There is no full “men’s-style” checking in women’s Olympic hockey, but there is allowed body contact under specific rules.

Quick Scoop

  • Body checking that’s purely about smashing an opponent (open‑ice hits, lining someone up away from the puck) is not allowed and can be penalized.
  • Body contact is allowed when the primary goal is to play or gain possession of the puck (leaning, rubbing out along the boards, shoulder‑to‑shoulder while battling for the puck).
  • Referees look at intent : are you playing the puck/position, or are you just trying to crush the player? The first can be legal, the second is usually a penalty.
  • Because of this, Olympic women’s games today are more physical than in the past, but still don’t feature the huge highlight‑reel hits common in men’s pro hockey.

How the rule is usually described

  • “Body contact allowed, body checking not allowed” is the classic line you’ll hear from broadcasters.
  • Under IIHF language now used at the Olympics, checking is permitted only when the player’s primary objective is to play or win the puck; hits that go beyond this are called as illegal.

What you’ll actually see on the ice

Expect:

  1. Hard battles along the boards and in front of the net.
  2. Players leaning, bumping, and using their body to shield or win pucks.
  3. Occasional big collisions that are allowed if they come directly out of a puck battle.

But you generally will not see:

  • Long‑run‑up open‑ice hits.
  • Late hits after the puck is gone.
  • “Finish your check” style contact far away from the play.

Bottom line: Yes, there is physical play and some checking‑type contact in women’s Olympic hockey, but it’s tightly limited to puck‑focused battles, and classic heavy checking is still against the rules.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.