Hockey Explained

The following document is a brief description of the game of hockey. If any of you die hard fans out there find some technical errors (I don't have a rulebook), just drop me an e-mail and I'll have a look.

Hope you find this useful!

Table of Contents

• What is Hockey?
• The Rink
• The Teams
• The Players
• The Game Length
• Face Offs
• Starting a Game
• Game Play
• Offsides
• Regular offside
• Two line pass
• Icings
• Goals
• Injuries
• Penalties
• Types of Penalties
• Some Minor Penalty Descriptions
• Some Major Penalty Descriptions

The Typical Hockey Rink

Ice hockey is a game played in a rink on an ice surface. The game is played between two teams, with each team defending it's side of the ice from the opposition. Each player uses a hockey stick to manipulate a black disk, called a puck, into the opposition's net. The team that has possession of the puck is called the 'attacking' team, while the team without the puck is called the 'defending' team. When the game ends, the team with the most goals (i.e. the team who puts the puck in the opposition's net the most) wins the game.

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Rink Markings	Figure 1

The rink is divided by 5 lines that span the width of the rink and 5 face off circles and dots (see figure 1):

• Red center line- The red line, located at the center of the ice, divides the ice surface into two halves.
• Two blue lines- The blue lines lie on each side of the redline. The area between the two blue lines is called the neutral zone. The area between a blue line and the end of the rink is the attacking or defending zone. In all, there are three zones.
• Two goal lines- The two goal lines are located at each end of the ice. These are also called 'icing' lines. At the center of these two lines are the nets.
• Face off circles and dots- Within the rink, there are also five face off circles. One in the center on the redline, two in the defensive zone, and two in the attacking zone. In the center of each circle are the face off dots. These dots indicate where the puck will be dropped during a face off.
• Goal Creases- In front of each net are blue arcs. These mark the goal creases that specifies a goalies protected area.

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All games are played between two teams; the home team, and the visiting team. Each team can dress 20 players for a game. During the game, only six players from each team can be on the ice:

• 1 goaltender.
• 2 defencemen.
• 3 forwards.

In all, there will be 12 players on the ice at a time (6 from each team). The players are organized by a coach into 'lines'. Normally lines consist of 5 players each, with 4 lines per team...but not all coaches use this method.

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Positioning of Players	Figure 2

Of the 20 players, 18 are 'skaters', and 2 goaltenders (see figure 2). Among the skaters are defencemen and forwards. The defencemen protect the defensive zone from attacking players, while normally pursuing the puck as far as the opposition's blue line. A forwards primary task is to attack the opposition's zone while on the offence. While defending, a forward will usually come back to the defensive zone to aid the defencemen. Forwards are comprised of 3 positions:

• Center- Normally the playmaker on the forward line and occupies the center lane of the ice.
• Left winger- Occupies the left side of the ice while attacking.
• Right winger- Occupies the right side of the ice while attacking.

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A regulation NHL game is divided into 3 'periods', or possibly longer (see Overtime below). Each period is twenty minutes in length. In between each period is an intermission where players get a chance for rest. When play is stopped by the referee, the clock is also stopped. The play continues when the referee continues the game. Stoppages are at the referee's and linesman discretion, and can happen for a number of reasons, which will be explained later. When the referee decides to recommence the game, a face off will ensue.

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Face Offs	Figure 3

A face off can happen at any of the five face off circles on the ice, and not necessarily in one of the circles, depending on where the stoppage occurred. The circles are used to keep players, other than the centers, away from the face off. The opposing centers (see figure 3) line up facing each other inside the circle, just in front of the dot on there side of the ice. The left and right wingers stand on the appropriate sides of the center, outside of the circle, and the defencemen also stand outside of the circle, behind the center. The referee stands next to the two centers with the puck in hand. The home team's center must put his stick flat on the ice. After he puts his stick on the ice, the visiting team's center must then touch his stick to the ice. When this happens, the referee drops the puck, and each center tries to scoop the puck back to a team mate.

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Each game starts with a face off at center ice. Players not on the ice sit on there appropriate bench (home or visiting team benches), while the coach, assistant coaches, and trainer(s) stand behind the bench. In a normal NHL game, the home team wears light colored uniforms (their 'whites'), while the visiting team wears their dark colored uniforms. Game play and the game clock starts immediately after the referee drops the puck for the face off and the action begins...

