The Game of Ice Hockey By: Hockey is a sport that combines skill, speed and lots of action. The fast pace and excitement make it one of the most popular sports to watch and play. Basic Rules: Hockey is played on an ice rink by two teams with six players per side. The object of the game is to get the round black puck into the opponent s net using hockey sticks. The players in the forward position are the primary scorers for the team. The goalkeeper and defensemen are responsible for defending their goal and preventing the opposing team from scoring. A goal is scored when the entire puck crosses the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar. The team that scores the most goals by the end of the game is the winner. Equipment you will need: Hockey Skates The Puck is made of rubber; it is one (1 ) inch thick and three (3 ) inches in diameter; weighs between 5 ½ and 6 ounces A hockey stick usually made of wood Protective gear includes: a helmet, hockey gloves, shin guards, elbow pads, shoulder pads, pelvic protector The goalkeeper s equipment is slightly different. They require additional protection, such as, the goalie mask, leg guards, chest and arm pads, catching glove, blocking glove Hockey pants Hockey jersey (number and surname on back) The Players: There are 6 players allowed on the ice at one time 1 goalkeeper (a.k.a goalie, goaltender) 2 defenders (one right and one left) 3 forwards (one right wing, one centre and one left wing) Each team typically has a Captain and an Assistant or Alternate Captain. If anything needs to be discussed with the Referee it is the Captain or Assistant Captain who does the talking. The Captain and Assistant Captain wear the letter C or A, respectively, on their jersey. The Rink: The dimensions of an ice hockey rink are: 200 feet long X 85 feet wide. Hockey rinks have two blue lines defining the offensive and defensive zones for each team. The red line divides the rink in half. The offensive zone is the area above the blue line guarded by its own team. The defensive zone is the area below the near blue line guarded by its own team. The zone between the two blue lines is the neutral zone. Circles on the left and right side of the goalie are face-off dots and are used for face-offs called in that zone. A rink is surrounded by the boards this is a wall that runs around the entire rink above the ice surface (at a height of between 40 48 inches). Attached to the boards is safety glass. Goal Posts and Net: The goal posts run vertically and are 4 feet in height and six feet apart. The cross bar runs from the top of each goal post (horizontally). Posts are painted red. The Net is made of white nylon cord and is attached to each goal frame. The net is designed to ensure that the puck remains inside. The Goal crease is the semi-circular area painted on the ice rink in front of the goal. It has a 6 foot radius in front of the opening of the goal. In this area the goaltender can not be interfered with or there will be a penalty called. Pg 1 of 5
Rink Diagram: Pg 2 of 5
Scoring: A goal is scored when the entire puck crosses over the goal line between the posts and under the crossbar. The team with the most goals scored at the end of play is the winner. Duration of Play: There are three (3) periods in a hockey game each is twenty (20) minutes long. There is an intermission between periods. In the NHL the intermission is 15 minutes and 30 seconds long (15:30). If a whistle is blown by the referee during play, then the running time will be stopped. The timer starts again when the puck is dropped into play. In championship games, a tied score may require overtime play to determine a winner. Starting the Game: The Face-off occurs when two players face each other and then the referee drops the puck on the ice between them. They will use their sticks to gain control of the puck and pass to their teammates. At the start of the game, the face-off is at the centre of the ice. Other face-offs will occur in the area where the puck goes out of play as determined by the referee. During a face-off, the right and left wings will line up at the sides of the circles. Players typically position and reposition themselves according to other players and their need to defend. Changing Players: Players can switch on and off the ice when the puck is in play. Typically, when a player is heading toward the bench and he/she is about 5-10 feet from the bench, then the other player will start getting on the ice.teams can get a penalty for having too many players on the ice if the transition is too early. Teams can also change players before a face-off. Sometimes at the end of a game, teams may pull the goalie out of net in order to send in another offensive player in hopes of scoring a goal in the last few minutes of play. Rule Violations Offside: A referee will call offside if an offensive player enters the attack zone before the puck enters the zone. Offensive players, who have entered the zone, can leave without touching the puck, but if they play the puck the referee will blow his/her whistle. If an offside violation is called, then the play ends and a face-off is done in the neutral zone near where the offside occurred. Icing: The icing rule is supposed to keep the defending team from simply hitting the puck down to the other end of