Section 3: Playing Area
3.1 Rink Dimensions
- Overall size: 60 m × 30 m (197 ft × 98.4 ft) for international/Olympic play. The wider surface compared to NHL rinks (200 ft × 85 ft) emphasises skating speed, passing, and positional play over physical forechecking.
- Corner radius: 7–8.5 m (23–28 ft).
- Boards: Height 1.07–1.22 m (42–48 in) above ice surface. Safety glass (tempered or polycarbonate) extends above the boards around the entire rink, with higher sections behind the goals and at player bench areas.
3.2 Ice Markings and Zones
- Centre red line: Divides the rink in half. 30 cm (12 in) wide. Used for icing determination.
- Blue lines (2): 30 cm (12 in) wide, positioned 22.86 m (75 ft) from each goal line. Blue lines divide the ice into three zones: defending zone, neutral zone, and attacking zone.
- Goal lines (2): 5 cm (2 in) wide, extending across the full width of the rink, 4 m (13 ft) from the end boards.
- Centre ice circle: 4.5 m (14.8 ft) radius with a centre dot for opening and between-period face-offs.
- Face-off circles (4): Located in each end zone with 4.5 m radius. Hash marks indicate where players must stand during face-offs.
- Neutral zone face-off dots (4): Two on each side of the centre circle, 1.5 m (5 ft) from the blue lines.
3.3 Goal and Crease
- Goal frame: 183 cm (6 ft) wide × 122 cm (4 ft) high, measured from inside of the posts. Constructed of metal tubing, painted red. Net attached to the rear of the frame.
- Goal crease: Semi-circular area in front of the goal with a radius of 1.8 m (5.9 ft), painted blue. The crease defines the goalkeeper's protected area — attacking players may not initiate contact with the goalkeeper in the crease.
- Goal line technology: Video review cameras positioned above each goal. In major IIHF tournaments, a goal-line camera is embedded in the crossbar to determine whether the puck fully crossed the goal line.
3.4 Player Benches and Penalty Box
- Team benches: Located on the same side of the rink, one for each team, separated by the penalty boxes at centre ice.
- Penalty boxes: Two boxes at centre ice (one per team) for penalised players. A third box (timekeeper's box) sits between them.
- Bench gates: Must open away from the ice surface for player safety.