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Three Main Rules

The three most important rules to know while watching a hockey game...
 
Offside 
A team is offsides when a member of the team that is attacking the defensive zone precedes the puck over the defending team's blueline. The player's skates and not the hockey stick are the determining factor. The player is offside if both skates are over the blueline before the puck. If one skate is on the blueline and the other is over, he is onside.
 
Offside Pass 
A two-line pass occurs when a player passes the puck from the defending zone to a team-mate past the center red line, thus crossing the blueline and the red line. The puck's position determines which zone the pass was made, not the player's skates.
 
Icing the Puck 
Icing the puck is when a player is on his side of the red center line and shoots the puck all the way down the ice, it crosses the red goal line anywhere except for the goal itself and is touched by the defending team first. Icing is not allowed when teams are at equal strength.
 
When icing occurs, play is halted and the face-off is in the offending team's zone. Icing is not called when: 
  • The goalie plays the puck by leaving the net.
  • The puck passes through the goal crease.
  • When, in the judgement of the linesman defending team member could have played the puck before it crossed the goal line.
  • When an onside offensive player manages to touch the puck before the defending player.
  • When due to penalty or penalties, a team is playing with an uneven number of players.