Gloves and pants: what the rules ban and how they should fit.

Gloves

The one firm rule: keep the palm

Every rulebook we read bans a glove whose palm has been cut away so the player can use a bare hand.

• IIHF Official Rule Book 2026/27, Rule 12.2: a glove with all or part of the palm removed or cut to allow use of the bare hand is illegal, and wearing one brings a minor penalty. A complaint that is not sustained brings the complaining team a bench minor.
• NHL Official Rules 2026-2027, Rule 12.2: the same rule, with a minor for the player and a bench minor for delaying the game if the complaint is not sustained.
• Hockey Canada 2026-28 Playing Rules: the interpretation of Rule 3.6(a) says the rule targets palms deliberately removed or cut out. Small holes from normal wear and tear are allowed, unless the referee judges them large enough that the player can use a bare hand to hold an opponent or gain an advantage.

Gloves are one of the few items all three rulebooks allow outside the uniform, along with headgear and goalie leg pads (and, under the IIHF and NHL, neck protection).

Fitting gloves

The Pashby fitting guide (Hockey Development Centre for Ontario with the Dr. Tom Pashby Sports Safety Fund) says gloves should fit snugly but not tightly and should overlap the elbow pad through the full range of motion. The padding on the back of the hand should absorb shock, and the palm should be soft and free of holes.

Wrists

The AHL required skaters and officials to wear cut-resistant wrist sleeves in 2023-24, and the IIHF's 2026/27 Rule 9.5 strongly recommends cut-resistant sleeves for all players. The NCAA will require cut-resistant protection for the neck, wrist and ankle areas for Division I men's and National Collegiate women's players from 2027-28, per its 23 July 2026 announcement.

Pants

What the rulebooks say

• IIHF 2026/27, Rule 9.1: pants must be one consistent colour and must not be ripped, cut or torn in the leg or thigh area.
• NHL 2026-27, Rule 9.5: pants must be worn the same way by all players, be one consistent colour around and throughout the leg, and not be ripped, cut or torn in the leg or thigh. Rule 9.1 bars altered uniforms of any kind.
• Goalie pants are measured and sized much more closely; see goalie equipment.

Jerseys and tie-downs

Pants and jersey are worn together, and the rules link them. Under the IIHF's 2026/27 Rule 9.3, a skater's jersey may not hang below the pants or have sleeves reaching past the glove fingers, must be worn outside the pants, and must be fastened with tie-down straps; after a warning, a breach brings a minor. The NHL's 2026-27 Rule 9.3 says sleeves must reach into the glove cuff and jerseys must be properly tied down at all times. Hockey Canada's 2026-28 Rule 3.9 requires a secure jersey tie-down in Junior and Senior divisions, and penalizes a player who keeps fighting after the jersey comes up over the shoulder blades or an arm comes out.

Fitting pants

• The Pashby guide says pants are fitted by waist size with the shin pads on. They should slightly overlap the top of the shin pad and protect the front and side of the thigh, the tailbone, the hips and the kidney area. For female players, it says to fit the hips first, then check the length.
• Hockey Canada's own player fitting guide, as summarised in search results, says pants should rest on the hips and slightly overlap the top of the knee pads without sagging or restricting movement, and that suspenders are optional. We could not open that guide directly.
• The two guides word the overlap differently, one saying the top of the shin pad and the other the knee pads. They likely mean the same knee cap at the top of the shin guard.
• As with all pads, the Pashby guide says never buy pants to grow into.

Keeping them usable

The Pashby guide says to dry all equipment after every game or practice to slow its deterioration and to wash undergarments after every use. See equipment care.

Check your association's current rules on uniforms and protective equipment, as leagues and branches can add their own.