Ice hockey

What is ice hockey?

Ice hockey is considered one of the fastest team sports in the world. Two teams face each other on an ice surface surrounded by boards. Each team has at most six players on the ice at once: five skaters and a goaltender (goalie). The aim is to shoot the puck, a flat disc of hard rubber, into the opposing goal with the stick. Whoever has scored more goals at the end of regulation time wins.

Flying substitutions are typical of ice hockey: players can be changed while play is running. Because the pace is so high, a shift usually lasts only 30 to 60 seconds. A team therefore usually dresses four forward lines and three defensive pairs.

The most important rules at a glance

Game length and deciding the result

A game consists of three periods of 20 minutes. Effective playing time is measured: the clock stops at every stoppage. In practice, a game including two intermissions therefore usually takes around two and a half hours.

If the score is tied after 60 minutes, depending on the competition there is overtime, often with fewer players (3-on-3), and if still tied a shootout. In playoff games, by contrast, play usually continues in full periods until a goal is scored ("sudden death"). We explain the details under overtime and shootout.

Offside and icing

Two rules particularly shape the flow of the game:

• Offside: An attacker may not cross the blue line into the attacking zone ahead of the puck. More under offside in ice hockey.
• Icing: If a team shoots the puck from its own half over the opposing goal line without anyone touching it, play is stopped. The faceoff then takes place in the offending team's defensive zone. See icing.

Faceoff

Every restart after a stoppage begins with a faceoff: the official drops the puck between two players, who try to play it to their team. There are nine faceoff spots on the ice. Where the faceoff takes place depends on the reason for the stoppage.

Penalties

Rule violations are punished with time penalties. The penalised player must go to the penalty box and their team plays shorthanded. The opposing team then has a power play.

A minor penalty ends early if the team on the power play scores. Major penalties, by contrast, are always served in full.

Positions: who does what?

• Goaltender (goalie): Heavily padded with leg pads, catching glove and blocker. Modern goaltenders mostly play the "butterfly" style and drop to their knees on shots to cover the lower part of the goal.
• Defenders: Two per line. They secure their own zone, block shots and start the attack with the first pass.
• Forwards: A centre, who usually takes the faceoffs, and two wingers (left and right).

In the final minutes, teams trailing narrowly often pull their goaltender and bring on a sixth skater. This increases the chance of an equaliser, but also the risk of a goal into the empty net ("empty-net goal").

How a game day works

A professional game starts with the warm-up on the ice, about an hour before the opening faceoff. Then the ice resurfacer prepares the surface, the teams come out, and after the national anthems (at international games) or the team introductions, the opening faceoff follows at centre ice.

Between periods there are usually intermissions of 15 to 18 minutes, during which the ice is resurfaced. Each team may take one 30-second timeout per game. The teams switch ends after each period.

A game is usually officiated by two referees (recognisable by orange armbands) and two linesmen. The referees call penalties and rule on goals; the linesmen watch for offside and icing and take most faceoffs. Professional leagues also use video review for disputed goals.

Common statistics terms

A goal can be accompanied by up to two assists. Both assisting players receive a point. That is why scoring lists in ice hockey are often led by playmakers, not just goalscorers.

Tactics: forechecking, neutral zone trap and counter-attacks

Modern teams defend and attack according to fixed systems:

• Forechecking: Pressure already in the opponent's zone to force errors in their build-up. Well-known variants are named after the number of players in each wave, such as 1-2-2 or 2-1-2.
• Neutral zone trap: A patient system in which the team clogs the neutral zone and waits for turnovers.
• Dump and chase: Instead of carrying the puck over the blue line, it is shot into the attacking zone and chased, deliberately without causing icing.
• Breakout: The organised build-up from the defensive zone, often via the defender behind the goal.

In close games, the special teams – power play and penalty kill – and the centres' faceoff percentage are often decisive.

Rink and equipment

The ice surface is rectangular with rounded corners and surrounded by boards about 1.2 metres high with plexiglass on top. The IIHF rulebook allows rinks up to 60 × 30 metres; competitions in Europe are increasingly played on smaller surfaces. In the North American NHL the rink measures 200 × 85 feet, around 61 × 26 metres. The smaller surface means more body contact and less space.

Two blue lines divide the rink into the defensive zone, neutral zone and attacking zone, and the red centre line halves it. In front of each goal is the blue-marked crease.

Equipment includes a helmet (with full visor or cage for youth players), shoulder, elbow and shin protection, gloves, padded pants, a protective cup and skates with a short, curved blade. The puck is 2.54 cm thick, 7.62 cm in diameter and weighs 156 to 170 grams. We explain why it is frozen before the game under puck.

History of ice hockey

Its roots lie in stick-and-ball games on ice that have been known in Northern Europe and North America for centuries. The birth of modern ice hockey is considered to be a game on 3 March 1875 at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal, played according to fixed rules and with a flat wooden disc instead of a ball.

In 1908 the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace, today's International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), was founded in Paris. Ice hockey has been Olympic since 1920: the first Olympic tournament took place as part of the Summer Games in Antwerp, and from 1924 ice hockey was part of the Winter Games. Women's ice hockey has been Olympic since 1998. The NHL was founded in 1917.

In Germany, ice hockey became popular at the beginning of the 20th century, initially mainly in Berlin and Bavaria. The German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) has existed since 1963. Since 1994, the DEL has been the top division.

