Section 1: Introduction
The National Hockey League (NHL) is the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, consisting of 32 teams across the United States and Canada — including the Utah Mammoth, who joined the league in 2024 as the 32nd franchise. Founded in 1917, the NHL governs its competition under a comprehensive set of rules that have evolved over more than a century to balance player safety, competitive fairness, and the speed and physicality that define the sport.
The official NHL Rules are maintained and updated annually by the NHL Competition Committee, in consultation with the NHL Players' Association (NHLPA), the NHL Hockey Operations Department, and the officiating staff. The rules govern all aspects of regular season, playoff, and Stanley Cup Final competition.
Ice hockey is a fast-paced team sport played on an enclosed ice surface. Two teams of skaters compete to advance a vulcanized rubber puck into the opposing team's goal using sticks. The game combines skating speed, stick-handling skill, physical contact, and tactical teamwork. The NHL rulebook is organized to address the playing surface, team composition, equipment, gameplay procedures, penalties, and officiating standards.
Section 2: Equipment
The Puck
The official NHL puck is made of vulcanized rubber, is one inch (1") thick, three inches (3") in diameter, and weighs between five and one-half ounces (5.5 oz) and six ounces (6 oz). Pucks are frozen before each game to reduce bouncing and provide a more consistent playing surface.
Sticks
Players' sticks must be made of wood, composite materials, or a combination thereof. The blade of the stick must not exceed 12.5 inches in length or 3 inches in width. The curvature of the blade must not exceed three-quarters of an inch (3/4"). Goaltender sticks have wider blades and a widened lower portion of the shaft. Any stick that does not conform to the specifications is deemed illegal and results in a minor penalty.
Skater Equipment
- Helmet: All players must wear an approved helmet with a chin strap properly fastened. Players who entered the league after June 1, 2013 must also wear a visor. Full face shields are not required for skaters but are permitted.
- Gloves: Padded gloves must be worn by all players. Gloves must not be altered to add hard materials or rigid structures.
- Shoulder, Elbow, and Shin Pads: Protective padding is mandatory. All protective equipment must be worn entirely under the uniform.
- Skates: All players must wear approved hockey skates. The blade guards must be of a design and material consistent with safety standards.
- Athletic Protection: All players are required to wear athletic cups or comparable pelvic protection.
- Mouthguard: Mouthguards are strongly recommended but not mandatory in the NHL.
Goaltender Equipment
- Mask: Goaltenders must wear an approved mask or helmet-and-cage combination at all times during play.
- Leg Pads: Goaltender leg pads must not exceed 11 inches (28 cm) in width when worn on the leg. Maximum height is 38 inches.
- Blocker and Trapper: The blocker (stick-hand glove) and trapper (catching glove) must conform to specific dimensional limits.
- Chest and Arm Protector: Must conform to dimensional standards and must not extend beyond the outside edge of the shoulder when arms are at the goaltender's sides.
- Jersey: Goaltender jerseys must conform to size limits and may not be oversized in a manner that creates an unfair advantage.
Section 3: Playing Area
The Rink
NHL games are played on an ice surface measuring 200 feet (61 m) in length and 85 feet (26 m) in width. The corners of the rink are rounded with a uniform radius of 28 feet. The rink is enclosed by boards (also known as "the dasher") that are not less than 40 inches and not more than 48 inches in height, topped by shatter-resistant glass or acrylic panels extending an additional 5 to 8 feet above the boards.
Lines and Zones
- Center Red Line: Divides the ice surface into two equal halves. Used for determining icing violations.
- Blue Lines: Two blue lines are located 75 feet from each end of the rink, dividing the ice into three zones: the attacking zone, the neutral zone, and the defending zone. Blue lines are used for determining offside violations.
- Goal Lines: A red goal line extends across the width of the ice, 11 feet from each end. The goal is centered on this line.
- Goal Crease: A semi-circular area in front of each goal, painted blue, where the goaltender has specific protections against contact from opposing players.
- Face-off Circles and Spots: There are nine face-off spots on the ice: one at center ice, four in the neutral zone, and two in each end zone. The end-zone face-off circles have a radius of 15 feet.
The Goal
Each goal frame is 4 feet (1.22 m) high and 6 feet (1.83 m) wide, positioned at the center of the goal line. The goal frame is equipped with a net to catch pucks that enter the goal. Goals must be anchored by a flexible pegging system designed to dislodge upon significant impact, preventing injury to players.
Players' Benches and Penalty Boxes
Each team has a designated players' bench on the same side of the ice, separated by a distance sufficient to prevent interaction between opposing teams. Penalty boxes are on the opposite side of the ice from the players' benches.
