How icing works in hockey for Olympic gold medal game between USA and Canada originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Olympic gold medal game has featured a number of icing calls in the early going.
It's a rule that is unfamiliar to those who don't watch hockey a ton. Team USA and Canada certainly know how it works, though.
Here's a quick refresher.
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What is icing in hockey?
Icing is an infraction during hockey games.
It occurs when one team sends the puck toward the other end from behind the middle red line.
If it isn't touched by anyone, and crosses the goal line at the far end, it can be icing.
For it to be officially called, the defensive player has to get to the puck before the offensive player.
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What happens after icing?
After icing, the puck is taken to the opposite end of the ice for a faceoff in the offensive zone for the team that didn't ice.
The team that did the icing cannot make a line change, meaning all its players have to stay in the game, which can lead to tired legs.
Is there icing on penalties?
When it's a penalty kill, there is no icing.
That's why defensive teams killing a penalty will clear the puck all the way to the far end of the ice.
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