Ice hockey is a tough and demanding sport that requires players to give their best effort at all times. This is one of the primary responsibilities of any hockey player. Additionally, hockey players must look out for their own safety and that of teammates and competitors since they are wearing skates with sharp blades. Sticks also can be dangerous at times.
Maximum Effort
Players need to give full effort for the sake of the team and to stay healthy in every game. By skating hard, you have a chance to get out of the way of hard checks and shots that may be coming in your direction. You are responsible for protecting yourself to the best of your ability every time you take the ice.
Skate Blades
Hockey players have to be responsible for being careful with their skate blades. When you are playing hockey, the blades of your skates are extremely sharp. The skate blades are sharpened to allow you to push off, create speed and turn easily. However, the sharpened blades can be weapons. If you leave your feet and your skate blades are up in the air, they could do major damage to another skater in the area. This would not necessarily be your fault, because if you are skating and get checked by an opponent and you are knocked into the air, your opponent has given you the momentum to send you into the air. However, you cannot flail your feet or the result could be a terrible injury. Players have suffered major cuts because of this in the past.
Stick Responsibilities
The hockey stick is your primary piece of equipment when it comes to carrying the puck, passing and shooting. However, you can't use your stick as a weapon. You can't swing your stick blade at your opponent or use the butt end of the stick to jab into your opponent's ribs. Contact will occur when you are fighting for a puck in the corner, but you can't intentionally use your stick as a weapon.
Behavior
Hockey players must control their behavior on the ice. While professional players may regularly engage in fistfights that many fans find entertaining, amateur players cannot throw punches or get in fights on the ice. If you fight in a game at the college level, you will get thrown out and banned from playing in the next game. Hockey players are expected to skate and play hard at all times, but discipline is needed to prevent this from spilling over into fisticuffs.
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