National Hockey League rules
Encyclopedia
While the rules of the National Hockey League (NHL) follows the general rules of ice hockey
, it differs slightly from those used in international games organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation
such as the Olympics
.
which is rectangular with rounded corners and surrounded by a wall, usually called the "boards". It measures 200 feet (60.96 m) long by 85 feet (25.91 m) wide in the NHL, whereas international standards call for a rink measuring 60 to 61 m (196.9 to 200.1 ft) long by 29 to 30 m (95.1 to 98.4 ft) wide. The center line divides the ice in half lengthwise. The center line is used to judge icing violations. There are two blue lines that divide the rink roughly into thirds. They divide the ice into zones. Near each end of the rink, there is a thin red goal line spanning the width of the ice. It is used to judge goals and icing calls. The "Blue" and "Red" Lines are 1 foot in width. All other markings on the ice (goal lines, circles, etc.) are 2 inches in width.
New in the 2005–06 season, after testing in the American Hockey League
, is a trapezoid behind each goalie net. The goalie can only play the puck within that area or in front of the goal line. If he plays the puck behind the goal line and not in the trapezoid, a 2 minute minor penalty for delay of game will be assessed by the referees. This rule is widely referred to as the "Brodeur rule," after New Jersey Devils
goalie Martin Brodeur
, whose puckhandling behind the net is believed to be the cause for the rule.
, between stoppages of play, teams have 18 seconds (five seconds for the visiting team, eight seconds for the home team, five seconds to line up at the faceoff location) to substitute their players, except during TV timeouts. TV timeouts are two minutes long, and occur three times per period: during normal game stoppages after the 6, 10, and 14 minute marks of the period, unless there is a power play, a goal has just been scored, or the stoppage was as a result of an icing. Each team may also take one 30 second time-out, which may only be taken during a normal stoppage of play.
When a regular-season game is tied at the end of regulation, it goes into a 4-on-4, 5-minute overtime
after a 1-minute rest period with teams keeping the same attacking direction. When there is a goal during it, the game ends and the team that made that goal wins. If there is no scoring in the 5 minute overtime, it will go into a 3-frame shootout with the home team given the choice of shooting or defending first. This sequence ends when one team mathematically has more shootout goals than the other, thus winning the game. If neither team emerges victorious, the shootout continues one frame at a time until one team scores and the other does not, in which case the team who scores is given the win. A team that loses a game in overtime or the shootout will receive one point in the standings; the awarding of game points to losing teams is a point of debate among fans and the media.
Shootouts are not used in the playoffs; instead, a playoff game tied at the end of the regulation enters a 20-minute 5-on-5 sudden-death overtime. The game continues indefinitely in this format until a goal is scored; the team that scores immediately wins the game. Additional 20-minute overtime periods are played as necessary until the winning goal is scored. In this case the teams switches sides as usual between periods, with 15-minute intermission (normal length) between periods.
(unless the defensive team brings the puck into their own zone). A violation occurs when an offside player touches the puck. If a player crosses the line ahead of the puck but his team is not in possession of it, the linesman will raise his arm to signal a delayed offside; when all players from the offside team leave their offensive zone ("tag up" in the neutral zone) the linesman washes out the delayed call. When an offside violation occurs, the linesman blows the play dead, and a faceoff
is conducted in the neutral zone. During the 2004-05 lockout, the league removed the "two-line offside pass" rule, which required a stoppage in play if a pass originating from inside a team's defending zone was completed on the offensive side of the center line, unless the puck crossed the line before the player. The removal of the two-line offside was one of several rule changes intended to increase overall scoring, which had been in decline since the early 1990s.
The only time a player may precede the puck into the attack zone with the puck behind in the neutral zone is if none of his teammates are in the attack zone and the player with the puck has control of the puck in the estimation of the linesman(short-sticking/spin-o-rama)
across both the center line and the opposing team's goal line without the puck going through the goal crease. When icing occurs, a linesman stops play if a defending player (other than the goaltender) touches the puck before an attacking player is able to. Play is resumed with a faceoff
in the defending zone of the team that committed the infraction. Icing is not enforced for a team that is short-handed. If the goaltender makes a move from his net to play the puck, the icing is immediately waved off (in contrast to minor league and international hockey, where the goaltender must play the puck for it to be waved off). Icing can also be waved off if, in the officials' opinion, the defending team had a viable opportunity to play the puck before crossing the goal line. After an icing, a TV timeout cannot be called.
