1. Ice hockey must be played on a white ice surface known as a rink. It must be of a quality deemed fit to play by the on-ice officials in charge of the game.

2. The ice surface must be prepared with water and chemicals to a consistent quality in all areas and must be properly frozen by either a reliable system of refrigeration to ensure stable temperature and density or by natural causes.

3. If, prior to or during the playing of a game, any section of the ice or rink becomes damaged, the on-ice officials will immediately stop the game and ensure the necessary repairs are made before game action resumes.

4. If the repairs delay the game unduly, the referee has the option to send the teams to their respective dressing rooms until the rink is deemed fit to play. If the problem cannot be solved in a short period of time or if any section of the ice or rink is of a quality that makes playing the game dangerous, the referee has the right to postpone the game until such a time as the ice or rink can be properly made fit to play.

5. If any lengthy delay occurs within ten minutes of the end of a period, the referee has the option to send the teams to their respective dressing rooms to begin the intermission immediately. The rest of the period will be played after the repairs and resurfacing of the ice has been completed and the full intermission time has elapsed. When play resumes, teams will defend the same goal as before play was postponed, and at the end of the period they will change ends and begin playing the ensuing period without delay.

6. If the playing area is affected by fog or other opaque air, the referee will not permit game action to take place until the air in the arena is suitably clear for players and fans to experience a safe environment.

1. Although the players’ benches are not a part of the ice surface, they are considered a part of the rink and are subject to all rules pertaining to the ice surface.

2. The only people allowed on or at the players’ benches are the dressed players and not more than eight team officials.

3. Both players’ benches must be of the same dimensions and quality, offering advantage to neither team in any manner.

4. Each players’ bench must start 2.0 metres from the centre red line and be 10 metres wide and 1.5 metres deep.

5. Each players’ bench must have two doors, one at either end.

6. The players’ benches must be located on the same side of the rink, opposite their respective penalty boxes and the scorekeeper’s bench.

7. Teams must use the same bench for the duration of a game.

8. Players’ benches must be enclosed on all three sides from spectators, the only open-air side being the one with direct access to the ice for the players themselves.

9. The designated home team is entitled to its choice of players’ bench.

1. A penalty box, one for each team, must be situated on either side of the scorekeeper’s bench and across from their respective players’ benches. Each box must be of the same size and quality, offering advantage to neither team in any manner.

2. Teams must use the penalty box opposite their players’ bench and must use the same penalty box for the duration of a game.

3. Each penalty box must have only one door for both entry and exit and must be operated only by the penalty-box attendant.

4. Only the penalty-box attendant, penalized skaters, and game officials are allowed access to the penalty boxes.

5. Both penalty boxes must be situated in the neutral zone.

1. The ice surface is intended only for players and on-ice officials. Any objects on the ice that are not directly related to them or their equipment, or the puck, are strictly forbidden. Any damage to the playing facilities by any means will result in the immediate stoppage of game action. Play will not resume until the ice is clear of these objects and the playing area ready for game action.

1. For top-level IIHF competitions, the recommended dimensions of the rink are 60 metres long and 25 – 30 metres wide .

2. The corners of the rink must be rounded in the arc of a circle with a radius of 7.0 to 8.5 metres .

3. In countries where the standards set out in Rules 12-1 and 12-2 are not possible, other dimensions are allowed so long as they are approved by the IIHF before the competition or game is played.

4. For IIHF World Championship tournaments, the official dimensions must be 60 metres long and 30 metres wide.

5. The minimum height from the playing surface to any objects above it must be 7 metres.

1. The rink must be contained within an enclosure known as boards which are made out of sections of wood or plastic and be painted white.

2. The space between the panels which comprise the boards should be no more than 3 mm .

3. The boards must be constructed in such a manner that the surface facing the ice must be smooth and free of any obstruction that could cause injury to players or unnaturally alter the course of a puck.

4. The height of the boards should be 107 cm from the ice surface.

5. Affixed to the bottom of the boards must be a yellow kick plate which extends around the entire circumference of the boards along the ice. It should be 15 – 25 cm high.

6. Affixed to the top of the boards must be a blue dasher which extends around the entire circumference of the boards and marks the area where the boards end and the protective glass begins. The dasher should be 110 cm from the concrete flooring under the ice.

1. Panes of Plexiglas or similar acrylic material that are 12 mm – 15 mm thick and both transparent and of high durability must be inserted into and affixed to the top of the boards. The protective glass must be aligned using stanchions which allow the sections to be flexible. This is an obligatory component for IIHF competitions.

2. The protective glass must be 2.4 metres high behind the goals and must extend at least 4.0 metres from the goal line towards the blue line. The protective glass must be 1.8 metres high along the sides except in front of the players’ benches.

3. Protective glass is not permitted in front of the players’ benches, but there must be protective glass of similar height outlined in 14-2 behind and along the sides of the players’ benches and penalty boxes. Where the protective glass deviates from the boards there must be protective padding extending the full height of the protective glass.

4. The protective glass and fixtures used to hold the boards in position must be mounted on the side away from the playing surface.

5. The gaps between the panels of protective glass must not be more than 5 mm .

6. No openings or holes are allowed anywhere along the full circumference of the protective glass with the exception of a round hole 10 cm in width in front of the scorekeeper’s bench.

