Georgia Game Day

With hockey being played as one of the sports in the Olympics you might ask yourself exactly what the rules are. Well, although the rules are much the same, there are some differences in rules between the Olympic Games and the NHL games and they are as follows.

The key difference between the two is the size of the ice. At the Olympic Games players play on a rink that is 3.000 square feet bigger than the NHL rink making it longer and winder and there is more space between the end boards and the goal.

Penalty shots are the next difference. In the Olympic games a player may be charged with a penalty shot whether they have penalized another player or not.

Fighting is another difference between the two. In the Olympic Games any player that fights is given a match penalty and are ejected.

Shootouts are another difference. In the Olympic Games if a score is tied sudden death is played. In the NHL they use three players from each team to break the tie.

Icing is the next difference. In the Olympic Games it is not necessary for a player to touch the puck for icing to be called.