If you're a new hockey fan, you may not be conscious of the differences between Olympic hockey and NHL hockey.
Although these 2 organizations were set up about the same time in the early 1900's and the necessary beliefs of the game are the same, the guidelines for the 2 are not actually the same. If you understand the variations between Olympic hockey and NHL hockey, when you watch you'll be ready to enjoy the games more because you won't be puzzled by the differences.
These are some of the key differences between Olympic hockey and the NHL:

1. The ice size: The Olympic hockey rink is over three thousand sq. feet bigger. It is wider, longer, and has more space between the goal and the end boards. This minimizes the quantity of checking that happens in Olympic matches.
2. Penalty shots: In Olympic hockey, any player from team can shoot a penalty shot whether or not they were the penalty victim or not the victim must shoot the penalty shot in the NHL.
3. Fighting: though this appears to be a very important part of any hockey game, in Olympic hockey those that fight are given a match penalty and are ejected. In the NHL, players are put in a penalty box for five minutes and then they are able to play again.
4. Shootout: A shootout is only for or used in regular season play in the NHL-they choose 3 players from each team to wreck the tie-In the playoffs the groups play in overtime till one team scores the winning goal. In Olympic hockey, if the score is tied, there's a unexpected death overtime period of ten mins. If the score still remains tied, then a shootout is held with 5 players from each team.
5. Topping: In the NHL, topping is only called after a player shoots down the ice from their team's side of the center line and it crosses the goal line and an away team's player touches it. In the meantime, in the Olympic Games, no player from any team has to touch the puck before topping is named.
6. Obstruction: While the NHL rules on fighting are way more lenient than the Olympic Games, their rules on stuff like holding, hooking and interference are tougher. The global hockey community is implementing tougher rules as well to better protect players. Now you are prepared to observe some hockey!