The seven-letter answer you’re hunting for is FACE-OFF.
Crossword constructors love this clue because it works multiple ways: “start of play in ice hockey,” “how hockey begins,” or “method of starting and restarting play.” The term shows up in puzzles from The New York Times to your local newspaper, and for good reason. It’s specific enough to eliminate confusion but familiar enough that casual hockey fans recognize it.
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How the Puck Drops
Two players line up across from each other at one of nine marked spots on the ice. An official holds the puck between them. When he drops it, both players fight for possession. That’s a face-off in its simplest form.
The mechanics get more detailed in the rulebook. Players must stand facing their opponent’s end of the rink, sticks touching the ice outside the face-off dot. Everyone else stays back. At center ice and the four corner spots surrounded by circles, only those two players can stand inside until the puck hits ice.
Referees handle drops at center ice for period starts and after goals. Linesmen take everything else. The visiting team places their stick down first at center ice. For the other eight spots, whichever team is defending that zone goes first. That changed in 2015. Before then, visiting players always went first everywhere.
Where It Happens
Nine spots exist on every regulation rink. Center ice gets the most attention because that’s where periods begin and where play resumes after someone scores. The other eight spots split between the zones: two in each attacking area near the goal, and two at each end of the neutral zone between the blue lines.
The NHL didn’t always restrict face-offs to these spots. Until June 2007, officials could drop the puck wherever it was last played when a whistle blew. Rule 76.2 changed that. Now every face-off happens at one of the nine designated locations, no exceptions.
Breaking the Rules
Move your stick early and you’re out. Fail to position yourself correctly when told and you’re replaced. Have a teammate creep into the circle too soon and you’re gone. Officials enforce face-off violations strictly because players constantly try to cheat for an advantage.
The 2024-25 season brought one notable change. After an icing call, the first violation now gets a warning instead of an automatic boot from the circle. A second violation still draws a delay of game penalty. The adjustment came after complaints that officials were too quick to toss centers, particularly in high-pressure situations.
Who Takes Them
Centers handle most face-offs because they train specifically for this skill. Some become specialists. Patrice Bergeron built part of his Hall of Fame reputation on face-off dominance, regularly winning over 60% of his draws. Jean-Gabriel Pageau led all centers this season at 59.6%.
Wingers occasionally step in, particularly if a center gets kicked out for a violation. Defensemen almost never take face-offs unless something unusual happens with line changes or penalties.
The statistics reveal something interesting though. Research from the 2017-18 season showed face-off wins barely correlated with actual game outcomes. Winning at the dot helps with possession, but it takes roughly 75 face-off victories to generate a single goal advantage. Good teams win games through what happens after the puck drops, not because of who wins the draw.
The Original Bully
Hockey didn’t always use face-offs. Early organized games featured something called a “bully.” Two players would tap their sticks on the ice three times, then strike each other’s stick above the puck before scrambling for it. The routine came from field hockey, where the bully remained standard procedure until 1981.
Players from Winnipeg developed the modern face-off technique in the late 1800s. The innovation spread through Canadian leagues and eventually became standard. Germany and some European countries still call it a “bully” instead of a face-off, keeping that linguistic connection to the sport’s origins.
The term “face-off” itself describes exactly what happens. Two players face each other, competing head-to-head for the puck. Simple, direct, accurate.
Why Crosswords Love It
Seven letters. Clear definition. Universally recognized among sports fans. The clue works whether you’re a die-hard hockey follower who watches every playoff game or someone who catches highlights occasionally. That versatility makes it perfect for crossword construction.
Puzzle makers also appreciate that “face-off” functions as both a noun and occasionally as a verb in general usage, meaning any direct confrontation. The hockey-specific meaning stays distinct enough that the clue rarely creates confusion.
Fill in those squares with F-A-C-E-O-F-F. Then watch for it next time you catch a game. The routine happens dozens of times each night, so ordinary that broadcasters barely mention it unless something unusual occurs. But without that official dropping the puck between two opposing sticks, the game doesn’t exist.
