Which ice hockey term is defined as "the area contained between the blue lines"?

The neutral zone is the area contained between the two blue lines on an ice hockey rink. It is the central section of the playing surface, separating each team’s defensive zone from its attacking zone.

The two blue lines divide the rink into three zones. A team defends the zone containing its own goal, attacks the opposite end, and uses the neutral zone to carry, pass, or contest possession as play moves between those areas. The red center line runs through the middle of the neutral zone, but it does not define the zone’s full boundaries.

The term is especially important for offside. An attacking player cannot legally enter the attacking zone ahead of the puck; the blue line is the key reference point for that judgment. If the puck leaves the attacking zone, players must clear it before re-entering.

“Neutral zone” is sometimes confused with “center ice,” but center ice usually refers more narrowly to the area around the center faceoff spot. The neutral zone is broader: it extends from one blue line to the other.