Faceoffs: how play starts and restarts.

What a faceoff is

A faceoff is an official dropping the puck between the sticks of two opposing players to start or restart play (IIHF Rule 76.1, NHL Rule 76.1, Hockey Canada Rule 6.2). Goaltenders may not take one under any of the three rulebooks. Hockey Canada's 2026-28 rule adds that a faceoff is complete only when the puck has been legally dropped, meaning it touches the ice before it touches a stick or a player; if it does not, the official stops play and drops it again.

The player who takes most faceoffs is usually the centre. NHL.com's Seattle Kraken guide (2022) describes the centre as the forward who takes most draws, leads breakouts and helps defend in the team's own end.

Who drops the puck

Under the IIHF 2026/27 rules (Rule 31.3) and the NHL 2026-2027 rules (Rules 31.3 and 32.2), a referee drops the puck to start each period and the linespersons take every other faceoff. The NHL text adds that a linesperson drops the puck to start regular-season overtime.

Where faceoffs happen

The IIHF and NHL rules say every faceoff must take place on one of the nine marked spots: one at centre ice, four in the neutral zone and four in the end zones (see the rink). The NHL and Hockey Canada texts repeatedly place the restart where it gives the offending team the least territorial advantage. A few examples:

• After a penalty: when a penalty puts time on the clock, the faceoff moves to one of the offending team's end-zone spots, and the team going on the power play chooses which one (IIHF Rule 76.2, NHL Rule 76.2). Both list exceptions, such as a penalty called after a goal or at the end or start of a period, which go to centre ice. Hockey Canada's Rule 6.3(c) lists five exceptions of its own.
• After an icing: the IIHF (Rule 81.2) and NHL (Rule 81.2) let the non-offending, attacking team choose which end-zone dot is used. Hockey Canada's Rule 6.4(b) gives the non-offending team that choice in Junior and Senior, after an icing or a time penalty.
• Centre ice: Hockey Canada's Rule 6.3(a) limits centre-ice faceoffs to the start of each period, after a goal, after some premature goaltender substitutions and after a wrongly called icing.
• No faceoff near the net: the NHL's Rule 76.2 says no faceoff may be held within 15 ft of the goal or the side boards, or anywhere other than a spot.

In US high school hockey, the NFHS said on 21 May 2026 that for 2026-27 state associations may let the non-offending team choose the faceoff location after an icing or a penalty (new Rule 9-1 Article 12).

Lining up

Under the NHL (Rule 76.4) and Hockey Canada (Rule 6.2(a)) rules, the two players taking the faceoff stand squarely facing the opponents' end, about a stick length apart, with their blades on the ice. Everyone else must be onside and outside the circle. The IIHF's Rule 76.6 says they must be at least 4.5 m from the players facing off, and Hockey Canada's Rule 6.2(a) says at least 4.57 m (15 ft). On end-zone faceoffs the other players stay behind the restraining lines.

There is also a time limit. The IIHF's Rule 76.3 gives teams no more than five seconds to line up after the whistle. The NHL's Rule 76.3 starts a five-second count when the linesperson blows the whistle once line changes are done. In both, the limit is not enforced in the last two minutes of regulation or in overtime.

Who puts the stick down first

The rulebooks fix the order in which the two players place their sticks:

In US college hockey, an NCAA proposal of 21 May 2026 would require both centres' blades to be flat on the ice before a men's faceoff; at that date it was a proposal.

Faceoff violations

Encroaching into the circle, lining up offside, making contact or not being set in time all count as violations. The usual sanction is that the offending centre is sent out and a teammate takes the draw.

• IIHF 2026/27 (Rule 76): a new change for 2026/27 removes the offending team's centre for a violation. On a faceoff after an icing, the first violation brings a warning instead. Two violations by the same team on one faceoff bring a bench minor for delay of game (Rule 76.7).
• NHL 2026-2027 (Rule 76): the linesperson replaces an offending centre. A second violation by the same team on the same faceoff brings a bench minor for delay of game. After an icing, the first violation by either team does not remove the centre; the team is warned, and any later violation brings a bench minor.
• Hockey Canada 2026-28 (Rule 6.2): the player taking the faceoff for the offending team is removed, and any teammate except the goaltender may step in. No line change is allowed unless a penalty makes a team short-handed. A second violation on the same faceoff may bring a minor for delay of game under Rule 10.1. Contact with the opponent's body during the faceoff, other than while playing the puck after the drop, is a minor (Rule 6.2(c)). Junior divisions have an extra rule for faceoffs after icing (Rule 6.5).

The USA Hockey 2025-29 rulebook text was not available for this site, so its faceoff procedure is not described here. Check your league's rules, which can differ from the national text in detail.