Leagues and competitions

• Germany: DEL, below it DEL2 and Oberliga, then the regional leagues of the state associations. For women, the DFEL is the top division.
• Austria: ICE Hockey League (multinational, with teams from several countries).
• Switzerland: National League and Swiss League.
• North America: NHL as the strongest league in the world, plus the AHL and the women's league PWHL.
• International: IIHF World Championship (annual), Olympic Games, World Junior Championship, Champions Hockey League at club level.

You'll find all current games and results in the ice sports calendar, and clubs near you under Teams & clubs.

Ice hockey as a hobby: how to get started

Ice hockey isn't just a professional sport. In Germany there are numerous hobby and recreational teams that play in their own hobby leagues, often without body checks. For children, many clubs offer skating schools from around age four. Equipment can often be borrowed to start with.

If you just want to try it out, find a rink with public skating and practise stopping safely and skating backwards. Many clubs also offer beginner courses for adults. You'll find an overview of rinks in our rink directory.

Curious and little known

• The term "hat-trick" and the thrown hats have a story of their own, see hat-trick.
• The ice surface for ice hockey is kept colder than for figure skating. Hard, fast ice is wanted. More under Making ice & ice temperature.
• The ice resurfacer comes out between periods. How it works is explained in the article Ice preparation.
• A variant for people with disabilities is para ice hockey, played on sledges.

Penalties in detail

Ice hockey has a graduated penalty system. The most common sanction is the minor penalty of two minutes, for example for hooking, holding, slashing or tripping. The penalised team plays shorthanded during this time. If the opponent scores on the power play, a minor penalty ends early. This does not apply to a major penalty of five minutes: it runs in full, no matter how many goals are scored. Major penalties are mainly given for risk of injury, such as checks to the head or from behind.

There are also misconduct penalties of ten minutes. The player must leave the ice, but their team may replace them and does not play shorthanded. A game misconduct ejects a player for the rest of the game, with suspensions for further games depending on the league. If a player is fouled from behind on a clear breakaway, the referee can award a penalty shot instead of a time penalty. A penalty signalled against the team in possession only stops play once that team loses the puck. The fouled team's goaltender then often leaves the ice for an extra skater – the so-called delayed penalty.

The faceoff as a restart

Almost every stoppage ends with a faceoff: the referee or linesman drops the puck between two players. The faceoff spots are permanently marked on the ice, and where the restart takes place depends on the reason for the stoppage. After icing, for example, the faceoff takes place in the defensive zone of the team that iced the puck. Strong faceoff players are therefore in demand, because whoever wins the faceoff has immediate possession.

Leagues in Germany, Austria and Switzerland

The German-speaking region has three major professional leagues with different structures:

• Germany: The DEL is the top division. Below it are the DEL2 and the Oberliga, then regional leagues. Women play in the German women's ice hockey league (DFEL).
• Austria: The top league is organised across borders. Alongside Austrian clubs, the ICE Hockey League includes teams from neighbouring countries such as Italy, Slovenia and Hungary.
• Switzerland: The National League is the top division, with the Swiss League below. Swiss clubs are among the best-attended in Europe.

Internationally, the best European clubs meet in the Champions Hockey League, held since 2014. For national teams, the annual IIHF World Championship and the Olympic tournament are the most important dates. The strongest league in the world is the North American NHL, where numerous players from Germany, Austria and Switzerland are under contract.

Successes from the German-speaking region

The German national team surprisingly won the silver medal at the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, only narrowly losing the final. At the 2023 World Championship, Germany again reached a final and took silver. Switzerland has reached the final at several World Championships, most recently in the 2010s and 2020s. Individual players have made a name for themselves in the NHL: Leon Draisaitl was named most valuable player of the regular season in 2020, and Switzerland's Roman Josi best defenceman in the same year.

Women's ice hockey

Women's ice hockey has been Olympic since 1998. Canada and the USA have been the world's best for decades and have contested almost all Olympic and World Championship finals between them. The professional league PWHL started in North America in 2024. The rules largely match the men's, with one important difference: body checking is not allowed in women's ice hockey. This puts technique and pace even more in the foreground.

Youth and club structure

Children usually start at a club in skating school before being divided into age groups such as U9, U11 or U13. In the youngest age groups, games are often played across the width of the rink so that all children get more puck touches. Many clubs lend equipment for the first few months, so parents don't have to buy a full kit right away. For adults, there are hobby leagues and recreational teams, which usually rent ice time late in the evening. If you're looking for a team nearby, you'll find clubs and rinks on IceHub.

More curiosities

• The Stanley Cup was donated in 1892 by Lord Stanley, then Governor General of Canada. The names of the winning players are engraved on the trophy.
• In Detroit, fans have occasionally thrown an octopus onto the ice at playoff games since the 1950s. The eight arms stood for the eight wins needed for the title back then.
• When a player scores three goals in a game, hats traditionally fly onto the ice in North America – hence the name hat-trick.
• In February 2020, 42-year-old David Ayres, normally an ice resurfacer driver in Toronto, came into an NHL game as an emergency goaltender and won it. More about the machine in the Zamboni history.

Nutrition in ice hockey

Quick shifts, hard battles and late-evening games place their own demands on eating and drinking. When the last meal before the game makes sense, why you should drink in every intermission and what helps after the final whistle is explained in the article Nutrition in ice hockey. The game day planner calculates a personal schedule for game and tournament days.