One 60-second time-out, and none in curfew games
Rule numbers: USAH 636(f)
Each team gets one 60-second time-out per game, usable in regulation or overtime; it is not one per period. In time-curfew games no time-outs are allowed. A time-out must be requested during a stoppage, before the line-change procedure is over. If both teams want one at the same stoppage, the second request must come before the first time-out ends. A team can spend its time-out warming up a goalkeeper, with no more than four pucks per team, and non-penalized skaters and goalkeepers may go to their benches. Confirm curfew status with the scorekeeper before the game.
For time curfew games, no time-outs shall be permitted.
- Clock
- Game clock stays stopped; time the 60 seconds separately.
Example
In a 12U game played on a time curfew, a coach asks for a time-out with a minute left. The referee declines, because no time-outs are allowed in curfew games.
Common mistake: Granting a time-out in a curfew game, after the line change is complete, or a second one in overtime.
Sources
- USA Hockey 2025-29 Official Rules and Casebook of Ice Hockey, Rule 636(f), p. 206 (PDF p. 240)
- USA Hockey 2025-29 Official Rules and Casebook of Ice Hockey, Rule 636(f) (continued), p. 207 (PDF p. 241)
Verified