- Ice hockey in one paragraph
- Rink size, goals and the three zones
- Teams, goalkeepers and changing on the fly
- Periods, goals and the standings
- Offside and icing, the two whistles that stop play
- Penalties, power plays and penalty shots
- Overtime and the shootout
- My verdict: what to learn before your first game
- Frequently asked questions
Under the NHL Official Rules for 2025-2026, ice hockey is played in three periods of 20 minutes of actual play, and the team that scores more goals wins. A goal counts when the puck goes entirely across the goal line between the posts, and in the regular season a tie goes to a five-minute overtime and then a shootout.
This page follows the National Hockey League Official Rules 2025-2026, as of November 2026. International, college and youth hockey have their own rule books with differences, so read this as NHL rules. I've kept it to what a new fan or a first-time player needs: the rink, how a game runs, offside, icing, penalties and how ties are broken.
Ice hockey in one paragraph
Two teams of skaters and a goalkeeper each chase one puck around an ice rink, trying to shoot it into the other team's net. There are no turns. Play is continuous, starts with a face-off, and only stops for goals, penalties and infractions. Players change on the fly, which is why lines of skaters seem to swap every minute.
Rink size, goals and the three zones
| What | NHL rule book figure |
|---|---|
| Rink | 200 feet long and 85 feet wide |
| Corners | Rounded in an arc with a radius of 28 feet |
| Goal lines | 11 feet from each end |
| Blue lines | 64 feet out from the goal lines |
| Goal posts | 6 feet apart, inside to inside, and 4 feet above the ice |
The two blue lines split the ice into three areas: the defending zone, the neutral zone and the attacking zone. A red centre line runs across the middle. Those lines are what offside and icing are measured against, so it's worth picturing them before anything else.
Teams, goalkeepers and changing on the fly
A team is made up of 20 players under contract to the club: 18 skaters and 2 goalkeepers. Only one goalkeeper may be on the ice at a time, and in normal play each side has 5 skaters facing 5, plus a goalkeeper. The goalkeeper can be taken off for an extra skater, but that skater doesn't get the goalkeeper's privileges.
Each team has a captain and may have alternate captains. A list of eligible players goes in before the game and can't be changed once it starts.
Players can change at any time during play, from the bench, as long as the player coming off is within 5 feet of the bench and out of the play. Come on too early and the team can get a bench minor penalty for too many men on the ice.
Periods, goals and the standings
A game is three periods of 20 minutes of actual play. The intermission between periods is 18 minutes or a time set by the League. Teams change ends for each regulation period, home clubs choose which goal to defend at the start, and every period begins with a face-off at centre ice.
A goal is scored when an attacking player puts the puck between the posts with his stick, from in front and below the crossbar, and it goes entirely across the goal line. A goal also counts if a defending player shoots it into his own net, or if it deflects in off an attacker's skate or body.
Results feed the standings in a particular way. In the regular season, a win is worth two points, and a team that loses in overtime or the shootout still gets one point.
Offside and icing, the two whistles that stop play
Offside first. Attacking players must not go into the attacking zone ahead of the puck. A player is offside when both skates are completely over the leading edge of the blue line before the puck. The skates decide it, not the stick, so a player with one skate still touching the blue line is onside.
Icing is the long clearance rule. Here's how it works:
- A team that's equal or superior in numbers shoots the puck from its own half of the ice.
- The puck travels beyond the opponent's goal line.
- Play is stopped for icing, unless the puck on a player's stick, not his skate, touched the centre red line first.
- The attacking team chooses which end zone face-off dot the face-off is taken on.
- The team that iced the puck can't change players before that face-off, with exceptions such as replacing an injured player.
The detail most people miss: icing is only called against a team that's equal or superior in numbers. A short-handed team, killing a penalty, isn't called for icing at all.
Penalties, power plays and penalty shots
Penalties are where hockey differs most from other team sports, because the offender leaves the ice and his team plays a player short.
| Penalty | How long | What ends it |
|---|---|---|
| Minor | Two minutes, no substitute allowed | Time running out, or a goal against the short-handed team |
| Major | Five minutes for a first major in a game | Only time running out; it's served in full |
If a short-handed team concedes, the minor penalty with the least time left ends automatically. A goal on a penalty shot doesn't end any penalty. A major penalty is served in full, so the player stays on the penalty bench even if the other team scores.
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A hand pass is penalised if a player directs the puck to a team-mate with his hand or gains an advantage. A player can stop or bat a puck in the air with an open hand, and play isn't stopped for hand passes in a team's own defending zone.
A penalty shot is there to restore a scoring chance lost to an infraction. The puck is placed on the centre face-off spot, the shooter has to keep it moving toward the goal, and no goal counts on a rebound.
Overtime and the shootout
In the regular season, if the score is tied after three periods, each team gets one point. Then an overtime period of not more than five minutes is played with three skaters and one goalkeeper per team, and the first team to score wins and takes an extra point. If a team is short-handed going in, overtime starts at those strengths, but no team ever has fewer than three players on the ice.
Still level after five minutes? It goes to a shootout. Each team takes three shots unless the result is settled earlier, and if it's still tied it carries on as sudden death. The final score credits the winner with one goal more than the opponent, however many shootout goals were scored.
The Stanley Cup Playoffs drop the shootout. A tied game goes to a fifteen minute intermission and then 20 minute overtime periods, and the first team to score wins.
My verdict: what to learn before your first game
I'd start with the three zones, the blue line offside rule and icing, because those cause most of the whistles you'll hear. Then learn the minor penalty and the power play it creates, and suddenly the swings in pressure make sense.
I'd skip the detail of coincidental and delayed penalties until you're following a team every week. For a non-contact team game you can teach in an afternoon, my guide to netball is a good contrast, and volleyball rules work for any mixed group.
Frequently asked questions
How long is an ice hockey game?
Three periods of 20 minutes of actual play, with a rest intermission between periods, under the NHL Official Rules 2025-2026.
How many players are on an NHL team?
A team is made up of 20 players, 18 skaters and 2 goalkeepers, and only one goalkeeper may be on the ice at a time.
What is icing in hockey?
When a team equal or superior in numbers shoots the puck from its own half of the ice beyond the opposing goal line, play is stopped, unless the puck is gained at the centre line.
What is offside in hockey?
A player is offside when both skates are completely over the leading edge of the blue line before the puck enters the attacking zone.
How long is a minor penalty in hockey?
Two minutes, during which no substitute is permitted, and it ends early if the other team scores while a team is short-handed.
