Goal A goal in ice hockey provides a team with one point . A goal is scored when a puck completely crosses the goal line within the goal frame The object of the game of hockey is to score more goals than the opposing team . Goaltender s and defencemen are concerned primarily with keeping the other team from scoring a goal , while forward s are primarily concerned with scoring goals on the other team . Forwards , of course , have to be defensively responsible and defencemen also need to press offensively . For a goal to be scored , the puck must entirely cross the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar of the goal frame . A goal does not count if it is sent into the goal from a stick raised above the height of the crossbar . A goal also does not count if it is kicked or thrown into the goal . A goal that is accidentally redirected off a player does count , but if it enters the net directly after touching an official , it does not count . If the goalie is impeded from preventing the goal by an attacking player , the goal does not count . A goal can also be disallowed if the scoring team had too many men on ice at the time of the goal or if it was scored with a broken stick . In many leagues , a goal does not count if a player from the attacking team has a skate or stick in the goal crease before the puck . The NHL abolished this rule after the disputed triple - overtime goal in the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals . Brett Hull of the Dallas Stars scored the series - clinching goal against the Buffalo Sabres . On video replay , it was clear that Hull ' s skate was in the crease prior to the puck . The NHL justified the goal by saying that because Hull scored on his own rebound , he maintained possession and control of the puck throughout ; thus , he was allowed to be in the crease . The goal judge is an official positioned off ice behind each goal for the specific purpose of indicating when the puck has crossed the goal line and entered the goal . For arenas so equipped , the goal judge turns on a red light behind the goal when he sees the puck cross the goal line . As in all matters , however , the referee retains final authority and can override the opinion of the goal judge . If a hockey player is last to touch the puck before it enters his own team ' s net — which in football ( soccer ) is called an " own goal " — credit for the goal goes to the last player on the scoring team to have touched the puck . The number of goals scored is a closely watched statistic . Each year the Rocket Richard Trophy is presented to the NHL player to have scored the most goals . The trophy is named after Maurice Richard , the first player to score 50 goals in a season , at a time when the NHL regular season was only 50 games ( compared to 82 today ) . The player to have scored the most goals in an NHL season is Wayne Gretzky . Gretzky is also the fastest to 50 goals ; during his record - setting 1981 - 82 season , in which he finished with 92 goals , he scored his 50th goal in the Edmonton Oilers ' 39th game of the season . The overall amount of goal scoring is also closely watched . In recent years , goal scoring has decreased . Many believe the game is less entertaining because of this , and blame the change on the increasing size of goaltending equipment and the advent of defensive systems such as the neutral zone trap . Fans of defensive hockey counter by saying the high scoring of the 1980s was an anomaly , and this shift represents a return to the norm . For the 2004 - 05 American Hockey League season , four major rule changes were made that were intended to increase the scoring in games and make it more popular among casual fans - - ( 1 ) increasing the size of the attack zones by narrowing the neutral zone two feet each side and thus moving the goal line back two feet , ( 2 ) restrictions on the goaltender playing the puck , ( 3 ) permitting offside players to negate the penalty by " tagging up " with the blue line , and ( 4 ) changing the offside rule by permitting passes which cross the center line and one blue line ( but not between both blue lines in certain restrictions ) . The AHL rules were slightly modified and adopted in the NHL and ECHL for 2005 - 06 , when the NHL returned after the lockout . There are a number of different types of goals for which separate statistics are kept , but all count equally : Other phrases include a " garbage goal " , for a goal scored more as the result of luck or opportunism than skill , and a " breakaway goal " for a goal scored when a player has gotten behind the defenders to face the goaltender alone . A " quinella " occurs when a player scores an even strength goal , a power play goal , a shorthanded goal , a penalty shot goal , and an empty net goal . Mario Lemieux scored the only quinella in NHL history against the New Jersey Devils . This is often referred to as " five goals , five different ways . " Related terms . The two teammates of the scorer who last touched the puck before him , provided that no opponent touched it in between , are each credited with an assist . Assists and goals count equally to comprise a player ' s statistical scoring total . When a player scores three goals in a game it is known as a hat trick . If he scores his goals consecutively , it becomes known as a natural hat trick . Any puck heading towards the net is counted as a shot . When the goalie prevents the shot from entering the net , he is credited with a save . Ice hockey is one of the few sports that institutes a goal horn . This is especially true in the NHL , where a goal horn , usually a loud air horn or train horn , is blared almost in every venue after the home team scores .