Following the 2004–2005 lockout, the icing rule insists that the team in violation of icing the puck is not allowed to make any line changes before the following faceoff
.
The Trushinski bylaw
says players who are blind in one or both eyes are ineligible to play. The rule is named for Frank Trushinski, a minor league hockey player for the Kitchener Greenshirts
. Trushinski lost his sight in one eye in a game in 1921, but was allowed to continue playing. In a later game, he suffered a skull fracture
which cost him most of the sight in his other eye.
for infractions of the rules. A referee makes most penalty calls while the linesmen may call only obvious technical infractions such as too many men on the ice. In the NHL, the linesman may also call major intent-to-injure penalties that the referee may have missed.
During a penalty, the player who committed the infraction is sent to the penalty box
. Small infractions are deemed minor penalties, and the player is kept off the ice for two minutes of gameplay. More dangerous infractions, such as fighting, are deemed major penalties and have a duration of five minutes. The penalized team cannot replace the player on the ice and is thus shorthanded for the duration of the penalty. Normally, hockey teams have five skaters (plus the goaltender
) on the ice. If a minor or major penalty is called, play becomes "five-on-four" - five skaters versus four skaters.
This situation is called a power play
for the non-offending team and a penalty kill for the offending team. A team is far more likely to score on a power play than during normal play. If the penalized team is scored on during a minor penalty, the penalty immediately terminates. Unlike minor penalties, major penalties must be served to their full completion, regardless of number of goals scored during the power play. When a penalty is about to be called, an official will raise his arm to signal what is referred to as a "delayed penalty". Play will continue until the offending team touches the puck, at which point, the official will blow the play dead and assess the penalty. If the team committing a penalty yields a goal and is already shorthanded because of a minor penalty, the penalty will be called when the goal is scored, and the team scoring a goal will be awarded a fresh power play. Furthermore, when goals are scored, penalties come off the board in the order in which they were called (if multiple penalties have been called).
On a delayed penalty call, the offending team cannot score a goal themselves during a delayed penalty. This usually results in the opposing team replacing their goalie with an extra forward until the offending team touches the puck, since the offending team cannot score on the empty net by touching the puck. This situation, however, can result in an own goal
. For example:
There are exceptions to the rule where a team cannot replace a player on the ice after a penalty: mutual majors for fighting, where there are two participants in a fight, will result in each person receiving five minutes, but the penalties will not affect the on-ice strength of either team (play remains five-on-five), unless a player is deemed to be the instigator of the fight, in which case that player will receive an additional two-minute minor. There are also "coincidental" minors in which the penalties called against both teams are simultaneous and equal in length, so that neither team receives a power play, with teams skating four-on-four.
After the 2004–05 NHL lockout, a new rule was instituted that imposes a minor delay-of-game
penalty on any defensive player who directs the puck out of bounds (e.g., over the glass into the stands or into the safety netting. When the puck is shot into either of the players’ benches, the penalty will not apply.
There are also game- and 10-minute-misconduct penalties which are reserved for infractions such as continued disputing of a call with an official or for intent-to-injure penalties. Misconducts do not affect the on-ice strength of the offending team, though they are usually accompanied with a minor, double minor, or five-minute major.
Various combinations of penalties may also result in match-ups such as 5-on-3, 4-on-3, 4-on-4 or even 3-on-3. A team, however, may not have fewer than 4 players (including the goaltender) on the ice at any point in the game.
After a penalty is assessed, play resumes with a face-off in the offending team's defensive zone under most circumstances.
camp" at the Toronto Maple Leafs
’ practice facility
, where rule changes under consideration were given trial runs. Scrimmage
s at the camp, featuring some top players eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft
, experimented with changes such as two-on-two overtime
, shallower goal nets, a referee
viewing the play from an elevated off-ice platform, and a rink with three face-off circles instead of the traditional five.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, it differs slightly from those used in international games organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members...
such as the Olympics
Ice hockey at the Olympic Games
Ice hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1920. The men's tournament was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was transferred permanently to the Winter Olympic Games programme in 1924. The women's tournament was first held at the 1998 Winter Olympics...
.
