Ice hockey rules
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The majority of ice hockey around the world is played under the umbrella of three organizations, Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, and the International Ice Hockey Federation, each with their own set of rules. Hockey Canada and USA Hockey rulebooks are used in most amateur hockey in North America, and the IIHF rulebook is used in both amateur and professional hockey in the rest of the world.
The National Hockey League has its own rulebook, from which the rulebooks of most North American professional leagues are derived. United States high school leagues use the National Federation of State High School Associations rulebook, and varsity college hockey is governed by the National Collegiate Athletic Association's rules.
These six rules organizations, in addition to their own meetings, gather at a conference, and rule changes significant to game play have traditionally been made "across the board." However, recently, changes have been made at the amateur hockey levels to improve game play, while changes at professional levels have been made to make the game more exciting to spectators.
Hockey Canada and USA Hockey's rulebooks differ primarily in technical matters such as the severity of penalties handed out for various fouls. IIHF rules differ a bit more due to the differences in the dimensions of North American hockey rinks from those in the rest of the world. In recent times, both USA Hockey and Hockey Canada have been trying to make their rules more similar to the international rules. The merits of this move towards a more standardized rulebook, however, are debated in amateur hockey circles. Many feel that the more physical style of hockey played in North America needs to be governed differently.
NHL rules are very different since they evolved separately from the amateur rules and changes are easier to implement because of the smaller scope of the league. In recent years, the low scores of NHL games have prompted the league to debate a wide variety of rule change proposals including enlarging the size of the goal, widening the blue and red lines to create a larger offensive zone, restricting where goaltenders can handle the puck, breaking ties with a penalty shot shootout, and eliminating the two-line pass rule, which does not exist in international and most amateur rulebooks.
The effect these changes will have is heavily debated. Many feel if the current rules are applied more strictly, scoring will increase, so the proposed rule changes are unnecessary.
