kill.
Good post. Even as someone who’s watched a few dozen hockey games throughout my life, this helps clear up some rules for a casual viewer like me.
I think dasher boards is the flat piece on top of the “boards” that the “glass sits on and not the whole board. The bottom part of the board usually “yellow” is called the kick plate. Please advise???