Ice hockey is a team sport played on an ice rink, where two teams of six players (five skaters, one goalie) use sticks to shoot a rubber puck into the other team's net. A game has three 20-minute periods. The NHL is the top pro league, with 32 teams in the US and Canada playing 84 games each in 2026-27.
If you are new to hockey, it can look like chaos: players flying on and off the ice, a puck you can barely follow, whistles you do not understand. It is simpler than it looks. This is the beginner's version of how the game works, and where to go next.
What is hockey?
Hockey, in North America, means ice hockey. (Field hockey, played on grass with a ball, is a different sport.) Two teams skate on a sheet of ice and try to score by shooting a hard rubber puck into the opponent's net with their sticks. The team with more goals at the end wins.
Each team has six players on the ice at a time:
- One goalie, who stays near the net and stops shots. Goalies wear much bigger pads and use a wider stick.
- Two defensemen, who protect their own end and start the attack.
- Three forwards, a center and two wingers, who lead the attack and try to score.
Players change constantly, often while play is going on, because skating at full speed is exhausting. A typical shift lasts well under a minute.
What are the basics of the rink and equipment?
An NHL rink is 200 feet long and 85 feet wide, with rounded corners and boards topped by glass all the way around. Lines on the ice divide it:
- The center red line splits the rink in half.
- Two blue lines divide it into three zones: each team's defensive zone and the neutral zone in the middle.
- The goal lines, near each end, are where the nets sit.
The net is 6 feet wide and 4 feet tall. The puck is a disc of vulcanized rubber, 1 inch thick and 3 inches across, and is frozen before games so it slides better and bounces less.
Players wear skates, a helmet, gloves and pads under their uniform. The uniform top is called a jersey, though many fans, especially in Canada, still call it a sweater, the original name from the days when players wore wool.
How does a hockey game work?
A game is three 20-minute periods, with clock stops for whistles and two intermissions. That makes it about two and a half hours in real time. If it is tied after three periods, the regular season goes to a short overtime and then a shootout; playoff games play full overtime periods until someone scores. See how long is a hockey game and overtime and shootout rules.
Play starts with a faceoff: the referee drops the puck between two opposing players, who try to win it back to a teammate. Faceoffs restart play after every whistle.
What rules should a new fan know first?
Three rules cause most of the stoppages you will see:
- Offside: An attacking player cannot enter the attacking zone before the puck.
- Icing: A team cannot shoot the puck from its own half all the way past the other team's goal line untouched.
- Penalties: Fouls such as tripping and hooking send a player to the penalty box, usually for two minutes, and his team plays shorthanded while the other team has a power play.
Body checking, hitting an opponent who has the puck with your hip or shoulder, is legal in the NHL. Hits to the head and hits from behind are not.
What is the NHL?
The National Hockey League is the top professional hockey league in the world. It was founded in Montréal in 1917 and today has 32 teams: 25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. See all NHL teams and the league's history.
The teams are split into two conferences, East and West, and four divisions.
How many NHL games are in a season?
In 2026-27, each team plays 84 regular-season games, 1,344 in all, from September 29, 2026 to April 10, 2027. See how many games are in an NHL season and NHL season dates.
What is the NHL playoff schedule?
After the regular season, 16 teams make the Stanley Cup playoffs: four rounds of best-of-seven series, played from April into June. The winner takes home the Stanley Cup, the oldest trophy in North American pro sports. The 2026 champion was the Carolina Hurricanes. See how the NHL playoffs work and Stanley Cup history.
How do I start following hockey?
- Pick a team. Your local team, a team a friend follows, or one whose colors you like. Every team page on Tonight.hockey, from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Anaheim Ducks, shows tonight's game, the TV channel, the likely goalies and its playoff odds.
- Watch a game. Our games tonight page lists every game with its channel. How to watch the NHL covers TV and streaming.
- Follow the race. The playoff picture shows who is in, who is out, and who to root for each night.
Frequently asked questions
- What is hockey?
- Hockey, or ice hockey, is a team sport played on ice. Two teams of six players, five skaters and a goalie, use sticks to shoot a rubber puck into the other team's net. A game is three 20-minute periods.
- What is the NHL?
- The National Hockey League is the top professional ice hockey league, founded in 1917. It has 32 teams in the United States and Canada, and its champion wins the Stanley Cup.
- How many hockey teams are in the NHL?
- There are 32 NHL teams: 25 in the United States and 7 in Canada.
- How many NHL games are in a season?
- Each team plays 84 regular-season games in 2026-27, for a total of 1,344 games.
- What is a hockey jersey called?
- It is usually called a jersey. In Canada and among traditional fans it is also called a sweater, from the days when players wore wool sweaters.
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