Men and women play ice hockey on a rectangular ice rink. Each team has five players on the ice and a goalkeeper. Each player wears a prescribed uniform, including required safety equipment, which varies somewhat for goalies. Each player has a hockey stick or a goalie stick, which is a little larger. A rubber puck is used for play. The game is divided into three 20-minute periods.
Rink
The rink is divided in half by a red line and divided into thirds with two blue lines. The blue lines partition the rink into a defending zone, a neutral zone, and an attacking zone. A red goal line appears at each end of the rink along with a goal with a red semi-circle, termed the crease, extending from the posts of the goal. Various circles and dots located on the ice define locations for faceoffs. Boards surrounded the rink.
Scoring
A goal is scored when the puck enters the goal by use of the hockey stick. However, it cannot be deliberately kicked, thrown, batted or deflected off an official. Additionally, if an attacking player is in the crease and obstructs the goalkeeper's view of the play, the goal is not allowed.
Faceoff
At the beginning of each period of play, a faceoff occurs in the center circle. The referee drops the puck between the two centers who attempt to pass it to their team. After stoppage of play, another faceoff will one of the nine designated circles on the rink.
Offsides and Icing
Offsides occurs when a player of the attacking team precedes the puck into their attacking zone. Every time the puck leaves the attacking zone, all attacking players must come out of the zone. Icing occurs when the defending team hits the puck from its half of the rink pass the goal line of the attacking team's half. Exceptions to this rule occur when a goal is scored, it occurs from a faceoff or when the attacking team has fewer players on the ice than the defending team due to a penalty situation. Play is stopped and a faceoff occurs as a result of offsides or icing.
Penalties
There are a wide variety of actions which a referee may access a penalty, which requires a player to spend time in the penalty box. These include fouls against players such as attempt to injure, kicking, head-butting, elbowing, fighting, excessive roughness or tripping. Penalties are accessed when using the stick to hurt another player in actions such as slashing, cross checking, butt-ending or high sticking which is raising the stick above your shoulders or the goal post and striking another player. Raising the stick, without contact, results in a faceoff. Checking, or making contact with another player is allowed within safe levels, but there are a variety of penalties related to unsafe checking: boarding. Checking your opponent violently into the boards, charging--taking more than three steps or jumping when checking another player--and checking from behind. Checking is not allowed at all in women's hockey and at some ages in youth hockey. Holding is not allowed whether it occurs as a result of holding the opponent, the opponent's stick or hooking--using your stick to hold. Contact is not required for hooking, under the new rules. There are also a number of penalties that can be assessed for failing to follow referee instructions.
Member Comments