Section 4: Players/Officials
Team Composition
Each NHL team is permitted to dress a maximum of 20 players for a regular season game (18 skaters and 2 goaltenders). During play, each team has six players on the ice: typically one goaltender, two defensemen, and three forwards (a center and two wingers). Teams may pull their goaltender in favor of an extra skater at any time during play.
Captains and Alternate Captains
Each team designates one Captain (wearing a "C" on their jersey) and no more than three Alternate Captains (wearing an "A"). Only the Captain and Alternate Captains are permitted to discuss rule interpretations with the referee during the game.
Line Changes
Players may be substituted freely during stoppages of play and during continuous play ("on the fly"), provided the player leaving the ice is within five feet of their bench and is not actively involved in play. A team that has too many players on the ice is assessed a bench minor penalty.
On-Ice Officials
- Referees (2): Two referees oversee each game. They are responsible for calling penalties, awarding goals, and managing all aspects of game conduct. Referees wear orange armbands to distinguish them from linesmen.
- Linesmen (2): Two linesmen are responsible for calling offside and icing violations, conducting face-offs, and breaking up altercations. Linesmen may report certain infractions to the referee but do not call penalties directly (with limited exceptions for certain major penalties and too-many-men infractions).
Off-Ice Officials
Off-ice officials include the official scorer, game timekeeper, penalty timekeeper, goal judges, video goal judge, and the NHL Situation Room in Toronto, which has the authority to review goals, potential missed stoppages, and other game-changing plays via video review.
Section 5: Rules of Play
Game Duration
An NHL regular season game consists of three 20-minute periods of play with two intermissions of 18 minutes each. Each team plays 82 regular season games (the final season at this number before the planned expansion to 84 games beginning in 2026-27). The game clock runs continuously except during stoppages of play. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, a 5-minute sudden-death overtime period is played with teams skating 3-on-3. If the game remains tied after overtime, a shootout determines the winner.
In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, overtime periods are 20 minutes of sudden-death 5-on-5 play with no shootout. Overtime periods continue until a goal is scored.
Face-offs
Play begins at the start of each period and resumes after each stoppage with a face-off. The visiting team's center places their stick on the ice first. Both players must be square to the face-off spot. Violations of face-off procedures result in the offending player being replaced by a teammate.
Offside
A play is offside when an attacking player precedes the puck into the attacking zone (crosses the blue line before the puck). The resulting face-off takes place at the nearest neutral zone face-off spot. If a player in the attacking zone intentionally causes an offside (delayed offside is not corrected by players clearing the zone), the face-off is held in the defending zone.
Icing
Icing occurs when a team shoots the puck from their side of the center red line across the opposing team's goal line without the puck being touched. When icing is called, the face-off is held in the offending team's defensive zone, and that team is not permitted to make a line change. Icing is nullified if the defending team could have played the puck before it crossed the goal line (hybrid icing). Icing is not called against a team that is shorthanded.
Goals
A goal is scored when the puck fully crosses the goal line between the goal posts and beneath the crossbar, having been legally directed there by an attacking player's stick. Goals may also be scored by deflection off any part of a player's body other than a distinct kicking motion. Goals scored by a hand pass, a high stick (above the crossbar), or by a puck kicked into the goal are disallowed. All goals are subject to video review.
Hand Pass
A player may not direct the puck to a teammate using their hand in any zone. In the defensive zone, a player may bat the puck along the ice with an open hand, but the puck must be touched by another player before a goal can be scored. A hand pass violation results in a face-off at the location of the pass.
Section 6: Scoring
Goal Scoring
A goal counts as one point for the scoring team. The player who shoots or last touches the puck before it enters the net is credited with the goal. Up to two assists may be awarded to teammates who participated in the play leading directly to the goal.
Standings Points
In the regular season, teams earn points in the standings as follows:
- Win (regulation, overtime, or shootout): 2 points
- Overtime/Shootout Loss: 1 point
- Regulation Loss: 0 points
Tiebreaking Procedures
If two or more teams are tied in points at the end of the regular season, the following tiebreakers are applied in order:
- Regulation wins (ROW is no longer used; regulation wins take precedence)
- Regulation and overtime wins (excludes shootout wins)
- Total wins (includes shootout wins)
- Points earned in head-to-head games between tied teams
- Goal differential
- Goals scored
Playoff Qualification
The top three teams in each division qualify for the playoffs, along with two wild card teams from each conference (the next two highest point totals regardless of division). Sixteen teams qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, which consist of four rounds of best-of-seven series.