the rink every time they get pressured by the offensive players. A referee will call icing if a player hits the puck over the red line into the attack zone and it falls into one of these categories: (a) the puck was not intended as a shot on net; (b) the puck gets all the way to the end of the rink without a defensemen being able to reach it. In the event that an offensive player gets to the puck before it hits the end of the rink, then there is no icing call. When icing is called, a face-off will occur way back in the defensive zone. Hockey Penalties: Hockey penalties are usually 2 or 4 minutes for a minor violation and 5 minutes for a major violation. The referee raises his/her hand to signal a penalty. The referee whistles the penalized player to the penalty box. The penalized team will have to play short-handed while the player is in the penalty box. The short-handed team is said to be on a penalty kill. A power play occurs when one team has more players on the ice due to a penalty by the other team. This is a good opportunity for them to score a goal. Penalty Shot: This is awarded to a player that was fouled from behind and, therefore, denied of an opportunity to score a breakaway goal. Misconduct penalty: A player must sit in the penalty box for 10 minutes for misconduct. However, the team is still allowed to skate with all players on the ice as opposed to playing shorthanded. Match penalty: this is a serious violation where the player must leave the ice immediately and is not be allowed to Pg 3 of 5
play another game until the hockey league or association meets to determine appropriate punishment. Hockey infractions that will result in a penalty: Boarding: When one player violently checks another player into the boards. Cross-checking: Checking another player with a hockey stick, while holding it with both hands. Elbowing: Hitting an opponent with your elbows. Hand pass: When a player uses his/her hand to hit the puck to a teammate while in the offensive or neutral zone; they are allowed in the defensive zone. High Sticking: Hitting an opponent with the stick above shoulder level. Holding: Grabbing hold of another player s body, stick or clothes with your hands or your stick. Hooking: Using your hockey stick or blade to hook onto an opponent in order to slow them down. Tripping: Using your hockey stick or body to trip another player. Minor Penalties: (2 or 4 minutes in penalty box; penalty ends if opponent scores) cross-checking delaying the game high-sticking holding hooking interference roughing slashing tripping Major Penalties: (5 minutes in penalty box) boarding butt-ending charging fighting spearing Pg 4 of 5
Glossary of Terms: Assist: When a player passes the hockey puck to another team member that directly scores a goal. Breakaway: This occurs when the player with the puck skates towards the net having no opponents but the goaltender in front of or beside him/her. Checking: It is the act of keeping your opponent from going where they want to go; keeping a player in check (not usually a penalty). There are many different kinds of checking, for example, body-checking, cross-checking, forechecking, and hip-checking. Goaltender Interference: When a player physically obstructs or checks the goalie. Hat trick: When a player scores three goals in the same game. Penalty box: The area designated for players to sit during their penalty. Referee s Crease: A semi-circle with a 10 foot radius marked on the ice in red; it is located in front of the timekeepers bench and no players may follow the referee into this crease. The Stanley Cup: The Stanley Cup is the trophy awarded to the team that wins the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff championship. Some facts about the Stanley Cup: It was originally called the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup and was awarded to Canada s top ranked amateur hockey team; It was donated in 1892 by the Governor General of Canada, Lord Stanley of Preston; Lord Stanley purchased it for about $50; The original cup was silver; The height = 18.5 cm height and diameter = 29 cm; The current Stanley Cup is made of silver and nickel alloy; The height = 89.54 cm and weight = 15.5 kg Weblinks: Hockey Hall of Fame (Toronto, Canada): www.hhof.com National Hockey League: www.nhl.com U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame: www.ushockeyhall.com Roughing: This occurs when there is pushing and shoving after the whistle has been blown; or when a player checks an opponent in the face with his/her hands. Shutout: This occurs when the goaltender successfully blocks and saves all shots on goal; no goals were scored by the opposing team. Slapshot: This is an extremely hard and fast shot that may reach speeds of 120 mph. The player raises his/her stick in a backswing position while holding one hand low on the shaft of the stick. As the stick comes down and slaps on the ice, the puck is propelled with great force at a tremendous speed on the follow through. Wrist shot: A player uses a powerful flicking of the wrist and forearm muscles when making this shot. The blade of the stick is kept on the ice. This type of shot tends to be slower than the slap shot, but it is more accurate. Zamboni: The machine used to smooth the ice surface; first developed by Frank Zamboni. Pg 5 of 5