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Hockey is a very fast, dynamic, and sometimes violent game. Game play can be stopped and for many reasons. Injuries, offsides, icings, goals scored, and several other reasons can cause stoppages in play. A whistle from the referee or linesman (see Officials below) introduces the stoppage. The referee or linesman will 'signal' the reason why a stoppage has occurred. The signal is to tell the fans and score keeper why he has stopped play. Some of the reasons are explained here:

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How Offsides Work	Figure 4

There are two different types of off sides:

Before attacking players enter the opposing team's zone (cross the opposition's blue line), the puck must proceed ALL players. This applies to passes or a player carrying the puck across the defenders blue line, Any attacking player proceeding the puck into the opposing team's zone is offside. The referee will blow the whistle to stop play for a face off outside the defending teams blue line.

In order for a attacking player to receive a pass in the neutral zone from his own zone, or from the center red line to the opposition's blue line, the player must remain onside. To do this, he must receive the pass before the center red line or the oppositions blue line. An two line offside will occur under the two following conditions...

1. If the attacking player receives a pass from a team mate that originates before the attacker's blue line and travels over the center red line.
2. If the attacking player receives a pass from a team mate that originates before the center red line to the opposition's blue line.

When these conditions occur, then the player is offside and play is whistled down and a face off will take place where the pass originated. If, however, the player takes the pass before either the redline or the opposition's blue line he is onside. A two line pass can seem quite complicated, but just remember this:

• If a pass from team mates goes over any two of the neutral zone lines, then the player is most likely offside.

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Icing the puck occurs when a player intentionally shoots the puck from his half of the ice all the way across the opposing teams goal line. If this infraction is called, play is whistled down and a face off will take place in the team that committed the icing's zone. This type of infraction is used by defending players to relieve offensive pressure from attacking players. For this infraction to be called, the following conditions must be met:

1. The team commiting the icing does NOT have less players on the ice than the opposition.
2. The puck does not touch any players on its way down the ice.
3. The puck does not enter the opposing teams goal. If this does happen, the goal WILL count.
4. The oppostion touches the puck AFTER it crosses the goal line before the team that committed the icing touches it.
5. The puck does NOT travel through the opposing teams crease.

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Goals are indicated by a goal judge that sits behind the net, behind the glass in each end zone. The goal judge will turn on a red light directly behind the net of the goal scored upon. After the goal is tallied on the score board and the scorer and assisters are recorded by the score keeper, then game is resumed with a face off at center ice.

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When an injury occurs, play does not stop until one of the injured players team mates's gains control of the puck. After the injured player is attended to, play is continued with a face off.

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A penalty is called if a player, in the referee's judgment, has broken one or many of the rules. The player will spend a certain amount of time off the ice, depending on the infraction, in the 'penalty box'. Not only is the player punished for his offense, but also his team. The team must play with one man short of the normal 5 skaters. If the team takes another penalty, it must play with 3 skaters. A team, however, cannot play with less than three skaters. If another penalty were to be taken, then time would be added to the amount of time the team is 'short handed' and the player who took the penalty would stay in the penalty box. The team that benefits from the penalty will be on a 'power play', and will try to take advantage of fewer players on the penalized team.

The penalized team will stay short handed until the time on the penalty runs out, or the the other team scores a goal (depending on the severity of the penalty, see Types of Penalties below).

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Penalties come in three different times, which depend on the severity of the offence:

1. Minor Penalties- A two minute penalty. Used for lesser offenses.
2. Major Penalties- A five minute penalty. A five minute major penalty is handled differently than minor penalties. Because the penalty is severe, the penalty will not end if the other team scores. The other team will be on the power play until the five minutes have run down. They can score as many goals as they can.
3. Misconducts- A misconduct can be two, five, or ten minutes long. The way a misconduct differs from all other types of penalties is that no power play is awarded. The penalty only punishes the player, not the whole team. If the player is warrants a severe misconduct, he can be given a 'game misconduct', which banishes the player from the game.

If the referee judges that a player intended to injure another player, then that player could also be disciplined by the league with multiple game suspensions, fines, or other harsh punishments.

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