Ice hockey rules explained: offside, icing, power plays, overtime and NHL standings

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Ice hockey looks chaotic the first time you watch it: the puck is small, the players change every minute and the whistle seems to blow for no reason. Underneath, the rules are fairly simple, and once you know offside and icing the game opens up. This guide uses the NHL as the reference; other leagues differ in small ways.

The basics: periods and players

A game has three periods of 20 minutes of playing time, with the clock stopping whenever play stops. Real time is usually around two and a half hours.
Each team has six players on the ice: a goaltender, two defencemen and three forwards (a centre and two wingers).
Players change "on the fly" without play stopping. A forward line usually stays out for well under a minute, because skating at full speed is exhausting.
The team that scores more goals wins. A tie at the end of regulation goes to overtime (see below).

Positions in plain terms

Goaltender: stops shots and wears much heavier pads. The only player allowed to hold the puck.
Defencemen: protect their own net, block shots and start attacks with passes.
Centre: takes faceoffs, plays both ends of the rink and links defence to attack.
Wingers: play along the sides and are usually the main goal scorers.

The rink and offside

The rink is split by two blue lines into a defending zone, a neutral zone and an attacking zone. The red line in the middle matters mainly for icing. Offside: an attacking player may not cross the opponent's blue line before the puck does. If they do, play stops and there is a faceoff outside the zone. The deciding factor is the position of the skates: a player is onside as long as one skate is still on or behind the line when the puck crosses it.

Icing

Icing is called when a team shoots the puck from its own half all the way past the opponent's goal line without anyone touching it. Play stops and the faceoff comes back to the offending team's end. Two details make it matter:

The team that iced the puck cannot change players before the faceoff, so tired skaters stay out.
A team that is short-handed (killing a penalty) is allowed to ice the puck.

Penalties and power plays

Fouls such as tripping, hooking, slashing, holding and high-sticking send the offender to the penalty box.

A minor penalty is two minutes. The other team plays with one more skater, which is a power play. If they score, the minor ends early.
A double minor (often for a high stick that draws blood) is four minutes.
A major is five minutes and does not end when a goal is scored. Fighting is a major in the NHL.
Misconducts remove a player for longer but do not leave the team short.
A penalty shot may be awarded when a clear scoring chance is illegally stopped.

When a penalty is coming, the referee raises an arm but lets play continue until the offending team touches the puck. That is the delayed penalty, and the attacking team usually pulls its goalie for an extra skater in the meantime.

Overtime and shootouts

The rules differ between the regular season and the playoffs, and this confuses many new fans.

Regular season: a five-minute overtime played three skaters against three, sudden death. If nobody scores, a shootout decides it, with players taking turns going one-on-one against the goalie.
Playoffs: no shootouts. Teams play full 20-minute periods of five-on-five, sudden death, for as long as it takes. Some playoff games have gone into a fourth or fifth overtime.

How NHL standings work

Teams earn two points for a win of any kind and one point for a loss in overtime or a shootout. A loss in regulation earns nothing. That is why standings tables show a column such as "OTL". Teams are ranked by points, with tie-breakers led by regulation wins. The top teams in each division and conference reach the playoffs, which are best-of-seven series all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

Tips for your first game

Follow the play away from the puck: watch who is about to cross the blue line.
Listen for the horn and the arena announcer, who explains every penalty.
Watch for a goalie skating to the bench late in a close game. That is an extra attacker, and it often produces a goal at one end or the other.

Rule details are adjusted from season to season, so the NHL rulebook is the place to confirm anything specific. Which rule still confuses you, or which team got you into hockey? Tell us in the comments.