THE GREAT GAME OF HOCKEY

So you have finally decided to head out to the rink to see what this game called "Hockey" is all about....good choice!  The game of hockey is one of the most intense and exhilarating sports played throughout the world, and gives fans everything they want for the price of a sporting event ticket. The newcomer might know that the point of the game is to shoot the puck into the net, b ut there are a few more things to watch for at the game to get a better understanding of what is going on.

 I am a season ticket holder for a minor league hockey franchise.  I have 2 tickets and have taken different people throughout the years to games...several of which have been first time hockey gamers.  I have found that I spend the majority of the game explaining what seems to be a simple game to them!  This guide is intended to give readers an overview of the game so they can spend the actual game enjoying it and not trying to figure it out!

The Basics

• The Hockey game is split up into 3 sections called "PERIODS."
• Each period is 20 minutes long.
• The winning team gets 2 points in the standings, the losing team IN A SHOOTOUT ONLY get a single point. 
• The championship trophy in the NHL is called the Stanley Cup.
• The player's shirts are called jerseys or sweaters. 
• Each team will skate 5 players (1 Center, 1 Right Winger, 1 Left Winger, and 2 Defensemen), and 1 Goalie.   
• The puck may be put into the goal by a player's stick and unintentional deflections off of his body.  If a puck is thrown into a goal, kicked in, or intentionally redirected into the goal, the goal will not count.
• The game is called by 3-4 officials...much like umpires in baseball.  There are two "Linesmen" who watch the lines for infractions, and one (2 in the National Hockey League) "Referee" who watches the players for infractions called "Penalties."  The Referee is the official with the ORANGE STRIPES ON HIS SLEEVES. 

• The clock stops every time a referee or a linesmen blows his whistle. 
• Gameplay resumes after a player from each team battle for the puck that the ref drops...this is called a "Face Off."
• At the end of each period, there is an intermission in which a machine called a "ZAMBONI" (Zam-bone-ee), comes out to resurface the ice. 
• The game is over if one team leads at the end of the 3rd period.  If the game is tied, an "Overtime" is used to decide the winner.  If the game is still tied after this...the teams will participate in what is called a "Shootout," (as seen below) a one-on-one scoring contest between a single skater and a single goalie from each team.  Scoring can be understood as the best of 5 rounds in the minor leagues, and the best of 3 rounds in the NHL. 

The Rink

This is a small diagram of the hockey rink.  What might look complicated to the first timer, really becomes very second nature to the more experienced fan.  I like to compare it to the base running rules of a baseball game.  There are a few things you can and can't do on the base paths, such as over run second or third base.  Some bases have "force out" rules-sometimes, but others do not.  If not for Wildcat baseball leagues...these rules might seem difficult to understand for the first time baseball watcher.  The rules of hockey are the same way.  If you can get over the 2 main rules of game play, you can enjoy the game MUCH MORE!

ZONES

Let's look at our diagram of the rink above.  You can see that there are 5 lines that stretch horizontally across the rink.  The thin red lines at the very top and the very bottom are called goal lines.  They are painted to show the line that the goal sits on.  The 3 other lines...2 thick blue lines and 1 thick red "center-ice" line determine the Zones.  The space between the Blue lines and the nearest thin red line is a Zone.  It is called a defensive zone for the team who's goalie is defending the goal that is in that zone.  If is called the offensive zone, or attack zone for the team trying to score on that goal.  The space between the 2 blue lines is called the neutral zone.  Both of the team's benches are located within the neutral zone on any rink to limit any territorial advantages. 

ICING

Icing is a rule that is put in place to prevent teams from running down the clock.  Take a look at the picture of the rink above and find the middle red line.  If a player shoots the puck that crosses that line, the next blue line, and the thin red goal line that the net is on at the end of the rink, an icing call is made.  This is not a penalty.  A player from the opposing team will skate back and touch the puck with his stick and a linesmen will simply retrieve the puck and bring it back to the end that the player who "iced" the puck is defending. 

