How does a face-off work in ice hockey?
B · Beginner · Game flow · 6 of 10Play starts and restarts with a face-off: an official drops the puck between the sticks of two opposing centres at one of nine spots. Everyone else stays outside the circle and on-side. A centre who cheats, or whose teammate enters the circle early, is replaced. Two violations by one team in the same face-off cost a bench minor penalty.
How it works
- Who drops it: a referee at the start of each period; linespersons for all others.
- Where: only at one of the nine face-off spots, chosen by the rules for each stoppage.
- Line-up: after the whistle, 5 seconds to get set (not enforced in the last two minutes or overtime).
- Centres: square to the opponents' end, stick blade on the ice in the white area of the spot.
- Order: at end-zone and neutral spots the defending centre places the stick first; at centre ice the visitor does.
- Others: outside the circle, on-side, behind the hash marks; the attacking team sets first.
- Violations: encroaching, contact before the drop, poor positioning, moving early, winning with the skate.
- The penalty: the offending centre is replaced; a second violation in the same face-off is a bench minor.
- On icing: the first violation brings only a warning, not removal.
- Goalkeepers: may not take a face-off.
- Hands: centres may not play the puck with a hand until a third player has touched it.
The glossary has the faceoff, the face-off spots, the face-off violation, the linesperson, the territorial advantage and the bench minor penalty.
Tricky cases
A winger steps into the circle before the drop. Who is sent out?
The offending team's centre is replaced. That is new for 2026/27.
The replacement centre also cheats. What then?
That is a second violation by the same team in one face-off: a bench minor penalty for delay of game.
A centre bats the puck back with a glove. Allowed?
No. It is a minor penalty under the handling-the-puck rule.
Where is the face-off after a penalty?
Usually in the penalised team's end zone, with the power-play team choosing the side.
Why the rule exists
Face-offs settle possession many times a game, so a fair drop matters. Placing them by fixed rules stops a team that broke a rule from gaining ground.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Face-off violation | Centre ejected (2026/27) | IIHF 76 |
| Icing face-offs | First violation a warning | IIHF 76.4 |
| Penalty face-offs | In the offending team's zone | IIHF 76.2 |
From the rule book
International Ice Hockey Federation, Official Rulebook 2026/27 (version 1.0, June 2026), Rules 31.3, 32.2, 67.2 and 76. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: the IIHF Official Rulebook, revised each season.