Ice Hockey
Offside and icing in ice hockey: how the blue and red lines work
Offside and icing are common stoppages that depend on where players and the puck cross the rink markings. This guide explains the blue-line and centre-line rules and what happens after the whistle.
Offside at the attacking blue line
An attacking player must not enter the attacking zone ahead of the puck in a way that creates an offside. The attacking blue line is the reference point: players time their zone entry with the puck crossing the line.
Clearing a delayed offside
If attackers are already in the zone when the puck comes in, the Linesperson can signal a delayed offside. The offside is cleared when all attacking players leave the attacking zone or the defending team moves the puck into the neutral zone; an attacker cannot play or pressure the puck before the zone is cleared.
Icing across the centre red line
Icing is generally called when a team sends the puck from behind the centre red line across the opponent's goal line without a touch that cancels the call. IIHF uses hybrid icing, so the Linesperson judges which player would reach the puck first.
Face-offs and common icing exceptions
After offside, the restart is a face-off at the applicable neutral-zone spot. After icing, the face-off is in the offending team's defensive zone. Icing can be waved off when the defending team could reasonably play the puck, and a shorthanded team is not called for icing under IIHF rules.