Hello, Café Champs. This week I am covering Canada's favorite sport...that's right: HOCKEY. I'm not going to lie, I am a little nervous about covering this one for you all (even after weeks of research). If you're anything like me, when you think of hockey, you think of: cool uniforms, men smashing each other into plexiglass, missing teeth, bloodied noses, penalty boxes, and the Miracle on Ice.
If you are like me, then stay put and keep reading because we have MUCH to learn. If you are a hockey fan, then stay put and fact check me.
This hockey post will cover the bare necessities: rink set-up, players and their roles, and general rules of play. I will need another post to cover the different types of officials, penalties and punishments.
So, do you believe in miracles?
Let's break (down) the ice. ~Dad jokes, anyone?~
A hockey rink in North America is 200 ft by 85 ft (rinks in Europe are slightly bigger), and it is divided into "zones" by the red line down the center and the two blue lines on either side of the center line. The zones are called the defending zone, neutral zone and attacking zone (see definitions and diagram below....source).
Neutral Zone: This is the middle area between the two blue lines. It is called "neutral" because it's a location where either team can be attacking or defending (depending on the game-time situation). It's often the "changing" area from offense to defense and vice versa. This is also where particular offensive or defensive plays begin.
Attacking Zone: AKA, the offensive zone. This is the ice area beyond the opponent's blue line and where your team hopes to score. (For football fans, this would equate to when your team enters the opponent's side of field when you're drawing closer to scoring.)
Defending Zone: The name speaks for itself, your team defends the goal in this zone in hopes your opponent does not score on you. (Again in football terms, it would be like defending "your territory" of the field whenever your opponent is marching down to score on you.)
In hockey, the home team gets to choose which goal they want to defend first. This will be the goal they defend for the 1st and 3rd period, then try to score in during the 2nd period. Unless both teams' benches are on the same side of the rink, then the home team will defend the goal closest to their bench to start.
Face-Off Dots: In hockey there are nine face-off dots: five in the neutral zone, two in the attacking/offensive zone, and two in the defending zone. The middle dot in the center circle is used at the beginning of each period and after a goal is scored. The four other dots in the neutral zone are used when the puck goes out of play or penalties occur in the neutral zone. The outlying four dots with circles around them are used when penalties and out of play happens in each of the respective zones.
Face-Off: A face-off is the means of putting the puck into play. They occur at the start of every period, after a goal, or any other stoppage in play. Only the two players participating in the face-off are allowed in the circles (all other players line up on the defensive side of the puck). The goal of the face-off is for your team to take possession of the puck after the referee drops the puck onto the dot.
Meet the Players:
Each team will have six players on the ice at a time: three forwards, two defensemen, and one goalie.
Forwards: These are the primary offensive players in hockey, and responsible for a majority of the goals. However, they do play defense when the opposing team is attacking their side of the ice. Specifically the forwards' position names are: the center, left wing, and right wing (so named after which part of the rink they align).
Goals: These are the "points" in hockey. It is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line.
Defensemen: Defensemen...defense men...that's right, they are defensive specialists. The left and right defensemen align behind the forwards, and they help defend the goal and/or take the puck from the opposing team. BUT, they are able to assist in scoring or score if the opportunity presents itself.
Assist: An assist is awarded to the player that passes the puck to the goal scorer.
Goalie: These players defend the goal by blocking incoming shots from the opposition (which is why they need the extra protective equipment). They are positioned inside or around the light blue area in the figure above or below (known as the "goal crease"). They rarely ever leave this area except in special circumstances in which time is running out, therefore, the losing team is desperate for a goal, so they will substitute another skater for the goalie.
Diagram of Hockey Positions and General Line-Up
How-To Play Hockey (generally speaking):
A professional hockey game is broken into three 20-minute periods. Whenever there is a stoppage in play, such as a goal or penalty, the clock stops. After each period, the teams will switch scoring goals.
To start a period, a face-off occurs in the middle circle/dot. The referee will drop the puck between the two teams' centers, then both of them will attempt to possess the puck for their team. If a goal is achieved, another face-off will occur in the center dot; otherwise, any stoppage of play will result in a face-off in any of the other eight remaining face-off dots. During penalties, the player who committed the penalty is sent to the penalty box for a certain duration of time while his team plays shorthanded (with less players than the other team).
Penalties come with their own set of rules and drawbacks which I will discuss in another post.
Players have an unlimited amount of substitutions, and a substitution can occur at any time during play. "A player can join or exit the game 'on the fly' – during the flow of play – as long as the departing player is within five feet of the bench and not involved in the play or with an opponent." (source)
The teams will battle back-and-forth for 60 minutes, attempting to score as many goals as possible.
If the game is tied by the end of the 3 periods, a sudden-death overtime will occur. It is called sudden-death because the first team to score is declared the winner. If no one scores during the overtime, a "shootout" must follow. During a shootout, each team will select three players to take penalty shots against the other team's goalie. The teams will alternate taking shots. The team who makes the most shots out of three is the winner. If there is a tie after three shots, it turns into a sudden-death shootout. In a sudden-death shootout, each team alternates taking one shot, the first team to not "match" the other teams make will lose. (Source)
(EXCEPTION TO SHOOTOUTS: During Stanley Cup Playoffs, additional overtimes are used instead of shootouts. *PS: For other sports fans, The Stanley Cup is like the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, or World Series)
Café Champs, thanks for skating through hockey basics with me. I personally loved learning about hockey during my exploration into the game, and I hope you enjoyed reading my breakdown. Although it feels like a lot...it's just the tip of the iceberg. We still have important hockey lessons ahead of us--especially surrounding the infamous PENALTY BOX.
Hockey can be complicated, but remember to KISS (Keep It Simple, Sister).
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline."-2 Timothy 1:7
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