OFF-SIDE

An offside rule is put into place to keep the players working more as a team.  Let's look back at our diagram.  Say a team is moving from the bottom towards the top-trying to score in the top goal.  The puck MUST be the first object to enter that offensive zone.  If by some chance a player of the attacking team is caught crossing the blue line before the puck enters the zone...the linesman will call an offside play.  This is again NOT A PENALTY.  The whistle will blow and the puck will be dropped just outside of that line that was crossed too soon.  If the puck EVER comes outside of the blue line during the play, all players from the attacking team will have to move out of the zone (towards the neutral zone), before the puck can enter the zone again.  If the puck re-enters the zone after it has come out-BEFORE the zone is completely clear of attacking players, the linesman will call the play offside.  Think of it as a boundary line...you can only cross it after the puck does, and if the puck leaves the zone, you are technically "out of bounds."

FACE-OFF CIRCLES

• The large face-off circles (2 in each zone) are used for icing calls and for whenever the goalie covers the puck after making a save.  If the goalie is facing towards the left when he covers the puck, the face-off will be in the left circle-if the goalie covers the puck facing the right, the face-off will be in the right circle. 
• There are also small circles that are just outside of the blue lines (in the neutral zone) that are used for off-side calls. 
• Sometimes a face-off can occur without a circle.  The referee may drop the puck in between the large faceoff circles and the small off-side circles if there was a penalty called. 

Penalties

• Penalties are called by the referee only for several different reasons.  A player may use his stick or body in an inappropriate way in which prevents the opposing player from a fair shot at continuing his play.  Examples of these penalties include hooking, slashing, high-sticking, tripping, and cross-checking.  These names are essentially self explanatory!  The penalty will be called by the referee ONLY WHEN THE PENALIZED TEAM TOUCHES THE PUCK.  That is why you might see the goalie of the opposing team leave the ice and an extra skater come off of the bench in his place.  The whistle will blow as soon as the penalized team touches the puck thus nullifying any goal that could be scored on an empty goal.  (Unless of course the puck is put into the open net by one of its own players!)
• Minor penalties are called for minor infractions.  The penalty time is 2 minutes for the penalized player-resulting in what is called a "Power-Play" for the opposing team and a "Short-handed Penalty Kill" for the penalized team.  The teams will play the course of the 2 minutes 5 players vs. 4 players.  After the 2 minutes is up the penalized player may return to the ice.  If the opposing team scores while on the Power Play, the player may return to the ice and the remaining time of the penalty will be taken off of the clock. 
• Double-Minor penalties are called for more severe infractions-such as accidental high-sticking that draws the opposing player's blood.  Blood drawn is an automatic double-minor penalty (4 minutes) or what is called a Major Penalty (5 minutes) for severe or intentional harm.  Up to 2 goals may be scored on a double minor power play.  If a goal is scored during the first 2 minutes, the power play time is set to 2 minutes even to start the second minor penalty. 
• On a major penalty, the guilty player is required to spend the entire 5 minutes in the "Penalty Box"-regardless of how many goals are scored against by the opposing team. 
• A team can never have fewer than 3 players and a goalie on the ice at a single time.  If 3 players get a penalty within a short amount of time, the 3rd player's time will start when the first penalized player's time is over. 

Fighting

• Everyone's favorite!  If players get into a fight, each will receive a 5 minute penalty and their teams will skate at "Full Strength" or 5 players each side-no power plays.  If a player is determined to start the fight, he will be given a 2 minute minor penalty for "instigation" penalty and a time period of 10 minutes that he can not play (called a 10 minute Misconduct). 

Game Play

Hockey is fast and furious!  Players will be shooting pucks at very high rates of speeds...sometimes in excess of 100 MPH. The hardest shot is called a "Slap Shot" (see picture above).  The other types of shots include "Wrist Shots," "Backhand Shots" and "Snap Shots."

Being an active member of the crowd is enjoyable but also carries a responsibility.  Pucks can find there way into crowds with NO warning-requiring quick reflexes to avoid them.  It is very important that fans stay focused on the game play and follow the puck at all times.  If you can do this...you will be entertained by the great sport of hockey for as long as you are able to enjoy it.  There's really nothing else like it!