Hockey rink
The hockey rink is an ice rinkIce rink
An ice rink is a frozen body of water and/or hardened chemicals where people can skate or play winter sports. Besides recreational ice skating, some of its uses include ice hockey, figure skating and curling as well as exhibitions, contests and ice shows...
which is rectangular with rounded corners and surrounded by a wall, usually called the "boards". It measures 200 feet (60.96 m) long by 85 feet (25.91 m) wide in the NHL, whereas international standards call for a rink measuring 60 to 61 m (196.9 to 200.1 ft) long by 29 to 30 m (95.1 to 98.4 ft) wide. The center line divides the ice in half lengthwise. The center line is used to judge icing violations. There are two blue lines that divide the rink roughly into thirds. They divide the ice into zones. Near each end of the rink, there is a thin red goal line spanning the width of the ice. It is used to judge goals and icing calls. The "Blue" and "Red" Lines are 1 foot in width. All other markings on the ice (goal lines, circles, etc.) are 2 inches in width.
New in the 2005–06 season, after testing in the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
, is a trapezoid behind each goalie net. The goalie can only play the puck within that area or in front of the goal line. If he plays the puck behind the goal line and not in the trapezoid, a 2 minute minor penalty for delay of game will be assessed by the referees. This rule is widely referred to as the "Brodeur rule," after New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
goalie Martin Brodeur
Martin Brodeur
Martin Pierre Brodeur is a French-Canadian ice hockey goaltender who has played his entire National Hockey League career with the New Jersey Devils. In his 19-year tenure with the Devils, he has won three Stanley Cup championships and has been in the playoffs every year but two...
, whose puckhandling behind the net is believed to be the cause for the rule.
Game timing
In the National Hockey LeagueNational Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
, between stoppages of play, teams have 18 seconds (five seconds for the visiting team, eight seconds for the home team, five seconds to line up at the faceoff location) to substitute their players, except during TV timeouts. TV timeouts are two minutes long, and occur three times per period: during normal game stoppages after the 6, 10, and 14 minute marks of the period, unless there is a power play, a goal has just been scored, or the stoppage was as a result of an icing. Each team may also take one 30 second time-out, which may only be taken during a normal stoppage of play.
Scoring and winning
A goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line and enters the net. A goal may be disallowed under the following circumstances:- the scoring team takes a penalty (except if the other team accidentally puts the puck into its own net untouched by the team to be penalized);
- the puck is directed in by an attacker's high stick (above the crossbar), or when the puck has been directed, batted, thrown or kicked into the net by an attacking player other than with a stick (angling one's skate so the puck deflects off it into the goal is allowed).
- goaltender interference (which can also result in a penalty)
- the puck goes in after the Referee intends to stop play (e.g. the net has been dislodged)
- the puck deflects off a referee or linesman and goes directly into the goal (exception to the rule that a puck hitting a referee or a linesman is still live)
- a goal was allowed at the other end (this can happen if a video review clarifies a goal scored prior, as happened in a game on November 15, 2010 between Los Angeles KingsLos Angeles KingsThe Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
and San Jose SharksSan Jose SharksThe San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
) - if a linesman reports to the referee (a) a double-minor for high-sticking, (b) a major penalty, or (c) a match penalty against the scoring team.
When a regular-season game is tied at the end of regulation, it goes into a 4-on-4, 5-minute overtime
Overtime (ice hockey)
Overtime is a method of determining the winner and loser of an ice hockey match when the scores are tied after regulation. The two main methods are the overtime period and the shootout.-Overtime periods:...
after a 1-minute rest period with teams keeping the same attacking direction. When there is a goal during it, the game ends and the team that made that goal wins. If there is no scoring in the 5 minute overtime, it will go into a 3-frame shootout with the home team given the choice of shooting or defending first. This sequence ends when one team mathematically has more shootout goals than the other, thus winning the game. If neither team emerges victorious, the shootout continues one frame at a time until one team scores and the other does not, in which case the team who scores is given the win. A team that loses a game in overtime or the shootout will receive one point in the standings; the awarding of game points to losing teams is a point of debate among fans and the media.
Shootouts are not used in the playoffs; instead, a playoff game tied at the end of the regulation enters a 20-minute 5-on-5 sudden-death overtime. The game continues indefinitely in this format until a goal is scored; the team that scores immediately wins the game. Additional 20-minute overtime periods are played as necessary until the winning goal is scored. In this case the teams switches sides as usual between periods, with 15-minute intermission (normal length) between periods.
