What happens when a hockey player is injured?
A · Advanced · Who plays, and who can come on? · 7 of 10The umpire stops time and play, and play restarts with a bully if no penalty was given. Unless medical reasons prevent it, an injured or bleeding player must leave the field. They may return only when wounds are covered. In FIH tournaments, a player treated on the field must go off for at least two minutes of playing time.
How it works
- The umpire can stop time and play for an injury.
- Unless it is medically unsafe, an injured or bleeding player must leave the field. They cannot return until wounds are covered and any blood-stained clothing is changed.
- Players who leave for treatment, a drink or a kit change come back on between the 23-metre areas, on the substitution side.
- They can be substituted in the usual way.
- In FIH tournaments, team medical staff may come on without permission if a player needs attention. The treated player then leaves for at least two minutes of playing time, and can be substituted.
- Exception: a goalkeeper treated for an injury suffered immediately before a penalty corner or stroke is awarded need not go off.
- Blood on the field is cleaned at once, with time stopped.
Tricky cases
Must the treated player be off for two minutes even if the team substitutes?
Yes, at least two minutes of playing time. But the team can bring on a substitute so it is not one short.
Is there a concussion substitute in hockey?
Not as a separate rule in the documents read here. Rolling substitutes mean an injured player can always be replaced.
Why the rule exists
Getting injured players off quickly protects them and others. The two-minute rule stops teams using treatment to break up the game.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| FIH rules | Leave the field; return when wounds covered; bully restart | H2.4, 2.7, 6.5 |
| FIH tournaments | Two minutes off after on-field treatment; goalkeeper exception at corners and strokes; blood cleaning | TR 9.6 to 9.8 |
From the rule book
FIH Rules of Hockey, Rules 2.4, 2.7 and 6.5, in force from 1 March 2026; FIH Outdoor Tournament Regulations, Regulation 9, June 2026. Checked 13 October 2026. Official documents: FIH Rules of Hockey (PDF); FIH Outdoor Tournament Regulations (PDF).