The Beginner's Guide to Hockey

Categories: Sport

The Beginner's Guide to Hockey

All About Ice Hockey

Today, hockey is one of the most popular sports in the Western world, played professionally in North America and in the Olympics by dozens of countries around the world. It provides a lot of physical, mental and social benefits to the participants. Yet, many people don't know enough about it to try it.

Known as ice hockey in countries where field hockey is a popular sport, field hockey continues to grow in popularity in the United States and Canada as more and more people, young and old, strap on their skates and Take ice every day. Read on to find out everything you need to know about this great winter sport.

Playing A Game of Hockey

Hockey is one of the most challenging, exciting and rewarding sport one can decide to participate in. The fact that it can only be played on frozen surfaces is probably the only reason why it is not popular in all world regions.

Following the same sets of rules established by the IIHF and the NHL, the game can be said to be the same in all countries in which it is played. Six players from each opposing team will battle it out on the ice to score goals by sending hockey pucks into the other team's net.

Whichever team scores more goals at the end of the game will be declared the winner.

That's the broad outline. Obviously, there is much more going on. Let's take a look at what you can expect to see in a live hockey match.

The Players on The Ice

The six players on each side of a hockey matchup have specific roles as part of their team's efforts.

Forwards: Three players fill this role, one on the left wing, one in the center and the last on the right wing of the arena. Forwards are the ones you will be looking to score the most goals in a match.

Defenders: Two of these players are found on each team, and their role is usually to prevent the opposing team from reaching their goal and scoring.

Goaltender: Only one player per team fills this role on the ice, and their mission is to prevent the puck from going to them and their net. You'll usually find them in a blue semi-circle known as the crease.

Starting Things Off

Each game will begin with a face-off, where two players from each team in the competition will face each other on the centerline, where a match official will drop the puck between them to signal the start of the game.

During games, teams may make changes or substitutions to their lineups at any time. This can be done while the puck is in play, referred to as a change on the fly, or during a stoppage of play. The home team is the one that is given the last replacement of a particular game during a matchup.

Games keep going for sixty minutes of playtime, partitioned into three twenty-minute time periods. If the puck is not actively in play, the referee shall blow his whistle to stop the timer. This differs from football events, where the clock runs continuously regardless of whether play is actively in progress.

Moving Things

Players advance the game by passing the puck to each other and using their hockey sticks to shoot into the opposing team's net. The laws of the game do not prohibit the use of most body parts to control or direct the puck, although players are not permitted to kick it to score a goal. Accidental hit is not a problem. The use of one's hands to pass or catch the puck is also prohibited.

Unlike sports such as rugby, hockey allows forward passing. It used to be an inverted game until the 1930s when the rules were changed. This change made hockey more team-oriented as no player was forced to handle the puck over the opposing team's net on their own.

You'll find boards around your typical hockey rink that are designed to keep the puck confined to the playing area, while also being used as a device that players can use to intentionally bounce the puck., In some leagues, players are also allowed to bodycheck their opponents against these boards in order to halt their progress.

THE END Of GAME

The sixty minutes devoted to each game are known as regulation time. At the end of which the team which will be successful in scoring more goals will be declared the winner of the competition. In instances where two teams are tied on points or no goals are scored, the game may go into overtime, which may be an additional five-minute period where only four players per team – three skaters and one goaltender – are allowed to play. . are allowed. snow. Some leagues vary in timing and number of players.

This decrease in the quantity of players is intended to empower quicker, more forceful ongoing interaction, working with objective scoring. This is important in overtime scenarios because overtime is a sudden death situation. This means that whichever team scores the most will be declared the winner and the game will end.

If both the teams fail to achieve this crucial goal within the stipulated five minutes, the game will go to a shootout. It consists of taking a one-on-one (skater versus goalie) penalty shot in a best-of-three format. Should this prove inconclusive, the teams alternate taking a penalty shot until one team scores, and the other fails on the same turn.

The Rules of Hockey

A sport without rules will quickly turn into a brawl, and hockey is no exception. In the interest of safety, fairness and overall enjoyment of the game, rules should be formalized and followed by all parties involved.

An important aspect of learning how hockey works is understanding the rules for icing the puck.

To ensure that rules are followed, there should be consequences for those who violate them or fail to follow them. In hockey these illegal actions are called penalties. There are a number of penalties that referees can charge a player or even a coach after their assessment, and these penalties can again be grouped into different types of penalties. let's take a look.

List Of Penalty Offenses In Hockey

Cross Checking: This is an easily recognized offense in which a player's hockey stick is swung at his opponent as part of a check. To be on the safe side, pros rarely raise their sticks when checking other players.

Boarding and Charging: Although hockey can be a very physical sport, there are certain limits during play. Boarding refers to checking an opponent who is defenseless (with his back to the offender, without the puck, etc.) violently across the boards surrounding the ice. Charging is similar but takes place on open ice away from the boards.

High Sticking: Every player on the ice is held accountable for his stick and what he does. High adhering alludes to any event where a player's stick connects with one more player on any piece of their body over the shoulders. Accidents happen occasionally, of course, but the referee will assess the damage, if any, and decide whether a penalty is deserved.

Holding the Stick and Holding: The rulebook defines these offenses as any action that hinders the movement of an opposing player. In fact, it is meant to hold on to a player's uniform or stick to prevent it from moving towards or away from you.

Hooking: Hooking is another very easily recognized crime. Here, the offensive player uses his stick to restrict the movement of the opposing player. It is usually parallel to the ground at the top of the stick and above it.

Throwing stick: A flying hockey stick can cause serious damage to anyone that gets in its way, which is why players are penalized if they intentionally throw their stick. Even if a player's stick breaks during play, he is to put it down on the ice and continue without it instead of throwing it away.

Roughing: Pushing and shoving is an accepted part of the game, but the moment it turns into punches, a roughing violation will be called.

Tripping: This offense can be committed in a number of ways, but often with the same result – interfering with an opponent's feet through any form of contact that causes them to lose their balance.

Types Of Penalties in Hockey

These are by far the most common penalties you will see in a regular game. According to the NHL rulebook, most of the potential offenses listed would fall under this category. If a player is found to have committed a minor rule violation, they will be instructed to spend 2 minutes off the ice and in the penalty box.

A double minor offense is considered by the referee to be decidedly more serious than a minor infringement, regardless of the specific offence. These include high-sticking, head-butting, spearing, and head-butting, where the action causes the player to bleed.

These are penalties that can be assessed on coaches or players who are not currently in the game. Unsportsmanlike conduct and too many men on the bench are examples of penalties directed at people. Players will be required to serve two minutes in the penalty box as if they were on the ice.

Major penalties are almost always issued as a result of fighting. Aside from the reason for the penalty, the main difference between a major and a minor penalty is the length of time the infraction requires players to spend in the penalty box.

These are automatic expulsions from the game, as players assess this penalty will be sent back to the dressing room for the rest of the game. The match will be recorded as a ten-minute penalty, but will only play for five minutes before the affected team is allowed to bring in a replacement player.

Sports Misconduct and Misconduct

Misconduct is a somewhat less extreme version of the match penalty, in which players are sent to the penalty box for ten minutes, although their teams are allowed to substitute so that they are not short-handed for this period. The only cases where this will not be permitted is if the offending player is charged with a minor, major or match penalty in addition to a misconduct penalty.