Offside
In ice hockey, play is said to be offside if a player on the attacking team enters the offensive zone before the puckHockey puck
A puck is a disk used in various games serving the same functions as a ball does in ball games. The best-known use of pucks is in ice hockey, a major international sport.- Etymology :The origin of the word "puck" is obscure...
(unless the defensive team brings the puck into their own zone). A violation occurs when an offside player touches the puck. If a player crosses the line ahead of the puck but his team is not in possession of it, the linesman will raise his arm to signal a delayed offside; when all players from the offside team leave their offensive zone ("tag up" in the neutral zone) the linesman washes out the delayed call. When an offside violation occurs, the linesman blows the play dead, and a faceoff
Faceoff
A face-off is the method used to begin play in ice hockey and some other sports. The two teams line up in opposition to each other, and the opposing centres attempt to gain control of the puck after it is dropped between their sticks by an official. One of the referees drops the puck at centre ice...
is conducted in the neutral zone. During the 2004-05 lockout, the league removed the "two-line offside pass" rule, which required a stoppage in play if a pass originating from inside a team's defending zone was completed on the offensive side of the center line, unless the puck crossed the line before the player. The removal of the two-line offside was one of several rule changes intended to increase overall scoring, which had been in decline since the early 1990s.
The only time a player may precede the puck into the attack zone with the puck behind in the neutral zone is if none of his teammates are in the attack zone and the player with the puck has control of the puck in the estimation of the linesman(short-sticking/spin-o-rama)
Icing
Icing occurs when a player shoots the puckHockey puck
A puck is a disk used in various games serving the same functions as a ball does in ball games. The best-known use of pucks is in ice hockey, a major international sport.- Etymology :The origin of the word "puck" is obscure...
across both the center line and the opposing team's goal line without the puck going through the goal crease. When icing occurs, a linesman stops play if a defending player (other than the goaltender) touches the puck before an attacking player is able to. Play is resumed with a faceoff
Faceoff
A face-off is the method used to begin play in ice hockey and some other sports. The two teams line up in opposition to each other, and the opposing centres attempt to gain control of the puck after it is dropped between their sticks by an official. One of the referees drops the puck at centre ice...
in the defending zone of the team that committed the infraction. Icing is not enforced for a team that is short-handed. If the goaltender makes a move from his net to play the puck, the icing is immediately waved off (in contrast to minor league and international hockey, where the goaltender must play the puck for it to be waved off). Icing can also be waved off if, in the officials' opinion, the defending team had a viable opportunity to play the puck before crossing the goal line. After an icing, a TV timeout cannot be called.
Following the 2004–2005 lockout, the icing rule insists that the team in violation of icing the puck is not allowed to make any line changes before the following faceoff
Faceoff
A face-off is the method used to begin play in ice hockey and some other sports. The two teams line up in opposition to each other, and the opposing centres attempt to gain control of the puck after it is dropped between their sticks by an official. One of the referees drops the puck at centre ice...
.
Eligibility
The Trushinski bylaw
Bylaw
By-law can refer to a law of local or limited application passed under the authority of a higher law specifying what things may be regulated by the by-law...
says players who are blind in one or both eyes are ineligible to play. The rule is named for Frank Trushinski, a minor league hockey player for the Kitchener Greenshirts
Kitchener Greenshirts
The Kitchener Greenshirts name has been used by five separate ice hockey teams playing in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. These include one 'Senior A' level hockey team, two 'Junior A' level teams, and two 'Junior B' level teams...
. Trushinski lost his sight in one eye in a game in 1921, but was allowed to continue playing. In a later game, he suffered a skull fracture
Skull fracture
A skull fracture is a break in one or more of the bones in the skull usually occurring as a result of blunt force trauma. If the force of the impact is excessive the bone may fracture at or near the site of the impact...
which cost him most of the sight in his other eye.
Penalties
A penalty is a punishmentPunishment
Punishment is the authoritative imposition of something negative or unpleasant on a person or animal in response to behavior deemed wrong by an individual or group....
for infractions of the rules. A referee makes most penalty calls while the linesmen may call only obvious technical infractions such as too many men on the ice. In the NHL, the linesman may also call major intent-to-injure penalties that the referee may have missed.
