Ice hockey / Rule 74
Substitutions and too many players
IIHF · 2026/27In short
Changing during play and after a stoppage.
During play
A retiring player must be within 1.50 m of the bench and out of play before replacement. Playing the puck or contacting an opponent during an overlapping change can produce a too-many-players penalty; accidental puck contact differs.
After a stoppage
The visiting team changes first, then the home team normally has the last change. The team responsible for icing generally cannot change, subject to specified exceptions. Illegal extra players bring a bench minor.
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 ↗