7. The protective glass must be installed in such a way that one sheet can be replaced without compromising the integrity of any others.

1. Protective netting of a suitable height is obligatory for IIHF competitions. It must be suspended above the end-zone protective glass behind both goals and must extend around the rink at least to where the goal line meets the boards.

1. All doors allowing access to the ice surface must swing inwards, towards the spectator area.

2. The gaps between the doors and the boards must not be more than 5 mm .

1. The ice surface must be divided lengthwise by five lines marked on the ice surface, extending completely across and continuing vertically up the boards to the dasher: goal line, blue line, centre red line, blue line, goal line.

2. The middle three lines mark the three zones of the rink and are referred to as the defending zone, the neutral zone, and the attacking zone. The zones will be established as such: goal line to blue line, blue line to blue line, blue line to goal line, as measured from the middle of each line.

3. The centre red line divides the length of the rink exactly equally. It must be 30 cm wide and extend up the kick plate and up the full height of the boards to the dasher. In case of advertising allowed on the boards, the lines must be marked at least on the kick plate.

4. The two goal lines must be marked 4.0 metres from the flat and middle sections of the end boards (i.e., not the curved sections) at both ends of the rink and must be 5 cm wide.

5. The blue lines must be 22.86 metres from the flat and middle sections of the end boards at both ends of the rink and be 30 cm wide. They must extend up the kick plate and onto the boards. In case of advertising allowed on the boards, the lines must be marked at least on the kick plate.

6. The distances are such that the full thickness of the lines are included in all measurements.

7. For open air rinks, the blue lines and centre red line are also 30 cm wide, but they are created with two lines 5 cm wide.

1. There must be nine faceoff spots on the ice. These are only places at which an on-ice official can drop the puck to begin game action.

2. All faceoff spots must be red except for the one at centre ice which must be blue.

3. A circular spot 30 cm in diameter must be marked exactly in the centre of the ice surface. With this spot as a centre, a circle with a radius of 4.5 metres must be marked with a blue line 5 cm wide. This constitutes the centre faceoff circle.

4. A total of four faceoff spots 60 cm in diameter must be marked in the neutral zone. There must be two such spots 1.5 metres from each blue line. These faceoff spots should be the same distance from an imaginary straight line running from the centre of both goal lines as the end- zone faceoff spots.

5. A total of four faceoff spots 60 cm in diameter and red circles 5 cm wide with a radius of 4.5 metres from the centre of the faceoff spot to the outside of the line of the circle must be marked on the ice in both end zones and on both sides of each goal. On either side of the end zone faceoff spots must be marked a double "L".

6. The location of the end zone faceoff spots must be fixed along a line 6 metres from each goal line. Parallel to this, mark two points 7 metres on both sides of a straight line drawn from the centre of one goal line to the other. Each point will be the centre of the end faceoff spot.

7. The distances are such that the full thickness of the lines are included in all measurements (unless otherwise noted).

1. There are three creases on the ice: one for each goaltender in front of either goal net and one at the boards by the scorekeeper’s bench for on-ice officials.

2. The red, on-ice officials’ crease must be marked on the ice in a semi-circle 5 cm wide with a radius of 3.0 metres immediately in front of the scorekeeper’s bench. Players are not allowed in this area during stoppages of play when on-ice officials are in consultation with each other or reporting to off-ice officials.

3. In front of each goal net a goal-crease area must be marked by red lines all of which are 5 cm wide.

4. The goal-crease area must be painted light blue, but inside the goal-net area from the goal line to the back of the goal net must be white.

5. The goal crease is a three-dimensional space and includes the air above the markings on ice up to the top of the crossbar.

6. The goal crease must be created as follows:

1. Each rink must have two goal nets, one at either end of the rink.

2. The goal net is comprised of a goal frame and netting.

3. The open end of the goal net must face centre ice.

4. Each goal net must be located in the centre of the goal line at either end and must be installed in such manner as to remain stationary during the progress of the game. For top-level IIHF competitions, flexible goal pegs to hold the goal frame in place but which displace the goal net from its moorings upon significant contact are mandatory. These are strongly recommended for other competitions. The holes for the goal pegs must be located exactly on the goal line.

5. The goal posts must extend vertically 1.22 metres above the ice surface and be 1.83 metres apart (internal measurements). The goal posts and crossbar that form the tubular steel goal frame must be of a specified design with a diameter of 5 cm .

6. The goal posts and crossbar must be red. All other parts of the net and frame must be white.

7. The goal posts and crossbar must be completed by a white frame inside the base of the goal frame along the ice and top extending from post to post towards the end boards and supporting the netting, the deepest point of which must be 0.60 – 1.12 metres.

8. A netting of durable white nylon cord must be attached securely over the entire back of the goal frame in such a manner as to trap the puck in the goal net after it has entered and to prevent the puck from entering the goal net in any way other than from the front.

9. On-ice officials are required to check the netting before the start of each period of play. If they find any damage to the netting, game action cannot begin until the necessary repairs have been made.

10. The inside parts of the supports of the white frame, other than the goal posts and the crossbar, must be covered by white padding. The padding of the base frame must start not less than 10 cm from the goal post and must be attached in a manner that does not restrict the puck from completely crossing the goal line.