1. Illegal equipment, equipment that does not conform to IIHF standards, and equipment deemed unacceptable for game action are all classified as dangerous equipment and players wearing such equipment are subject to penalties as outlined in Rule 128.

2. A referee may request the measuring of a player’s stick or goaltender’s pads. If he rules that either does not conform to IIHF standards in the rules set out here, it will be considered dangerous equipment and cannot be used during game action until it has been adjusted in accordance with these rules.

3. A player who uses dangerous equipment will be ruled off the ice and his team will be issued a warning by the referee.

4. Dangerous equipment includes wearing a visor in a way that may cause injury to an opponent, wearing non-approved equipment, using dangerous or illegal skates or stick, failing to wear equipment under the uniform (except gloves, helmet, and goaltender’s pads), and cutting the palm out of one or both gloves.

1. Elbow pads must have a soft protective outer covering of sponge rubber or similar material of at least 1.27 cm thickness.

1. There are three permissible types of protection which can be attached to the front of a skater’s helmet: cage, visor, and full visor.

2. A visor is attached to the helmet and must extend down to cover the eyes and nose in its entirety. It must be fixed to the helmet along the sides such that it cannot be flipped up.

3. Member national associations participating in an IIHF championship event must ensure that their players are equipped with a helmet manufactured specifically for ice hockey and that, as applicable, a visor or cage is properly attached to it.

4. Male players born after December 31, 1974, must wear, as a minimum, a visor.

5. All female players must wear a helmet with cage or full visor.

6. All skaters in the age category Under-18 must wear a cage constructed in such a way that neither the puck nor a stick blade can penetrate it.

7. Skaters are not allowed to wear a coloured or tinted visor.

8. A skater whose visor or cage becomes cracked or broken during game action must leave the ice immediately.

9. All skaters in the age category Under-20 must wear a mouth guard.

Visor | Full Visor | Cage

1. No fluorescent material is allowed on any part of the equipment, clothing, or uniforms of anyone on ice.

1. A skater’s gloves must cover the hand and wrist areas and be of appropriate design.

2. The backs of the gloves must be of a soft material and have no other material or objects other than padding sewn into them.

3. The gloves must be whole and cannot be tampered with to gain any advantage (i.e., cutting out of the palms).

1. During the pre-game warmup and the game itself (regulation time, overtime, and penalty-shot shootout), skaters must wear a certified helmet manufactured specifically for ice hockey with chin strap properly fastened.

2. If a skater fails to wear a helmet during the pre-game warmup in an IIHF competition, the standby referee will report the rules violation to the proper authorities. In national competitions, the procedure must follow the national association rules.

3. Skaters must wear their helmet so that the lower edge of the brim is not more than one finger-width above the eyebrows. Additionally, there should be only enough room between the chin strap and the chin to insert one finger.

4. Should the helmet of a skater come off during game action, he must go directly to the players’ bench. He is not allowed to touch the puck or participate in game action, and he is not allowed to put it back on securely while on the ice even if he is not participating in game action.

5. A skater is not allowed to deliberately knock off the helmet of an opponent expressly to force him to the bench or to eliminate him from game action.

6. Skaters’ helmets cannot have any design or writing on them except to provide a number corresponding to their jersey number or for officially-licensed advertising.

7. Skaters must wear their helmets while sitting on the players’ bench or in the penalty box except when the helmet is being cleaned or repaired.

Game situation 1: If the chin strap of a skater’s helmet becomes unfastened during play, but the helmet stays on his head, he can continue to participate in game action until the next stoppage of play or until he leaves the ice.

1. All players who are 18 years and younger, regardless what event or tournament they are participating in, must wear a neck and throat protector.

1. Skaters’ shin pads must be of a size that allows them to fit inside standard skaters’ socks. No protrusions from or additions to the manufactured shin pads are allowed.

1. Skates must consist of only four parts: boot, blade, blade holder, and laces.

2. The boot must conform to the foot of the skater and not be unduly wide or long or have any attachments to it.

3. The blade must be smooth from front to back and secured in the blade holder at all times. It cannot have a pick in the manner of figure skates.

4. The front and back of the blade must be properly covered by the blade holder such that no part of either end protrudes. The blade must not extend in front of the toe or behind the heel of the boot in the manner of speed skates.

5. No mechanical attachment or any other device which might help a skater’s speed or ability to skate is allowed.

6. Laces may be of any non-fluorescent colour and tied in any manner, but they must not be so long that they touch the ice.

1. Sticks must be made of materials approved by the IIHF. They must not have any projections, and all edges must be bevelled.

2. The curvature of a skaters’ stick blade must not exceed 1.5 cm . The curve is determined by making a perpendicular line measured from a straight line drawn from any point at the heel to the end of the blade.

3. A stick blade may have only one curve and a stick may have only one blade. Any double curvature of the blade as measured by a curve gauge will render the stick illegal.

4. The shaft of the stick, from the top down to the start of the blade, must be straight.

5. The butt end of the stick must be covered by a form of protection. If the cap at the top of a manufactured stick (i.e., metal or carbon) has been removed or falls off, the stick will be considered dangerous equipment.

6. It is forbidden to insert any material into the hollow shaft of a stick to alter its weight, substance, or purpose.

7. Adhesive, non-fluorescent tape of any colour may be wrapped around the stick at any place. Fluorescent-painted sticks are not allowed.

8. It is illegal to play with a broken stick. If a skater’s stick breaks during game action, he must drop it immediately.

9. At no time is a skater allowed to use a goaltender’s stick.

10. At no time is a skater allowed to use more than one stick at a time.

11. It is forbidden for a skater to use an opponent’s stick, whether by picking it up from the ice or by grabbing it from an opponent’s grip.

