1st Period · Lesson 2 of 12 · Free
Faceoffs and line changes
Who changes first after a whistle, and why the puck is dropped where it is.
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1/4 The whistle goes. The official points at the faceoff spot where play will restart.
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2/4 The visitors change first: they get about five seconds to send new players out.
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3/4 Then the official raises a hand toward the home bench, and home gets about five seconds of its own.
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4/4 The hand comes down, a short whistle, and the puck is dropped at the dot within about five seconds.
Most line changes happen on the fly, while play goes on: tired players come to the bench and fresh ones jump over the boards. At a stoppage the order is set by the rules: visitors first, then home. That is the home team's small advantage: it sees the other team's players before it picks its own.
A team that keeps delaying the change gets one warning for the game; after that, another delay is a minor penalty. No more changes are allowed until play restarts unless a penalty is called.
Where the puck is dropped tells a story. After icing it goes back to the end of the team that iced it. After penalties that leave one team short right away, it goes to the end-zone dot of the team that lost more players. After a goal, and for a penalty at the end or start of a period, it is center ice.