Difference Between NHL And Olympic Hockey Rink Explained

The dimensions of Olympic Hockey Rink in Beijing 2022 were 200 feet long and 85 feet wide. However, the previous Olympic arenas were 200 by 100 feet.

Ice hockey was featured as an athletic competition event in 1920. However, the game was only played 4 years later in Chamonix, France.

Professional ice hockey was developed in Montreal, Canada in 1875. The Stanley Cup was commissioned in 1892 and gradually became an NHL playoff trophy.

The neutral zone was bigger, and the offensive zone was smaller in the Olympic arena before the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

The difference in the dimensions gave a hard time for the goaltenders. It created difficulty for the goalie to react to the puck shots from top zones.

The distance between the goal line and the board was also 13 feet. It made more space for the players to move around increasing their chance of goal.

Rink Size Gradually Expanded In The Olympics

The original rink size of the 1924 Winter Olympics was 184 feet by 54 feet which is comparatively more minor than it is now.

The width was expanded to 85 feet in the 1928 Winter Olympics. The following games pursued the exact dimensions of the ice field.

However, in 1952, both sizes were updated to 194 feet in length and 95 feet in width. In 1960, it advanced to 197 by 98 feet finally changing to 200 by 100 feet.

In the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the size of the ice course was 200 by 85 feet. Likewise, the field size was matched with the NHL standard size in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, as announced by the IIHF.

Olympic Wider Rink Purpose

The wider ice area in the Olympics is created so the players can have more ground to play the puck, defend it, and earn a score.

If the sports competition has provided one merit, it has snatched another from the players. They have changed the size of offensive, defensive, and neutral zones.

Players often practice and play other championships in a smaller area. When they suddenly have to shift to a bigger one, they have to prepare mentally.

Though it feels good to watch the game in large areas, the competitors have difficulty being familiar with the expanded field and zone change.

NHL ice rink dimensions are 200 feet by 85 feet. The arena has drastically changed since the first championship in 1917.

The National Hockey League did not have any rules regarding the dimensions of the arena. In the first few decades, the length and width varied.

However, in the 1929-30 season, the ice hockey league introduced a standard-sized course. Despite that, the clubs took decades to adapt to the modern size.

NHL Rinks Throughout The Decades

According to The Faceoff, the change in the dimension of NHL rinks can be summed by four eras, and they are listed below:

• Vintage Era (1917-1949)
• Original Six Era (1950 to 1964)
• Expansion Era (1965-1986)
• Modern Era (1987-Present)

From 1917 To 1949

• One face-off area and a line between the two nets in the 1917-18 season.
• The field was divided into neutral, defensive, and goal lines in the 1918-19 season.
• The neutral zone was expanded by 20 feet.
• A face-off point was added in front of each goal net.
• Six more face-offs were introduced at the neutral zone.
• L-shaped boundaries were placed in front of the goal net.
• Penalty shot circles were added between the goal line and the blue line.
• Two face-offs are introduced in the defensive zone (the ones in front of the goal net were removed)
• The width of the blue lines was increased and the goal crease was modified.
• The central red line was added in the 1944-45 season.
• The penalty shot was removed (the penalty is taken from the central line).
• The area inside the goal net was painted white from the 1947-48 season.

From 1950 To 1964

• The entire surface of the field is painted white.
• The size of the goal crease and face-off circles expanded.
• Two faceoff dots were removed from the neutral zone in the 1952-53 season.
• The size of the remaining face-off points was increased.
• Hash marks were made to keep players onside during a face-off.
• Horizontal hash mark and referees crease were added in the 1957-58 game.
• At the face-off dots, crosshairs are added.

From 1965 To 1986

• Checkered lines replaced the central red line.
• Crosshairs were updated to T-shaped markings.
• The size of the crosshairs was increased and a small hash mark was added.
• The single hash marks got replaced by doubles in the 1978-79 season.
• All former markings inside the face-off circles were removed in the 1982-83 season.

From 1987 To The Present

• A round goal crease was introduced in the 1986-87 season.
• Face-offs moved one foot away from the end boards.
• The goal crease is removed and L-shape markings are placed on the edge of the semi-circle crease.
• The color of the goal area net is changed to white (formerly tinted blue).
• L-shaped positioning marks were introduced at the face-offs at the defensive end in the 1996-97 season.
• Goals lines, blue lines, and face-off circles were moved 2 feet closer to the neutral zone, and the size of the goal crease was altered.
• NHL painted ribbons behind the goalpost to honor victims of the 2001 World Trade Center attack.
• Face-off dots of the neutral zone were matched with those from the defense zones in the 2002-03 season.
• Trapezoidal areas were added behind the goal line and the neutral zone was shortened. Hash marks were moved and the trapezoidal area was increased in the 2014-12 season.

Why Is NHL Rink Smaller?

The ice hockey tournament has a smaller rink to keep making it hard for their players to score. The game is more challenging that way.

At its inception, NHL did not regulate the arena's size. But gradually, the need for uniform ice fields emerged, and the league set its rules.

The field of the famous North American league is smaller than the international and Olympics. It is narrower in terms of a few feets.

All the National Hockey League games are played in a field size of 200 by 85 feet. Some fields contain heavy lighting systems and boards which make them distinguished.

International Ice Hockey Rink size is 196.9 feet long and 98.4 feet wide (60/30 meters). The field size is set by the International Ice Hockey Federation(IIHF).

From the end boards, the goal lines in the international arenas are 13 feet away, and the blue lines are 75 feet away. The size is comparatively wider than that of the NHL.

The IIHF sets the size of the ice field for all international competitions. However, NHL stands as an independent league and does not follow the rules of IIHF.

International Ice Rink Size vs NHL

With a broader playing field, the players can easily skate and score in the wider ice field rather than the narrow one. Also, the focus is on strategy rather than skating.

European leagues follow the international size for their course. The players are familiar with the open space and have an advantage in international competitions. With the huge ice field, European ice hockey games are less violent.

On the contrary, NHL players have to focus on both skating skills and strategy. They play on a densely packed course and have less space to breathe which causes injuries.