12. The maximum length of the shaft of a stick is 163 cm from the top of the shaft to the heel; the maximum width is 3 cm ; the maximum thickness is 2.54 cm .

13. The maximum length of the blade of a stick is 32 cm along the bottom, from the heel to the toe of the blade, and it must be between 5 – 7.62 cm high.

14. Special exemptions on the length of a stick will be permitted if:

1. Only tape that is rolled onto a stick is allowed for covering the blade. Any adhesive, peel-and stick tape is illegal.

1. All players of a team must be dressed uniformly in matching jerseys, pants, socks, and helmet.

2. All jerseys of a team must be of the same design, including logo on the front, numbers on the sleeves and back, and nameplate on the back.

3. Players are not allowed to tamper with their uniforms in any manner, whether by cutting any part of it, writing on it, or marking it.

4. If, in the opinion of the referee, the uniform colours of the competing teams are so similar that there is the possibility of misidentifying players, it is the responsibility of the home team to change its jerseys.

5. The dominant colour of the uniform must cover approximately 80 % of the jersey and socks, excluding names and numbers.

6. Jerseys must be worn entirely outside of the pants and whenever possible be properly fastened to the pants with tie-down straps.

7. Jerseys must follow the contours of the player’s body and not be excessively baggy.

8. Jerseys must not extend length-wise past the end of the pants, and the sleeves must not extend past the fingers of the glove.

9. Each player must wear a number that is 25 – 30 cm high on the back of the jersey and 10 cm high on both sleeves. Numbers are limited to whole numbers from 1 to 99 (no fractions or decimals).

10. No two players on a team may use the same number in the same game.

11. Players are not allowed to change or exchange jersey numbers once the game has started. They must wear their number for the game’s entirety and throughout the tournament or event.

12. The only exception to Rule 40-11 is if a player’s jersey becomes stained with blood or becomes badly torn during a game. At that point, he may be told by an on-ice official to leave the ice and change into a designated jersey with another number and no nameplate.

13. A player whose hair is long enough to obscure the nameplate or number on the back of the jersey must fashion it in a ponytail or tuck the hair under the helmet.

14. Graffiti-type designs, patterns, artwork, drawings, or slogans which are abusive or obscene and refer to culture, race, or religion are not allowed on any part of the uniform.

15. In IIHF competitions, each player must wear his name on the upper portion of the back of his jersey, printed 10 cm high, in block capital Roman letters of a font approved by the IIHF prior to the game or tournament.

16. All players on a team must wear the same uniforms and jersey numbers in the pre-game skate as they do during the game.

17. Players who do not comply with these provisions are not allowed to participate in the game. Failure by any player on that team to comply after a warning will result in a minor penalty for delay of game.

1. A referee may request the measuring of only two pieces of equipment during a game: a player’s stick (at any stoppage of play) or a goaltender’s pads (during the first or second intermission, or after the third period of a game that goes into overtime). If he rules that either does not conform to IIHF standards in the rules set out here, it will be considered dangerous equipment and cannot be used during game action until it has been adjusted in accordance with these rules.

2. No goal can be disallowed as a result of illegal equipment.

3. The captain or alternate captain of a team is the only player who may make a formal complaint to the referee against the specific dimensions of any opponent’s equipment. He may do so at any stoppage of play or on ice prior to the start of any period.

4. The referee will make the necessary measurement immediately. If the complaint is invalid, the requesting team will be assessed a bench-minor penalty. If the complaint is upheld, the offending player will be assessed a minor penalty and the illegal equipment will be returned to the player’s bench by the referee.

5. The request is limited to one measurement and one team at any stoppage of play, but a captain can make as many requests for measurement as he wants over the course of a game.

6. The player whose stick is to be measured must be holding the stick at the time the request is made. He may be on the bench or on the ice, but the referee must make visual confirmation that the stick in question belongs to the player.

7. If a stick is deemed illegal, the offending skater must enter the penalty box immediately, and a teammate is allowed to bring him another stick. The referee will return the illegal stick to the team’s players’ bench, and if the team alters the stick to legal dimensions, it can be used again. As a result, it can also be measured again.

8. If the referee is unable to use the curve gauge for whatever reason to measure the curvature of a stick, the stick will be considered illegal and be removed from the game. However, no penalty will be assessed to either team.

9. There can be a measurement of a skater’s or goaltender’s stick anytime in overtime or the penalty-shot shootout or any time from the start of the game until its conclusion.

Game situation 1: A skater who has just entered or exited the penalty box where he was about to serve or has just finished serving a penalty can have his stick challenged regarding its legality.

1. A captain may request a stick measurement during a penalty-shot shootout.

2. If the measurement is requested prior to a skater taking a shot and the stick is legal, the requesting team will incur a bench-minor penalty, and a skater from that team must go to the penalty bo10. He will be ineligible to participate in the penalty-shot shootout from that point forward. The skater whose stick was measured may then take his shot.

3. If the measurement in Rule 42-2 proves the stick to be illegal, the skater who was about to take the shot must go to the penalty box and he will be ineligible to participate in the penalty-shot shootout from that point forward. Another skater will then be assigned to take the shot.

4. Captains can request stick measurements between any and all shots of a penalty-shot shootout, but no more than one per "stoppage" (i.e., the time between shots) is permitted.

5. If the measurement occurs after a skater has taken his shot, the same outcomes from Rules 42-2 and 42-3 will be in effect. If the skater scores with what is ruled an illegal stick, the goal still counts.