Ice hockey rink

An ice hockey rink is an ice rink that is specifically designed for ice hockey, a team 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.

Name origins

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.

Dimensions

There are two standard sizes for hockey rinks: one used primarily in North America, the other used in the rest of the world.

International

Hockey rinks in most of the world follow the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) specifications, which is 61 metres (200 ft) × 30.5 metres (100 ft) with a corner radius of 8.5 metres (28 ft). The distance from the end boards to the nearest goal line is 4 metres (13 ft). The distance from each goal line to the nearest blue line is 17.3 metres (57 ft). The distance between the two blue lines is also 17.3 metres (57 ft).