Ice hockey / Rule 81
Icing
IIHF · 2026/27In short
Long clearances and the hybrid-icing decision.
Basic rule
A team at equal or greater strength generally commits icing by sending the puck from its own half beyond the opposing goal line. A short-handed team is exempt; opponent contact and playable-puck exceptions can cancel the call.
Hybrid procedure
The linesperson judges who would reach the puck first, with a close race favouring icing. The restart returns to the offending team’s defensive zone and that team generally cannot change players before the face-off.
Independent explanations and translations, not official federation publications. Independent topic summaries of the supplied IIHF Rule Book 2026/27, version 1.0, June 2026. This is not the NHL rulebook or a complete reproduction. Women’s, junior and pilot provisions are identified separately; competition regulations govern applicable formats. References use PDF pages.
Sources & approach ↗
Sources & approach ↗