During a penalty, the player who committed the infraction is sent to the penalty box
Penalty box
The penalty box is the area in ice hockey, rugby league, rugby union and some other sports where a player sits to serve the time of a given penalty, for an offense not severe enough to merit outright expulsion from the contest...
. Small infractions are deemed minor penalties, and the player is kept off the ice for two minutes of gameplay. More dangerous infractions, such as fighting, are deemed major penalties and have a duration of five minutes. The penalized team cannot replace the player on the ice and is thus shorthanded for the duration of the penalty. Normally, hockey teams have five skaters (plus the goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
) on the ice. If a minor or major penalty is called, play becomes "five-on-four" - five skaters versus four skaters.
This situation is called a power play
Powerplay
"Power play" is a sporting term used in various games.*In ice hockey, a team is said to be on a power play when at least one opposing player is serving a penalty, and the team has a numerical advantage on the ice...
for the non-offending team and a penalty kill for the offending team. A team is far more likely to score on a power play than during normal play. If the penalized team is scored on during a minor penalty, the penalty immediately terminates. Unlike minor penalties, major penalties must be served to their full completion, regardless of number of goals scored during the power play. When a penalty is about to be called, an official will raise his arm to signal what is referred to as a "delayed penalty". Play will continue until the offending team touches the puck, at which point, the official will blow the play dead and assess the penalty. If the team committing a penalty yields a goal and is already shorthanded because of a minor penalty, the penalty will be called when the goal is scored, and the team scoring a goal will be awarded a fresh power play. Furthermore, when goals are scored, penalties come off the board in the order in which they were called (if multiple penalties have been called).
On a delayed penalty call, the offending team cannot score a goal themselves during a delayed penalty. This usually results in the opposing team replacing their goalie with an extra forward until the offending team touches the puck, since the offending team cannot score on the empty net by touching the puck. This situation, however, can result in an own goal
Own goal
An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents....
. For example:
- In the November 24, 2008 New York IslandersNew York IslandersThe New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
- Montreal CanadiensMontreal CanadiensThe Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
game, when the referee was about to call a penalty against New York, Montreal CanadiensMontreal CanadiensThe Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
goaltender Carey PriceCarey PriceCarey Price is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League . Price was the Canadiens' first round selection in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft...
headed back to the bench for an extra forward. At that moment, Canadiens defenseman Ryan O'ByrneRyan O'ByrneRyan David O'Byrne is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League .-Amateur:...
, not noticing the delayed penalty and the empty net, attempted to pass the puck to his (now-missing) goaltender. Instead, the puck landed in the net and a goal was awarded to the Islanders. - In the March 21, 2009 game between the Vancouver CanucksVancouver CanucksThe Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, :British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, formerly known as General Motors Place,...
and the Phoenix CoyotesPhoenix CoyotesThe Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena....
, Phoenix scored an empty-net goal during a delayed penalty against the Coyotes' Viktor TikhonovViktor TikhonovViktor Vasilyevich Tikhonov is a Russian former ice hockey player and coach. He was the coach of the Soviet team when it was the most dominant team in the world...
. In an attempt to take possession and thus stop play, Tikhonov poke-checked Vancouver's Henrik SedinHenrik SedinHenrik Sedin is a Swedish professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League . His identical twin brother Daniel also plays for the Canucks. Having played together throughout their careers, the pair are known for their effectiveness playing off one...
near the Vancouver blue line. Since Tikhonov only ever touched Sedin's stick, and not the puck, play continued, even though the puck was now headed straight for Vancouver's goal. Sedin's teammate Shane O'Brien skated after the errant puck, but to no avail. Both the puck and O'Brien landed in the net, and Tikhonov was credited with the goal.
There are exceptions to the rule where a team cannot replace a player on the ice after a penalty: mutual majors for fighting, where there are two participants in a fight, will result in each person receiving five minutes, but the penalties will not affect the on-ice strength of either team (play remains five-on-five), unless a player is deemed to be the instigator of the fight, in which case that player will receive an additional two-minute minor. There are also "coincidental" minors in which the penalties called against both teams are simultaneous and equal in length, so that neither team receives a power play, with teams skating four-on-four.
