Between the show Heated Rivalry taking the internet by storm and the 2026 Winter Olympics always being on when you turn on the tele, Ice Hockey seems to have had a rise in interest in the past few months. Many people, like myself, would have tuned into the USA v Canada Gold Medal game to try figure out what the hype was all about. Does this game even have rules? They’re fighting each other and playing with broken teeth – what is going on?
Whilst not a complete, comprehensive list of every rule and regulation in ice hockey, these are the basic rules you should know going into a game.
Basic Rules
The game is split into three periods, both twenty minutes long. Each team is only allowed six players on the ice at one time, one goaltender, two defencemen, and three forwards. If there are more than five players from a team on the ice at once, a penalty will be called.
There are four lines that swap out both mid-play and when there is a break in play. This is known as a line change. Players will typically only be on the ice for under a minute before being substituted. If by the end of the third period the two teams are tied in goals, they go to three on three overtime where the first goal wins.
There are three zones in the rink: the defensive zone where your goal is, the offensive zone where you are aiming to score and the neutral zone in the middle. These are divided by the red line in the centre of the ice and two blue lines. Furthermore, the circles on the ice are face-off zones. This is where play resumes after stoppages and where the puck is dropped.
Icing is when a player shoots the puck from behind the red line and it crosses the thin blue line in the offensive zone without touching a stick. Play is stopped and a face off occurs in the defensive zone.
Penalties
If a physical fight breaks out, a five minute penalty is given to each party.
Offside is called when a player crosses the blue line before the puck when crossing into the attacking zone. If it’s not called in real time, and the player scores, the goal is taken away once offside is decided.
Players cannot kick the puck, or have the end of their stick above their shoulders.
Fouls include, tripping, high-sticking, where a player hits someone in the face with their stick, and hooking, where the stick goes between a players legs.
Penalties are often two minutes long but can go up to ten minutes. Once the penalty is called, the offending team must play with a player down, five-on-four. This is called a power play. If the opposing team scores during the power play, the penalised player can re-enter the game.
Image Credit: Lynda Sanchez, Pexels.
Braw Magazine co-editor for Stirling University’s Brig and a third year English and Journalism student.
