SRSport Rules
Hockey - Zone Entry

Offside and tag-up, sorted out.

Hockey offside is about sequence, not just position. Officials are judging whether the puck entered the attacking zone before all attacking players cleared or whether the entry stayed legal because the players tagged up in time.

Quick ruling: the puck has to enter the attacking zone before attacking skates fully break the blue line. If attackers are already in early, they must clear the zone and tag up before they can touch the puck again.
Decision path

How the call is made

  1. Check the blue line at the instant the puck enters the attacking zone.
  2. Ask whether any attacking player is already fully over the line ahead of the puck.
  3. If nobody is in early, play is onside.
  4. If attackers are in early, officials check whether the code uses delayed offside and whether those players immediately clear the zone.
  5. If they tag up and all attacking players get out before re-engaging, play can continue. If not, the whistle comes for offside.
What changes it

Details fans miss most

  • The blue line counts as part of the zone entry line: a skate can still be legal if it is in contact with or above the line while the puck crosses.
  • It is about the player, not only the stick: the puck may be on the stick, but the skates still decide whether the player legally stayed onside.
  • Tag-up requires full clearance: a player who hovers on the blue line or reaches back with the stick may still keep the team offside if the body has not cleared as required by that code.
  • Possession matters in review-heavy codes: some competitions care whether the zone entry was controlled or whether the defending team had a chance to reset before any reviewable goal sequence.
Edge case

When the puck leaves and comes right back

If the puck exits the attacking zone and an attacker is still inside, that team usually has to clear before playing the puck back in. Fans often think the first dump-out resets everything instantly, but delayed offside logic means the players still have cleanup work to do.

Common argument

"His skate was in the air, so he was offside"

Not automatically. In many codes the question is whether the skate was still above or breaking the plane of the blue line, not whether it was physically touching the ice. That is why replay often zooms in on skate position relative to the line rather than looking for blade contact with the surface.