Face-off - Ice Hockey

Ice Hockey

One player from each team stands at the faceoff spot (see below) to await the drop of the puck. All teammates must be lateral to or behind the player taking the faceoff (this is in contrast to basketball, for example, where the player taking the tipoff is encircled by teammates). Consequently, the goal of the player taking the faceoff is to draw the puck backward, toward teammates, rather than to advance it toward the opposition goal. Where the faceoff occurs at one of the five faceoff spots that have circles marked around them, only the two opposing players responsible for taking the faceoff may be in the circle. A common formation, especially at centre ice, is for a centre to take the faceoff, with the wings lateral to the centre on either side, and the defencemen behind the centre, one toward each side. This is not mandatory, however, and other formations are seen--especially where the faceoff is in one of the four corner faceoff spots.

Faceoffs are typically conducted at designated places marked on the ice called faceoff spots or dots. There are nine such spots: two in each attacking zone, two on each end of the neutral zone, and one in the centre of the rink. Faceoffs did not always take place at the marked faceoff spots. If a puck left the playing surface, for example, the faceoff would take place wherever the puck was last played. On June 20, 2007, the NHL Board of Governors approved a change to NHL Rule 76 (76.2, to be precise) which governs faceoffs. This change now requires all faceoffs to take place at one of the nine faceoff spots on the ice, regardless of what caused the stoppage of play. Rule 76.2 also dictates that, with some exceptions, a faceoff following a penalty must occur at one of the two faceoff dots of the offending team's end.

An official may remove the player taking the faceoff if the player or any players from the same team attempt to gain an unfair advantage during the faceoff (called a faceoff violation). When a player is removed, one of the teammates not originally taking the faceoff is required to take the faceoff. Common faceoff violations include: moving the stick before the puck is dropped, not placing the stick properly when requested to do so, not placing the body square to the faceoff spot, or encroachment into the faceoff circle by a teammate. In the NHL, the player from the visiting team is required to place his stick on the ice for the faceoff first.