Goal (net)The posts and crossbar are red; the mesh behind them is white.
BoardsWhite facing the ice, with a light yellow strip at the bottom.
Center line (red line)Divides the rink in half and is used to judge icing.
Blue lineUsed to judge offside as play enters the attacking zone.
Goal crease (crease)Marked by a red line, with a light blue inside.
Players' benchesPlaced as near the rink's center as possible.
Penalty box (penalty bench)Each team has a separate one with its own door.
Center face-off circle (center circle)The only blue ring on the ice; the other four are red.
The whole rink from above 7
Neutral zoneHolds five face-off spots of the nine.
Center face-off spot (center ice spot)Every period, and play after every goal, starts with a face-off here.
Attacking zone (offensive zone)The zone farthest from the goal a team defends.
Defending zone (defensive zone)One team's defending zone is the other team's attacking zone.
Neutral-zone face-off spotFour in all, two near each blue line.
Scorekeeper's box (scorekeeper's bench)The referee's crease is marked on the ice before it.
Referee's crease (officials' crease)During a stoppage, players may not enter it unless an official allows.
One end zone, enlarged 5
Goal lineRuns the full width of the ice, not just between the posts.
End-zone face-off circleOnly the two players taking the face-off may stand inside.
End-zone face-off spotPainted red across the middle and white at two edges.
Hash marksPlayers may not enter the space between them before the puck drops.
Goalkeeper's restricted area (trapezoid)Behind the goal line, a goalkeeper may play the puck only here.
The boards cut through 1
Protective glass (glass)Stands taller behind each goal than along the sides.
How this list was compiled: Part names and every detail line were checked, for facts only and with nothing copied, against documents fetched on 2026-09-20. The International Ice Hockey Federation's Official Rulebook 2026/27, Version 1.0, June 2026: https://blob.iihf.com/iihf-media/iihfmvc/media/downloads/rule%20book/2026-27_iihf_rule_book.pdf (Rule 1.3, the boards are white with a light yellow kick plate and carry protective glass that is higher behind each goal than along the sides; Rule 1.4, protective netting above the end-zone glass; Rule 1.5, the red Goal Line across the entire width of the ice, the two Blue Lines that divide the ice into three zones, the red Center Line, and the Goal Crease marked by a red line; Rule 1.6, Defending Zone, Neutral Zone and Attacking Zone, the attacking zone being the portion farthest from the defended goal, with a plan that names Players' Bench, Penalty Box and Official Scorekeeper Box and shows the scorekeeper's box between the two penalty boxes; Rule 1.7, the On-Ice Officials' Crease, a semi-circle in front of the Official Scorekeepers' Box; Rule 1.8, the Goalkeeper's Restricted Area, a trapezoidal area behind each goal between the goal line and the boards; Rule 1.9, the blue Center Ice Face-off Spot inside a blue circle, four red Neutral-zone Face-off Spots, four red End-Zone Face-off Spots with red circles, each red spot painted red between two parallel lines and white in the remainder, and the short red lines on the outer edge of each end-zone circle; Rule 2, a goal frame with red posts and crossbar and a white net; Rule 3.1, players' benches as close to the rink's center as possible; Rule 3.2, a separate penalty box for each team with only one door; Rule 27.7, a goalkeeper may not play the puck behind the goal line outside the restricted area; Rule 76, no other player may enter the face-off circle, and encroachment into the area between the hash marks before the puck is dropped is a violation). Hockey Canada's Playing Rules 2026-2028, a national amateur rule book: https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Officiating/Downloads/2026-28-hc-rulebook-e.pdf (Section 1, Rules 1.1 to 1.11: boards with a light base plate, glass or plexiglass to keep pucks out of the spectator areas, Goal Line, Blue-Lines, Centre Red Line, Defending, Neutral and Attacking Zone, Goal Crease with a light blue interior, Centre Ice Spot and Circle in blue, Face-off Spots in Neutral Zone, End Zone Face-off Spots and Circles in red, Players' Bench placed in the neutral zone, as close to the rink's centre as possible, two separate Penalty Benches, each with its own gate, and the Referee's Crease, which players may not enter during a stoppage of play unless directed by an official; the Glossary uses hash marks; Rule 6.3, centre ice face-offs take place at the start of each period and following a goal. This book marks no goalkeeper's restricted area and has no netting rule). Second witness for the everyday names: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_hockey_rink (the centre line halves the ice and is used to judge icing; the blue lines are used to judge offside; 9 faceoff spots, two per end zone, two at either end of the neutral zone, one in the centre; hash marks near the end zone faceoff spots; the crease lets the goaltender work without interference; the trapezoid, also the goalkeeper's restricted area; the referee's crease, a semicircle in front of the scorekeepers bench; offensive zone and defensive zone) and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penalty_box (penalty box, also sin bin; typically one for each team). Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-28: a composite teaching rink, not any arena; nothing traced or copied. Licence: own work
How it works
An ice hockey rink is a sheet of ice with rounded corners, closed in by boards and glass and crossed by five painted lines. This drawing shows the whole rink from above, enlarges one end zone and cuts through the end boards: 21 names.
Read the full guide
Hockey rink parts from end to end
Each goal stands on a thin red goal line, with the goal crease in front and the goalkeeper's restricted area behind. Two blue lines split the ice into three zones, and the thick red center line halves the neutral zone. Face-offs happen at nine spots. The center spot and the four end-zone spots sit inside circles, and the end-zone circles carry hash marks.
Attacking zone or defending zone?
The end zones have no fixed names. A team's defending zone holds its own goal and its attacking zone is the far end, so the names swap with the team. The arrow under the rink shows which way this drawing's team skates.
Typed answers take center or centre, and face-off with or without the hyphen.
Questions and answers
What are the parts of a hockey rink called?
The ice is ringed by boards topped with protective glass. Painted on it are two goal lines, two blue lines, the center line, two goal creases, nine face-off spots and five circles. Off the ice are the players' benches, penalty boxes and the scorekeeper's box.
What are the lines on a hockey rink?
Five lines cross the ice. A thin red goal line runs near each end. Two blue lines mark off the zones and are used to judge offside. The thick red center line divides the rink in half and is used to judge icing.
What is the trapezoid behind the net?
It is the goalkeeper's restricted area. Behind the goal line, a goalkeeper may play the puck only inside it, and playing it outside brings a minor penalty. Not every rule book marks one, so some rinks have none.
How many face-off spots are on a hockey rink?
Nine. One blue spot is at the center of the rink. Four red spots are in the neutral zone, two near each blue line, and four more are in the end zones, two beside each goal.
Which names does this drawing follow?
Names were checked on September 20, 2026 against the International Ice Hockey Federation's 2026/27 rule book and Hockey Canada's 2026-2028 playing rules. Only the first marks the trapezoid. The second says Centre Red Line and Penalty Bench, and typed answers accept both.