Section 7: Violations/Penalties
Minor Penalties (2 Minutes)
The penalized player serves two minutes in the penalty box, and their team plays shorthanded. If the opposing team scores during the power play, the penalty expires. Common minor penalties include:
- Tripping: Using a stick, knee, foot, arm, hand, or elbow to cause an opponent to trip or fall.
- Hooking: Using the blade of the stick to impede an opponent's progress.
- Holding: Using hands, arms, or legs to restrain or impede an opponent.
- Slashing: Swinging the stick at an opponent with force, whether or not contact is made.
- Interference: Impeding the progress of a player who does not have the puck.
- High-sticking: Contacting an opponent with the stick above the normal height of the shoulders.
- Cross-checking: Using the shaft of the stick held in both hands to check an opponent.
- Roughing: Striking an opponent in an altercation that does not rise to the level of a fighting major.
- Delay of Game: Deliberately delaying the game (e.g., shooting the puck over the glass from the defensive zone, displacing the goal post, failing to maintain equipment).
- Too Many Men: Having more than six players (including the goaltender) on the ice during play.
Double Minor Penalties (4 Minutes)
Assessed when a minor penalty infraction results in an injury to the opposing player (most commonly high-sticking that draws blood). The penalized player serves four minutes. If the opposing team scores during the first two minutes, the first half of the penalty expires but the second two minutes continue.
Major Penalties (5 Minutes)
Major penalties are assessed for more severe infractions and require the penalized player to serve the full five minutes regardless of goals scored. Fighting results in an automatic major penalty for both participants. Other actions that may result in major penalties include boarding, charging, and checking from behind when the severity warrants it.
Misconduct Penalties (10 Minutes)
A misconduct penalty removes the player from the ice for 10 minutes but does not result in a power play — a substitute player serves the coinciding minor or major penalty if applicable. Misconduct penalties are assessed for repeated minor infractions, unsportsmanlike conduct, or abuse of officials.
Game Misconducts and Match Penalties
A game misconduct results in ejection from the game. A match penalty is assessed for deliberate intent to injure and also results in ejection, with the matter referred to the NHL Department of Player Safety for potential supplementary discipline (fines or suspensions).
Penalty Shots
A penalty shot is awarded when a player on a clear breakaway is illegally impeded or when certain specific infractions occur (such as a defending player other than the goaltender deliberately falling on the puck in the crease). During a penalty shot, the player skates in alone from center ice against the opposing goaltender with no time limit, and must maintain forward motion toward the goal.
Section 8: Safety Considerations
Concussion Protocol
The NHL operates under a comprehensive concussion protocol developed in conjunction with the NHLPA. Any player suspected of sustaining a concussion is removed from play and evaluated by a team physician in a quiet room. For the 2025-2026 season, the protocol has been enhanced with Central League Spotters — certified athletic trainers who monitor all games from the NHL's centralized facility in New York. These central spotters are authorized to pull players for mandatory evaluation, complementing the in-arena spotters already present at each game. Clubs that fail to remove flagged players for evaluation face substantial fines. A player may not return to play until cleared through the league's concussion protocol.
Goaltender Interference
Contact with a goaltender in the crease is strictly regulated. A goal may be disallowed if an attacking player initiates contact with the goaltender in the crease or interferes with the goaltender's ability to move freely. Incidental contact outside the crease is generally permitted, but players may not target the goaltender.
Boarding and Checking from Behind
Boarding (pushing or checking an opponent violently into the boards) and checking from behind are treated as serious safety infractions. Both carry a minimum minor penalty and may result in a major penalty plus a game misconduct, depending on the severity and the vulnerability of the player who was hit.
Elbowing and Head Contact
Any check in which the principal point of contact is the head of an opponent is prohibited, regardless of whether the head was targeted intentionally. Elbowing an opponent in the head is subject to severe penalties and supplementary discipline. These rules were strengthened significantly in response to concerns about long-term brain injuries in professional hockey.
Player Safety Department
The NHL Department of Player Safety reviews all incidents involving potential supplementary discipline. The department has the authority to issue fines and suspensions for dangerous play, whether or not a penalty was called during the game. Hearings may be conducted in person or by telephone, and players have the right to appeal suspensions exceeding five games.
Equipment Safety Standards
All player equipment must meet standards established by the NHL and certified by recognized testing organizations. Helmets must be HECC-certified and properly fitted. Skate blades must be free of damage that could endanger other players. Goaltender equipment is measured before the season and may be spot-checked during the season to ensure compliance with dimensional limits.
