Crease (hockey)

An ice hockey rink is an ice rink that is specifically designed for ice hockey, a team competing sport. Alternatively it is used for other sports such as broomball, ringette and rink bandy. It is rectangular with rounded corners and surrounded by a wall approximately 1 meter (40–48 inches) high called the boards.

Rink, a Scots word meaning 'course', was used as the name of a place where another game, curling, was played. Early in its history, ice hockey was played mostly on rinks constructed for curling. The name was retained after hockey-specific facilities were built.

There are two standard sizes for hockey rinks: one used primarily in North America (NHL, AHL, ECHL, etc.), the other used in the rest of the world (IIHF). The two sizes are known as NHL (for the smaller version used primarily in North America), and Olympic (for international play).

Hockey rinks in most of the world follow the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) specifications, which are 61.0 metres (200 ft) × 30.0 metres (98.4 ft) with a corner radius of 8.5 metres (28 ft).

The surface is divided lengthwise by five lines marked on the ice surface: icing line, blue line, centre red line, blue line, icing line. The middle three lines mark the three zones of the rink and are the defending zone (icing line to blue line), the neutral zone (blue line to blue line), and the attacking zone (blue line to icing line).

The two icing lines are 4.0 metres (13.1 ft) from the end boards, and the blue lines are 22.86 metres (75.0 ft) from the end boards.

Most North American rinks follow the National Hockey League (NHL) specifications of 200 feet (61 m) × 85 feet (26 m) with a corner radius of 28 feet (8.5 m). The distance from the end boards to the nearest goal line is 11 feet (3.4 m). The NHL attacking zones are expanded, with blue lines 64 feet (20 m) from the goal line and 50 feet (15 m) apart. Canadian rinks may vary from NHL ones, especially in the goal crease shape (semi-circular), and in the rink dimensions which can accept widths from 85 to 100 feet.

In Finland the rink should be 60 metres (200 ft) long and between 26–30 metres (85–98 ft) wide.

The rink specifications originate from the ice surface of the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal, constructed in 1862, where the first indoor game was played in 1875. Its ice surface measured 204 feet (62 m) × 80 feet (24 m). The curved corners are considered to originate from the design of the Montreal Arena, also in Montreal, constructed in 1898.

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