NHL rink dimensions: how they compare with the SHL
NHL ice measures 200 × 85 feet, about 61 × 26 metres. Compare the dimensions with the SHLSHL, the Swedish Hockey League, is Sweden’s top men’s domestic ice hockey league.’s 60 × 30 metres and international standards.
An NHL rink measures 200 feet by 85 feet. That converts to 60.96 × 25.908 metres, usually rounded to 61 × 26 metres. The SHLSHL, the Swedish Hockey League, is Sweden’s top men’s domestic ice hockey league. standard is 60 × 30 metres. NHL ice is therefore slightly longer but just over 4 metres narrower.
Width accounts for the main difference. Describing a Swedish player’s move to North America simply as a move from a large rink to a small one misses the fact that the dimensions change in 2 directions.
NHL rink dimensions in feet and metres
Rule 1.2 of the NHL’s 2026/27 rulebook specifies dimensions in feet. One foot is exactly 0.3048 metres:
- Length: 200 × 0.3048 = 60.96 metres.
- Width: 85 × 0.3048 = 25.908 metres.
The descriptions 61 × 26 metres and 60.96 × 25.91 metres refer to the same NHL standard at different levels of rounding.
How big is an SHL rink?
The SHL’s own rules overview gives a length of 60 metres and a width of 30 metres. Section 1.1 of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association’s 2026/27 facility regulations uses the same basic dimensions.
Compared with that standard, an NHL rink is 0.96 metres longer and 4.092 metres narrower. Imagine aligning the centres of the 2 surfaces: the width difference would be about 2 metres on either side.
How much smaller is the surface?
A simple length-times-width calculation gives roughly 1,579 square metres for the NHL dimensions and 1,800 for the SHLSHL, the Swedish Hockey League, is Sweden’s top men’s domestic ice hockey league. dimensions. The difference is about 221 square metres, or just over 12 percent of the Swedish rectangle.
That calculation does not subtract the rounded corners.
Rink sizes in major hockey countries
The country alone does not always establish the rink size. This list distinguishes league standards, permitted rulebook dimensions and examples from individual arenas. Length is given first, then width.
- United States and Canada, NHL: 60.96 × 25.908 metres under NHL Rule 1.2.
- Sweden, SHLSHL, the Swedish Hockey League, is Sweden’s top men’s domestic ice hockey league.: 60 × 30 metres according to the SHL’s playing-surface overview.
- Finland, Liiga: dimensions vary by arena. Liiga’s club pages list 60 × 28 metres for TPS in Turku and 60 × 29 metres for Kärpät in Oulu, for example.
- Czechia, rulebook range: 60 metres long and 26–30 metres wide in Rule 1.2 of the federation’s 2026/27 rulebook.
- Germany, DEL: 60 metres long and 26–30 metres wide under Rule 1.2 of the DEL’s 2026/27 rulebook. Deviations require league approval.
- Switzerland, National League arena example: Swiss Life Arena in Zürich, home of the ZSC Lions, lists 60 × 30 metres.
Are European and international rinks all the same size?
No. SHLSHL, the Swedish Hockey League, is Sweden’s top men’s domestic ice hockey league. dimensions should not automatically be used for every international tournament. Rule 1.2 of the IIHF’s 2026/27 rulebook specifies a length of 60 metres and a width range of 26–30 metres. A width close to the NHL standard does not make the length and other markings identical.
Check the competition and arena specifications when discussing a particular international game or tournament. Our NHL schedule follows NHL fixtures; the comparison above concerns the leagues’ standard dimensions.