IIHF Clarification: Faceoff Locations

Update from the sport's governing body

Following the opening few weeks of hockey across Europe, the International Ice Hockey Federation has issued clarification regarding Rule 85.5: Faceoff locations.

It was previously announced that there are now four instances where the attacking team can choose which side they'd like the faceoff to take place.

The latest clarification states: "Should any player cause the puck to go out of play or become 'unplayable' in any zone, the faceoff shall take place at the faceoff spot in the zone from which the puck was shot. If deflected out of play, at the nearest faceoff spot in the zone where it deflected out of play."

In practice, this means that if the puck is shot out of play in the attacking zone by an attacker, or deflects off an attacker in the attacking zone, the resulting faceoff will take place in the attacking zone. Previously, this would have been moved to the neutral zone. This update is designed to remove ambiguity from determining the faceoff location, especially in cases of the puck deflecting off a player.

A player deliberately shooting the puck out of play is still covered by Rule 63 - Delaying the Game.