Hockey rules for beginners

The goal of the game

Two teams try to score by shooting a rubber puck into the other team's net. The team with more goals at the end of the game wins. A goal counts when the whole puck crosses the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, many leagues use overtime or a shootout, while others simply record a tie. Ask your league which applies.

Who is on the ice

In standard rules, each team has up to six players on the ice at once: one goalie and five skaters (two defensemen and three forwards). Teams change players constantly through "line changes," which is why hockey benches look like a revolving door. You will hear shift for the short time a player spends on the ice before swapping out. For more on each job, see hockey positions explained.

The rink and the clock

• Boards and glass: the walls around the ice. The puck stays in play when it bounces off them.
• Blue lines: two blue lines split the ice into the defensive zone, the neutral zone and the offensive zone, depending on which net a team is defending.
• Red line: the line across the middle of the ice. Whether it matters for a call, such as icing or passing rules, depends on the league and level of play.
• Faceoff circles and dots: where play restarts after a stoppage.
• Crease: the painted area in front of each net that gives the goalie some protection.

Many youth programs play on a smaller area of the ice, such as across the rink or on one half of it (often called cross-ice), especially for the youngest players. Your league will explain what it uses.

How a game is timed

In standard rules a game is played in three periods with a clock that stops for whistles. Youth games vary a lot. Period length, number of periods and whether the clock stops all depend on the league and age group, so check with yours.

Why the whistle blows

Hockey stops and starts often, and most stoppages fall into a few simple categories.

• Goal: play stops and restarts with a faceoff at center ice.
• Offside: an attacking player enters the offensive zone ahead of the puck. The blue line is the key. In general, the puck must cross the blue line into the zone before the attackers do (a player is usually offside only when both skates are fully over the line). Exact offside rules vary by level.
• Icing: a team shoots the puck from its own half all the way past the opposing goal line without anyone touching it. Play stops and the faceoff goes back to the end of the team that iced the puck. Icing rules differ by level, including whether a team that is shorthanded can ice the puck freely and whether players must touch the puck to end the play.
• Puck out of play: the puck leaves the ice or goes into the netting, and a faceoff follows.
• Goalie covers the puck: the goalie freezes the puck with a glove or body.

Penalties

When a player breaks the rules, the referee signals a penalty. In standard rules, the penalized player usually sits in the penalty box for a set time, and the team plays shorthanded, which gives the other team a power play. Common calls include tripping, hooking, slashing (swinging a stick at another player), holding, and too many players on the ice. Body checking is not allowed in many youth age groups, and it is not part of most girls' and women's hockey, so ask your league what is permitted. Referees also stress safety, so calls such as checking from behind or contact to the head are taken very seriously at every level.

What to watch for as a new parent

Do not try to follow the puck every second. Watch the shape of the game instead: which team has the puck in the offensive zone, how the defensemen hold the blue line, and how quickly lines change. Many parents find the game easier to follow as it goes on, simply because the patterns start to repeat. Learn the extra vocabulary in hockey terms for new parents, and read how to prepare for hockey season for the practical side.