The size of hockey rinks varies depending on the rules (NHL or IIHF). According to the IIHF version the size of the court can vary from 56 – 60 meters in length and 26 – 30 meters in width. In the NHL the size of the court is strictly fixed at 60.96 meters long and 25.90 meters wide. It is believed that a smaller court leads to more colorful play, namely to power play, shots on goal and play at the boards.
Corners of the court should be rounded in a circular arc with a radius of 7 m to 8.5 m by IIHF and 8.53 m in the NHL rules.
The rink must be enclosed by a board 1.20 – 1.22 meters high. On the front boards behind the gates over the full width of the field (including curves) a protective glass fence 1,6-2 m high is fixed.
The hockey rink is marked as follows:
- at a distance of 3 – 4 meters from the boards the front lines (goal lines) are drawn;
- at a distance of 17.23 meters from the goal line the blue zone lines are drawn, thanks to which the playground is divided into three zones: the central zone and two zones of the rivals;
- in the middle of the red line dividing the court in half and the throw-in point which is in the middle of the red line;
- on both sides of the goal there are throw-in points with a radius of 4.5 meters on both sides of the goal.
A total of nine throw-in points are marked on the hockey field:
center point;
four end points (two in each zone);
four throw-in points in the neutral zone.
The hockey rink is equipped with two benches for penalized players.
Goal size in ice hockey
The goal in ice hockey consists of two bars (vertical posts), which are on the goal line at an equal distance from the boards and connected at the top by a horizontal crossbar. The distance between the bars (width) is 1.83 m, and the distance from the lower edge of the bar to the ice surface (height) is 1.22 m. The diameter of the crossbar and both bars is no more than 5 cm.