Icing in Hockey: The Intricate Rules Of The Game You Must Know
To the untrained eye, hockey seems like a simple game; you skate while using a stick to get the puck into the net.
The team with the most goals wins.... And you occasionally punch each other:-)
While simple in some respects, hockey is a deep, strategic sport with rules that significantly impact the flow of the game.
Once such rule is icing in hockey. It’s one that every budding hockey player should know, and every true fan should pull their hair out when it happens.
If You Like Hockey, You'll LOVE Playing at Home WIth PolyGlide Ice
What is the Icing in Hockey?
Let’s define icing in hockey, then explain it in more detail.
According to the USA Hockey Rule Book, icing the puck occurs:
“When a player of a team shoots, bats with the hand or stick or deflects the puck from their own half of the ice completely beyond the goal line of the opposing team, play shall be stopped and a face-off shall take place at an end zone face-off spot in the defending zone of the offending team.”
To understand icing, you have to take an overhead view of the hockey rink.
Hockey is a game of attrition based on different zones.
The goal of the attacking team is to keep the ball in the defensive zone while trying to score a goal.
The blue lines separate each role.
When the other team is on defense, they need to defend the goal by getting the puck to the neutral zone and mounting an attack.
If you’re on the defending team and you slap or move the puck all the way to the end of your attacking zone, past the goal line (the last red line), without scoring a goal, it’s icing.
The play must be active in the defensive zone.
If the puck is sent behind the goal line from the neutral zone, it’s not icing.
During icing, the puck must not hit any opposing player – intentional or not.
You can also unintentionally cause icing if the puck deflects off you and settles behind the opposing team’s goal.
Icing, like offsides, is called by linesmen.
When the puck appears to be heading for an icing infraction, the linesman raises an arm to signal such.
If the puck is stopped or intercepted before passing the goal line, the linesman waves off the call.
In some cases, linesmen may delay the icing call if they believe an opposing player has a reasonable chance of reaching the puck first.
This allows for a brief continuation of play to see if the opposing player can prevent icing by reaching the puck before it crosses the goal line.
Icing variations: The Hybrid Icing Rule
The NHL introduced the icing rule around 1937 with other governing bodies following suit over the years.
There are now different variations of icing:
- No-touch or automatic icing: It’s the most common variation used by kids and amateur leagues today. As soon as the puck crosses the goal line, play is stopped and the linesman calls icing.
- Touch icing: For icing to be called, an opposing player that’s not the goaltender must touch the puck first. When that player retrieves the puck, the linesman calls icing. This is the icing rule in most leagues.
- Hybrid icing: When the puck heads to or passes the goal line, it creates a mad sprint between two (or more) opposing players for the puck. This race often led to collisions and injuries. It’s these injuries, such as Pat Peake’s in 1996 and Joni Pitkänen in 2013, that spurred hybrid icing and its use in the NHL respectively. With hybrid icing, an opposing team’s player must reach the faceoff dot first instead of past the goal line for hybrid icing to be called. This rule also gives the defending team a chance to reach the puck and nullify icing.
- Sometimes the puck passes the goal line and comes around the other end before the players reach the faceoff dot. The linesman calls icing if it’s touched by a defender. He lets play continue if an offensive player intercepts the puck.
Why is Icing in Hockey Not Allowed?
To say icing in hockey is ‘not allowed’ is not true.
There’s no direct penalty for icing.
If anything, it’s just frowned upon and ill-advised in some cases.
Icing the puck can delay the progress and flow of the game.
Rather than strategically move the puck out of the defensive zone into the neutral zone and then attack, without icing, the defending team can simply slap the puck as far away as possible, as many times as possible.
Icing often happens when the opposing team is under pressure from attack and wants to simply dump the puck out of their zone.
Not only would this relieve pressure, but in theory will place all offensive players offside.
Teams used icing to protect a lead or run the clock out to head into overtime/shootout.
Teams would also ice the puck if the coach realized the players were exhausted and wanted to do a line change or on a penalty kill, when the team was shorthanded.
The icing rule has minimized these issues, making hockey much more entertaining.
Icing Enforcement and Penalties
So, what happens when a team is guilty of icing? The linesman will stop the play for an icing penalty.
The result is a faceoff in the defensive zone (the opposing team’s offensive zone).
The icing team cannot change their players, which can be a significant advantage to the offensive side, who can make a line change.
The offensive team has a better opportunity to score and take advantage of the faceoff, while the defensive team can lose momentum and defensive shape.
If repeated icings continue, a team may be penalized for delay of game.
It also raises the antennae of referees to look for a lack of discipline and can even influence future calls.
Are There Exceptions to the Icing Rule?
Over time, there have been exceptions to the icing rule. For example:
- If a team is shorthanded due to a penalty, they can slap or dump that puck to the other end without an icing call.
- The puck must cross the goal line. If it holds up even a little, it’s not icing.
- Icing is not called if an offensive player or goaltender touches the puck before crossing the goal line.
- If the puck is hit or deflected to the other end during a faceoff, it’s not icing.
- If the linesman believes an offensive player had a reasonable opportunity to play the puck before it crossed the line, the linesman can wave off icing.
Don’t Hate the Player: Icing Strategies
While icing is more frowned upon than anything else, it does have its place in terms of strategy.
Remember all those reasons we mentioned by teams ice the puck? It can come in handy in certain situations.
For instance, a team may opt to ice the puck to gain relief when the offensive pressure is overwhelming.
It can also eat up valuable time of a penalty kill.
By clearing the puck the offensive team must regroup and that allows the defending team to reset.
Icing is also a defensive tactic to protect a lead but must be executed with care as to not raise the suspicion of the referees.
At the same time, there are common misconceptions that icing is always advantageous and a solid defensive strategy.
Remember that with icing, the advantage goes to the opponent.
It could also signify poor play by the team as it struggles to maintain possession in the offensive zone.
There’s a delicate balance and the pros and cons must be weighed.
Conclusion
In short, icing in hockey occurs when the defending team in their zone hits the puck to the other end of the ice past the goal line.
There are different types of icing and it results in a faceoff, with the defending team unable to make a line change.
It's one of the many rules hockey players and fans should know to get a better understanding of the game.
In some situations, icing in hockey is strategic.
In many cases, however, it can slow the pace and stifle the excitement of the game.
The rule has evolved over time and who knows?
Maybe it will again.
Until then, icing is a rule that will influence play and can even be the difference between winning and losing.