Offside in ice hockey

The offside rule in one sentence

The puck must enter the attacking zone before the attackers. If a player crosses the blue line with both skates before the puck has completely crossed it, they are offside – provided their team then brings the puck into the zone.

The details: skates, not sticks

Unlike in football, it is not the body that counts but the position of the skates. As long as one skate is still on or behind the blue line, the player is not offside, even if their upper body and stick are already well into the zone. The puck carrier cannot be offside either if they carry the puck over the line under control, even when skating backwards.

The blue line belongs to the zone in which the puck is located. The puck must therefore have crossed it completely to be in the attacking zone.

Delayed offside

Modern rulebooks include delayed offside. If an attacker is offside but has not yet touched the puck, the linesman raises an arm. Play continues if

• all attackers leave the attacking zone, i.e. touch the blue line with a skate ("tag up"), or
• the defending team plays the puck out of the zone.

The whistle only blows when an offside attacker touches the puck or pressures an opponent.

Offside after video review

In many professional leagues, such as the NHL, coaches can use a coach's challenge after a goal to have it checked whether the goal was preceded by offside. If offside is found, the goal does not count. An unsuccessful challenge may, depending on the league, result in a penalty or the loss of the timeout.

In the past: two-line offside

Until the late 1990s, the "two-line pass offside" also applied internationally: a pass from your own zone could not be received across the red centre line. The IIHF scrapped this rule in 1998, the NHL after the 2005 lockout. Since then, long passes from your own zone have been allowed, which has made the game considerably faster.

Offside vs. icing

Common misconceptions

• "The stick counts." No, only the skates are decisive.
• "The puck carrier can be offside." No, as long as they bring the puck over the line under control.
• "There's offside at the centre line." Not any more, since two-line offside was abolished.