How does offside work in hockey?
The Offside Rule
The offensive zone is defined by the blue line. A player is offside if both skates are completely over the blue line before the puck fully crosses it.
The position of the puck, not the player's stick, determines offside. The puck must enter the zone first for players to follow legally.
If a player is offside, play is whistled dead immediately. The resulting faceoff is in the neutral zone, near the offending team's blue line.
- Both skates must be over the blue line
- Puck must enter zone first
- Linesman makes the call
- Faceoff in neutral zone
Delayed Offside and Tag-Up
If a player is offside but the puck is shot into the zone, the linesman may raise their arm for a delayed offside. The offending team must clear the zone or touch the puck to stop play.
In the NHL, players can tag up by touching the blue line with their skate to reset the offside. Once all players have tagged up, the delayed offside is nullified.
If the offending team touches the puck while still offside, play is stopped immediately.
Intentional Offside
If a team intentionally plays the puck offside to stop play, it can be penalized for delay of game. This is rare and at the referee's discretion.
Offside is not reviewable by coaches' challenge except in cases of missed offside leading to a goal, which is reviewable in the NHL.
Common mistakes
- Thinking a player is offside if only one skate is over the line; both must be completely over.
- Believing offside is always blown dead immediately; delayed offside allows play to continue briefly.
- Assuming offside can be challenged on any play; only goals can be reviewed for offside.
