Icing in Hockey — and the Rules That Change by League

Hockey is played on nearly the same rink from the NHL down to 14U, but not by the same rules. This page explains the calls people ask about most — icing first, then offside, the trapezoid, overtime, fighting and body checking — and shows where the NHL, AHL, IIHF, NCAA and USA Hockey differ.

What is icing?

Icing is the rule against clearing the puck the length of the ice. If a player sends the puck from their own side of the centre red line and it crosses the far goal line untouched — not into the net, not off a defender, not played by the goalie — the whistle goes and the face-off comes all the way back into the offending team’s zone. Since 2005 the NHL adds a sting: the team that iced it cannot change its skaters before the draw, so a tired line stays out against fresh legs.

The whole argument between leagues is when the whistle goes. Under old-fashioned touch icing a defender had to reach the puck first, which sent two players racing into the end boards at full speed. No-touch (automatic) icing blows the play dead as soon as the puck crosses the goal line. Hybrid icing — now the standard in every professional league — has the linesman judge the race at the face-off dots: if the defender would win it, icing is called and nobody has to finish the sprint.

The rules, league by league

One rink, five rulebooks. These are the differences that decide what a parent sees from the stands.

League	Rink	Icing	Overtime	Fighting	Body checking
NHL	200 x 85 ft, trapezoid	Hybrid (since 2013–14)	5 min 3-on-3, then 3-round shootout; playoffs 20-min 5-on-5 periods	5-minute major, players stay in the game	Full body checking
AHL / ECHL	200 x 85 ft, trapezoid	Hybrid	5 min 3-on-3, then shootout	5-minute major	Full body checking
IIHF / Olympics	60 x 26–30 m, no trapezoid	Hybrid (since 2014; no-touch before)	3-on-3: 5 min preliminary, 10 min knockout, 20 min final (no shootout in the final)	Match penalty — ejection	Men: yes. Women: no body checking
NCAA	NHL size; a few 200 x 100 ft sheets	Hybrid	5 min 3-on-3 in the regular season (ties stand in NCAA records); tournament games play 20-min 5-on-5 periods	Game disqualification	Men: yes. Women: no body checking
USA Hockey (youth)	NHL size; 8U cross-ice, 10U half-ice option	Automatic (no-touch); short-handed teams are NOT exempt at 14U and under	Set by the league or tournament	Game misconduct	Not until 14U (since 2011–12)

Offside

The puck must cross the attacking blue line before any attacking player does — skates, not stick. A player with one skate still on or above the line is onside; since 2020–21 the NHL counts a skate in the air above the line, not only one touching it. If an attacker is already in the zone when the puck enters, the play is offside; if the puck comes back out, or the attackers all clear the zone before touching it, a delayed offside is washed out and play continues. Every league on the table uses the same rule.

The trapezoid

Behind each NHL goal a trapezoid is painted from the goal line to the end boards — 22 feet wide at the goal line, 28 at the boards. It is the only part of the ice behind the goal line where the goaltender may play the puck; handle it in the corners and it is a two-minute delay-of-game penalty. The NHL introduced it in 2005 to stop goaltenders from killing every dump-in, the AHL uses it, and the international game never adopted it — which is why an Olympic rink has no trapezoid.

Overtime and shootouts

The NHL settles regular-season ties with five minutes of 3-on-3 and then a three-round shootout, and settles playoff games with full twenty-minute 5-on-5 periods until somebody scores. The IIHF scales its overtime to the stakes — five minutes 3-on-3 in the preliminary round, ten in the knockout rounds, twenty in the gold-medal game, with no shootout for the medal. The AHL copies the NHL regular season. The NCAA plays five minutes of 3-on-3 and then lets a tie stand in the national record, though conferences may run a shootout for their own points; tournament games go to full periods.

Fighting and body checking

Fighting is where the rulebooks split hardest. In the NHL and AHL it is a five-minute major and both players return to the game; instigating or a third fight adds more. In IIHF play a fight is a match penalty — out of the game — and the NCAA hands out a game disqualification that carries a suspension. Body checking has an age, not a penalty: USA Hockey allows it from 14U (raised from 12U in 2011–12), Hockey Canada from U15, and women’s hockey at the IIHF and NCAA level does not allow it at any age.

Print the rink

Hockey rink diagrams

The labeled rink above, blank rinks, half-ice and four-per-page drill cards, and a builder that lines up both teams.

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Measure the rink

Hockey rink dimensions — NHL vs Olympic

Every line measured on both rinks, side by side.

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What is icing in hockey?

Icing is called when a player shoots or passes the puck from their own half of the ice — behind the centre red line — and it crosses the opponent's goal line without being touched and without going in the net. Play stops and the face-off comes back to the offending team's end. It exists to stop teams from simply flinging the puck the length of the ice to relieve pressure.

What is the difference between hybrid, touch and no-touch icing?

Touch icing, the NHL's rule for decades, required a defender to actually touch the puck before icing was called — which produced dangerous races into the end boards. No-touch (automatic) icing blows the whistle the instant the puck crosses the goal line. Hybrid icing splits the difference: the linesman judges the race at the face-off dots, and if the defender would get there first, icing is called without the race finishing. The NHL switched to hybrid in 2013–14, the IIHF in 2014, and the NCAA, AHL, ECHL and KHL all use it; USA Hockey youth play uses automatic icing.

Can a short-handed team ice the puck?

In the NHL, IIHF and NCAA, yes — a team killing a penalty may ice the puck without a stoppage. USA Hockey removed that exemption for 14U and younger, so a short-handed youth team gets icing called like anyone else, to encourage kids to make plays rather than clear the zone.

What happens after icing?

The face-off comes back to the offending team's defensive zone — since 2019–20 the attacking team chooses which of the two end-zone dots — and in the NHL the team that iced the puck may not change its skaters before the draw, a 2005 rule that keeps tired lines trapped on the ice. Icing is waved off if the puck goes in, if the goaltender plays it, if a defender could have reached it, or if the attacking team touches it first.

How does overtime work in each league?

NHL regular season: five minutes of 3-on-3, then a three-round shootout. NHL playoffs: full 20-minute 5-on-5 periods until someone scores. IIHF: 3-on-3 for five minutes in the preliminary round, ten in the knockout rounds and twenty in the final, with shootouts except in the final. AHL: five minutes of 3-on-3 and a shootout. NCAA: five minutes of 3-on-3 in the regular season, with a tie standing in the NCAA record (conferences may add a shootout for their own standings); tournament games play full periods.

When is body checking allowed in youth hockey?

Under USA Hockey, not until 14U — the age was raised from 12U in the 2011–12 season on injury evidence. Hockey Canada made the same move to U15 in 2013. There is no body checking in women's hockey at the IIHF or NCAA level; body contact is allowed, checking is a penalty.

Based on the NHL, IIHF, NCAA and USA Hockey rule books. Updated through September 2026.