Section 4: Players/Officials
Team Composition
Each NHL team is permitted to dress a maximum of 20 players for a regular season game (18 skaters and 2 goaltenders). During play, each team has six players on the ice: typically one goaltender, two defensemen, and three forwards (a center and two wingers). Teams may pull their goaltender in favor of an extra skater at any time during play.
Captains and Alternate Captains
Each team designates one Captain (wearing a "C" on their jersey) and no more than three Alternate Captains (wearing an "A"). Only the Captain and Alternate Captains are permitted to discuss rule interpretations with the referee during the game.
Line Changes
Players may be substituted freely during stoppages of play and during continuous play ("on the fly"), provided the player leaving the ice is within five feet of their bench and is not actively involved in play. A team that has too many players on the ice is assessed a bench minor penalty.
On-Ice Officials
- Referees (2): Two referees oversee each game. They are responsible for calling penalties, awarding goals, and managing all aspects of game conduct. Referees wear orange armbands to distinguish them from linesmen.
- Linesmen (2): Two linesmen are responsible for calling offside and icing violations, conducting face-offs, and breaking up altercations. Linesmen may report certain infractions to the referee but do not call penalties directly (with limited exceptions for certain major penalties and too-many-men infractions).
Off-Ice Officials
Off-ice officials include the official scorer, game timekeeper, penalty timekeeper, goal judges, video goal judge, and the NHL Situation Room in Toronto, which has the authority to review goals, potential missed stoppages, and other game-changing plays via video review.