Icing
The rule that stops a team simply firing the puck the length of the ice — what triggers icing, what nullifies it, the goaltender exception, and the line-change penalty that follows.
Overview
Icing exists to stop a defending team relieving pressure by shooting the puck the full length of the ice. When it is called, play stops and the face-off returns to the offending team's own end zone — the real punishment, because it hands the attacking side a face-off in a scoring position.
For the purpose of the rule, the point of last contact with the puck by the team in possession determines whether icing applies.
Nullifying an icing
The puck, while on a player's stick — and specifically not on their skate — must make contact with the centre red line in order to nullify a potential icing. A player who plays the puck across the line with their stick has carried it over and no icing results.
Once the linesperson determines that the puck will cross the goal line, icing is established. The race that follows is to the end-zone face-off dots rather than to the puck itself.
The goaltender exception
If, in the opinion of the linesperson, the goaltender feigns playing the puck, attempts to play it, or skates in the direction of the puck on an icing at any time, the potential icing is not called and play continues.
But if the goaltender was out of their crease before the shot and simply retreats to the crease making no attempt to play the puck or feign playing it, the potential icing remains in effect. The distinction is whether the goaltender showed intent to play the puck.
No line change — and what is not icing
A team that ices the puck may not make any player substitutions before the ensuing face-off. The exceptions are narrow: replacing a goaltender who had been pulled for an extra attacker, replacing an injured player or one with a broken skate, or when a penalty has been assessed that affects on-ice strength. Who is on the ice is determined when the puck leaves the offending player's stick.
Not everything that reaches the goal line is icing. When the puck is shot and rebounds off the body or stick of an opponent in their own half so as to cross the shooting player's goal line, it is not considered icing. And if the linesperson errs in calling icing, the face-off is taken at centre ice rather than in the offending team's end.
Key points
- Icing sends the face-off back into the offending team's own end zone.
- The puck must touch the centre red line on a stick, not a skate, to nullify a potential icing.
- A goaltender who attempts or feigns playing the puck waves off the icing.
- The offending team may not change lines before the ensuing face-off.
- A puck rebounding off an opponent in their own half is not icing.
Where it’s used
Sports that use icing:
Related rules
Off-side in ice hockey
The rule that stops attackers waiting in the attacking zone — where exactly the blue line is crossed, why skates and not sticks decide it, and what a delayed off-side means.
Ice hockey penalties
How hockey punishes infractions by putting a player in the box — minor, double-minor, major, misconduct and game misconduct — and which ones end early when a goal is scored.
Sources
The rules, dimensions and specifications on this page were read from these documents.
- IIHF Official Rule Book — International Ice Hockey Federation, 2026/27, Icing (read 2026-09-12)
How it connects
The meaning-bearing relationships that place Icing in the wider knowledge graph — each one with the reason it exists.
Builds on
Understanding these first makes this one make sense.
Foundation of
These build directly on this one.
Commonly confused with
Close enough to be mixed up — the distinction is worth knowing.
Explains
Covers the underlying "why" for these.
Explore across the knowledge base
Follow the threads that connect Icing to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Techniques
- Face-offsHow every hockey stoppage restarts — the nine face-off locations, why the location is itself a sanction, and the techniques centres use to win possession.
- StickhandlingHow a hockey player carries and protects the puck at speed — why the hands work independently of the feet, the role of soft hands, and how body position beats stick skill.
Tactics
- The penalty killHow a team defends a player short — the box and diamond formations, why killers ice the puck legally, and what a short-handed team is actually trying to protect.
- The forecheckHow a hockey team attacks in the opposition's defensive zone without the puck — the 1-2-2, 2-1-2 and trap approaches, and what each one risks to win the puck back.
- Serve and volleyAn attacking tennis tactic where the server follows their serve to the net to finish the point with a volley.
- The power playWhat a team does with a one-player advantage — the umbrella and 1-3-1 setups, why the extra player creates a passing triangle a penalty kill cannot cover, and what the clock is worth.
- Playing spin bowlingWhat a batter actually does against a spinner — using the crease and the feet to change the length, picking the ball from the hand, and the options when the pitch is turning sharply.
Facilities
- The ice hockey rinkThe dimensions and markings of an IIHF ice hockey rink — length, width, corner radius, the blue and centre lines, the goal lines and the face-off circles, with the line widths the rule book specifies.
- Ice rinkA sheet of prepared ice, usually rink-boarded with rounded corners, used for skating and ice sports.
Equipment
- Hockey stickA curved-headed stick used to control, pass and shoot the ball or puck in hockey.
- The goal and the creaseThe net a hockey team defends and the protected area in front of it — the exact goal dimensions, what the crease area includes, and why goaltender contact so often disallows a goal.
- The puckThe vulcanised rubber disc ice hockey is played with — its exact diameter, thickness and weight under IIHF rules, and the limits on what may be printed on it.
Positions
- Ice hockey positionsThe six players on the ice and what each does — centre, two wings, two defence and the goaltender — plus why hockey substitutes in lines rather than individually.
- The goaltenderHockey's most specialised position — how a goaltender covers a 1.83 m by 1.22 m net, what the butterfly style is for, and the rule protections and restrictions unique to the role.
- GoalkeeperThe goalkeeper is the last line of defence in football and the only player allowed to handle the ball inside their own penalty area.
Go deeper with Icing
Everywhere else on the platform that covers Icing — assembled from what actually references it, so nothing here is a dead end.
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How this page is maintained
- Content type
- Rule
- Provenance
- Tier A — evergreen educational
- Verified external sources
- 0
- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
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