After the 2004–05 NHL lockout, a new rule was instituted that imposes a minor delay-of-game
Delay of game (ice hockey)
Delay of game is a penalty in ice hockey. It results in the offending player spending two minutes in the penalty box. Delay of game is usually called under six circumstances:...
penalty on any defensive player who directs the puck out of bounds (e.g., over the glass into the stands or into the safety netting. When the puck is shot into either of the players’ benches, the penalty will not apply.
There are also game- and 10-minute-misconduct penalties which are reserved for infractions such as continued disputing of a call with an official or for intent-to-injure penalties. Misconducts do not affect the on-ice strength of the offending team, though they are usually accompanied with a minor, double minor, or five-minute major.
Various combinations of penalties may also result in match-ups such as 5-on-3, 4-on-3, 4-on-4 or even 3-on-3. A team, however, may not have fewer than 4 players (including the goaltender) on the ice at any point in the game.
After a penalty is assessed, play resumes with a face-off in the offending team's defensive zone under most circumstances.
Team roster
Before each game, the coach from each team has to submit a list of players that will take part in the game. The roster can include a maximum of 18 skaters and two goaltenders. Teams will generally carry twelve forwards and six defencemen, creating four forward lines and three defensive pairings.Potential rule changes
In August 2010, the NHL held an "R & DResearch and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
camp" at the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
’ practice facility
MasterCard Centre
The MasterCard Centre for Hockey Excellence or commonly the MasterCard Centre is a hockey facility located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It has four ice sheets and is the official practice facility for the Toronto Maple Leafs NHL hockey team, and their AHL affiliate the Toronto Marlies...
, where rule changes under consideration were given trial runs. Scrimmage
Scrimmage
A scrimmage, or exhibition game, is an informal sports contest or practice match engaged in for practice purposes which does not go on the regular season record. Scrimmage may also refer to:* Line of scrimmage, in American football and related games...
s at the camp, featuring some top players eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft
2011 NHL Entry Draft
The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was the 49th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was the first time the Draft was held in the state of Minnesota since the Minnesota North Stars hosted the 1989 NHL Entry Draft.The top three picks consisted...
, experimented with changes such as two-on-two overtime
Overtime (ice hockey)
Overtime is a method of determining the winner and loser of an ice hockey match when the scores are tied after regulation. The two main methods are the overtime period and the shootout.-Overtime periods:...
, shallower goal nets, a referee
Official (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, an official is a person who has some responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game. There are two categories of officials, on-ice officials, who are the referees and linesmen that enforce the rules during game play, and off-ice officials, who have an...
viewing the play from an elevated off-ice platform, and a rink with three face-off circles instead of the traditional five.
Table of comparison
The following table lists some of the key differences between NHL and IIHF rules.| Rule or Term | NHL | IIHF |
|---|---|---|
| Game clock | Counts down, showing the time remaining in the period | Counts up, showing the elapsed time in the period |
| TV/Commercial timeouts | 3 per period | None |
| Rink dimensions | 200 feet (60.96 m) by 85 feet (25.91 m) | 60 to 61 m (196.9 to 200.1 ft) by 29 to 30 m (95.1 to 98.4 ft) |
| Radius of goal crease | Truncated 6 ft. semi-circle | Full 6 ft. semi-circle |
| Goaltender trapezoid | Goaltender may only play the puck behind the goal line within the trapezoidal area behind the net | No such rule (Goaltender may handle the puck anywhere behind the goal line) |
| Protection of Goalkeeper | No such rule (An attacking player may stand in the goal crease) | Play is stopped if an attacking player stands in the goal crease |
| Faceoffs | Visiting team puts their stick on the ice first | Attacking team puts their stick on the ice first |
| Icing | Icing is called after the puck crosses the goal line and is first touched by a defending player. Icing is not called if the linesman determines that there was a reasonable chance to touch the puck before it crosses the line. | Icing is automatic immediately after the puck crosses the goal line |
| Penalty shot | The player fouled either must be in control or could have obtained control of the puck. Only the player fouled must take the shot; if he cannot due to being injured on the play, another player that was on the ice at time of penalty must take it. | The player fouled must be in control of the puck. Any player from the non-offending team may take the shot. |
| Game misconduct penalty | 10 minutes | 20 minutes |
| Match penalty | 10 minutes | 25 minutes |