Ice hockey is one of the fastest-paced sports on the planet, and its many rules have to be monitored and enforced by officials just as swiftly. One rule that has many new hockey fans scratching their heads at is… Icing.
Sometimes, icing is called against a team. Other times, what looks like a clear case of icing is simply ignored by the refs. What gives?
Here’s your complete guide to understanding icing, one of hockey’s most famous and most confusing rules.
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What is Icing in Hockey?
Icing in hockey is when a player shoots the puck over the red line that separates the ice into halves and across the opposing team’s red goal line in one motion without scoring a goal.
When these conditions are met, a linesman calls icing and orders a stoppage of play. The team that iced the puck is mildly penalized by having to take a faceoff in their own defensive zone. No players are required to spend time in the penalty box and leave their team shorthanded due to an icing infraction, but it does put the offending team in a generally worse ice position.
Even when these conditions are met, icing is occasionally not called, leading to it being considered one of the most confusing rules in hockey. An icing call will be canceled, or “waved off,” when:
- The linesman believes the puck could have been played by an opposing player before crossing the line.
- The opposing goalie leaves the crease and either plays the puck or moves as if they plan to do so.
- The icing occurs as the result of a faceoff.
- If a shooter’s stick makes contact with the red centerline as they shoot the puck.
- A goal is scored.
Icing is also allowed when the puck is iced by a shorthanded team, which is when one of their players is in the penalty box. This situation is also known as being on penalty kill, and icing during this time is an effective way for the shorthanded team to clear the puck from their zone.
So next time you think the ref unfairly called icing on your team, take a close look at what happened just before the whistle, or lack thereof.
Why is Icing a Rule in Hockey?
So, what is the point of icing in hockey?
The icing rule is designed to prevent a team from delaying gameplay by repeatedly and intentionally sending the puck down the ice and out of reach of their opponents.
Icing infractions were first implemented by the NHL in 1932 after it became a common delay tactic for teams to ice the puck to protect a slim lead as the clock ran down.
Things really came to a head around icing following a series of games in the 1930s that saw the New York Americans ice the puck over 50 times while leading the Boston Bruins by a point, and then the Bruins return the favor during their very next matchup with the Americans by icing the puck 87 times to force a 0-0 draw. Fans were so angered by the teams’ antics and the boring gameplay they led to that the league stepped in with the new rule.
The rule has seen a few revisions over the years, mostly to increase the severity of the penalty by not allowing the offending team to make a line change after play is stopped.
Types of Icing in Hockey
There are three variations of icing — touch icing, no-touch icing and hybrid icing:
Touch icing requires an opposing player other than the goalie to make contact with the puck to trigger a stoppage of play. If the opposing goalie or a player on the team that iced the puck touches it first, icing is not called.
No-touch icing, also known as automatic icing, does not require any player to touch the puck. Once it crosses the goal line, icing is called and play stops. This is the type of icing in place in the Professional Women’s Hockey League, or PWHL.
Hybrid icing is the type of icing used in the NHL. Under hybrid icing, once a player on the opposing team skates to and reaches the face-off dot, rather than skating across the goal line to retrieve the puck, play is stopped.
The hybrid icing variation is designed to protect players by reducing high-speed collisions as players race to touch the puck first while still offering the team that iced the puck a chance to reach it and have the icing call waved off.
If an iced puck wraps around the opposing boards out the other side, a referee determines which team would have been able to touch the puck first and whether icing is called.
Is Icing Considered a Penalty?
No. Though icing is an infraction of the rules of ice hockey, it is not technically considered a penalty in the way that actions like slashing, tripping and boarding are. Icing the puck results in the opposing team being given better ice position and the offending team losing the opportunity to get their tired players off the ice, but no one is given minutes in the penalty box for violating the rule.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How does icing work in hockey?
Icing is called when a player shoots the puck over the red center line and it travels over the opposing team's red goal line without entering the net. Play is stopped, and a face off is taken in the offending team's zone.
Is icing a penalty?
Icing is a violation of the rules of hockey, but it's not considered a penalty in the way other violations send players to the penalty box and leave their team shorthanded.
When did icing become a rule in the NHL?
Icing was first implemented by the NHL in September 1937.
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