If you are somewhat new to watching or playing hockey, you have probably been trying to learn the rules. You have most likely wondered, “what is icing in hockey?” Icing is one of the most common penalties called in hockey. After reading this article, you will understand all the official rules about icing the puck.
Table of Contents
- When is an Icing Penalty Called?
- What Happens After and Icing Penalty is Called?
- What is the Purpose of Icing?
- Can You Ice the Puck on a Penalty Kill?
- Can You Score a Goal When Icing the Puck?
- What is the Signal for Icing?
- How Can Icing be Avoided?
- When is Icing Waived off by the Officials?
- Icing Rule Changes
- When was Icing Implemented?
When is an Icing Penalty Called?
The rule of icing is pretty easy to identify once you know what to look for. All of the markings on the ice might look confusing at first, but you only need to pay attention to two lines on the ice.
The two lines that you need to pay attention to when looking for icing are the red center line and the goal line on either side of the ice.
The centerline marks where a player can be called for an icing penalty. If a player shoots, bats with his hand or stick, or deflects the puck from behind the center line on his end of the ice, and the puck completely passes over the opposite goal line, this is considered icing.
The puck can bounce off the boards, go up in the air, or go from one end of the ice to the other. As long as the puck passes over the centerline and the attacking zones goal line, this is considered icing.
What Happens After an Icing Penalty is Called?
After an icing infraction is called, the play is stopped, and the referee will call for a face-off.
The position of the face-off is determined by where the player who committed the icing penalty was when the puck came off of his stick. This is determined by the referee when he blows the whistle to stop the play. The side of the net of the opposing goal line that the puck crosses does not affect where the face-off takes place.
What is the Purpose of Icing?
The rule against icing was put into effect so that one team could not have an unfair advantage over the other by shooting the puck all the way down the ice. If icing were not a penalty, teams would have a quick escape when in the defensive zone.
If Icing was not a rule, the defending team could simply shoot the puck from one end to the other as soon as they were pressured by the opposing team. Icing prevents this from happening and requires the defending team to play the puck in the neutral zone of the ice before moving onto the attacking zone.
Hockey would not be very fun to play or watch for that matter, if players simply threw the puck back and forth down the length of the ice. The only time that icing is allowed when the ref would usually whistle the play dead is when the defending team is shorthanded.
Can you Ice the Puck on a Penalty Kill?
The only time that the referee does not call the defending team for an icing infraction is when the other team has a power play. When the defending team is down a man, otherwise known as shorthanded, that team is allowed to play the puck down the length of the ice without penalty.
This rule is put into place so that it is not too easy for the attacking team to score a goal when on the power play. Allowing the defending team to ice the puck when down a man allows that team to delay the attacking team from pushing toward the goal. This tactic is known as “killing the power play” because of the seconds that the team on the power play has to waste skating back down to their end of the ice to retrieve the puck.
Can you Score a Goal when Icing the Puck?
Icing is called when the puck crosses the goal line when shot from behind the centerline of a player. What if the puck passes over the goal line where the net is? In this case, icing is not valid and a goal is awarded. This situation is mostly questioned when a team shoots toward an empty net resulting in the puck entering the goal.
What is the Signal for Icing?
If the referee notices that a player has committed an icing infraction, or if it is questionable, he will signal one of two ways to inform the players of his call.
As soon as the puck leaves a player’s stick, the ref will decide if the play should be called for icing. If he believes that the play should be penalized for icing, he will raise his hand straight up into the air. The referee that made the call will then wait for the puck to cross the goal line, and an opposing player to touch the puck before blowing his whistle (in some leagues the ref will blow the whistle as soon as the puck crosses the line).
In some cases, it may be hard for players to tell if a situation should be called for icing or not, but the referee must make a decision. If he believes that icing should not be called on the play, he will hold both of his arms out horizontally to notify everyone on the ice that there is no icing penalty and that the game should continue.
How can Icing be Avoided?
As mentioned before, the rule of icing was created to prevent players from shooting the puck down the length of the ice, but how do the pros find ways to clear the puck without being called for an icing infraction? Here are some ways that a player can get around the rule without breaking it:
Lobbing the Puck into the Air
If a player wants to clear the puck out of their defending zone without being called for icing, he might lob the puck just high and slow enough that it gets out of the zone but slows down enough to stop before the goal line. This allows for the defending team to regroup and change lines while the opposing team skates back out of the zone to retrieve the puck.
Banking the Puck off the Boards
This method requires the player to put the right speed on the puck and angle it correctly at the boards. If you ricochet the puck off the boards from behind the centerline, you would still be called for icing if it crosses the goal line. Banking the puck off the boards at the right angle will take enough speed off the puck to allow it to stop before it reaches the goal line.
Getting to the Puck Before the Opposing team
One rule that allows the team who ices the puck to avoid a penalty is to beat any opposing player to the puck. If a team ices the puck as usually and another member of that team is beating his opponent in a race to the puck, the ref will waive the icing call.
Special Situations: Will the Ref Call Icing?
According to the official USA Hockey rules on icing the puck, these are all the special instances in which it may be difficult to determine if icing should be called on a play.
This is when icing SHOULD be called:
- The puck is shot down the ice and lands on top of the goal
- The puck is iced, but deflects off the body or stick of a teammate that is behind the centerline
- At a face-off, the centerman wins possession of the puck and instantly after, swipes at the puck causing it to go down the ice and over the goal line.
- A player shoots the puck in the air from behind the centerline and an opposing player tries to play the puck out of the air but fails
- The puck bounces over the stick of an opposing player when he tries to play the puck
- The goalkeeper has the opportunity to play the puck but does not (goalies are not required to play the puck)
Here are a Few Special Instances When Icing should NOT be called:
Icing Rule Changes
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When was Icing Implemented?
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