About Hockey Goals

There are three types of hockey--field hockey, ice hockey and roller hockey (also called inline hockey). Each of these sports has its own rules and regulations and each has specific stipulations regarding the nature of the goals that are used for the sport.

  1. Basic Construction

    • The basic construction of a hockey goal consists of a lightweight metal frame and a net. The frame has two vertical posts and one horizontal bar that give it an open rectangular face. The net is attached to these posts and the horizontal bar, and it goes down and connects to a bar on the ground at the back of the goal. There is usually a line at the front of the goal that coincides with the horizontal bar. The quickest way to differentiate between a field hockey goal and a soccer goal is that there is generally an area of solid material--rather than netting--that goes around the bottom of a field hockey goal.

    Field Hockey Goal Dimensions

    • The International Hockey Federation stipulates that its goals must have a face of 3.66 meters by 2.14 meters and a minimum depth of 1.20 meters.

    Ice Hockey Goal Dimensions

    • There are two main governing bodies for the sport of ice hockey, The National Hockey League and the International Ice Hockey Federation. The NHL stipulates that its goals must have a face of 72 inches by 48 inches and a depth of 44 inches. The IIHF stipulates that its goals must have a face of 183 centimeters by 122 centimeters and a depth of 60 centimeters.

    Roller Hockey Goal Dimensions

    • Because the sport is relatively young, the governing bodies of roller hockey are not as universally accepted as those for ice hockey and field hockey. However, a common measurement for a roller hockey goal face is 6 feet by 4 feet.

    Amateur Goals

    • Since there is such a variety of size regulations for different types and levels of hockey, and since goals are generally somewhat expensive, many amateur players simply settle for whatever they can get. This means that they play with a variety of different goals, often borrowing soccer goals, as that sport is generally more common than any form of hockey.