Tickets to a game

or...

A television (to watch at least one full game)

A TV guide (so you'll know when the game is on)

A friend who follows hockey and can provide play-by-play commentary tailored to your needs (optional but also invaluable)

About two and a half hours (a half-hour to study this tutorial and two hours to watch an actual game)

2torial #0546: Learn2 Understand Hockey How to tell a slap shot from pot shot OK, you know hockey involves ice and sticks and a puck and fistfights. But if your big Canadian client (or hockey-loving significant other) takes you to an NHL play-off game, will you know the difference between a hat trick and a butt end? To the untrained eye, ice hockey can look like a brawl in which players whack away at the puck (and each other) with impunity. But in fact, their actions are a well-orchestrated affair, governed by carefully crafted strategies and a strict set of rules. If you understand the basics of hockey, you're much more likely to enjoy your rink-side seats, so we've created a quick guide to the rules of the game. Despite its popularity, the origins of ice hockey are lost in the mists of time. The game was long believed to be a winter-time variation of English field hockey, but recent evidence suggests a connection with both Native American lacrosse and Irish hurling. Mention these facts to a hockey buff and you may get some points as an insider. Unfortunately, it will take longer to grasp the hockey's nitty-gritty. The rules seem baffling at first, and the speed of the game can overwhelm the newcomer. Don't expect to master the details by half-time. Instead, let the game's ballet-like qualities wash over you, and always remember: the players manage to do everything while balanced on the precariously narrow blades of their skates! Grasp the basics Hockey shares many traits with lacrosse, field hockey and, to a lesser extent, soccer. If you're familiar with these games, you've got a leg up. Equipment: The basic equipment includes a puck, hockey sticks, skates, pads and helmets, and of course an ice rink (see Step 2). The puck, a round disk of vulcanized rubber measuring about three inches (7.5cm) across, serves the same purpose as a lacrosse or soccer ball--players battle for control, then try to knock it into their opponent's goal. All players, including the goalie, wear specially made ice skates and wield a hockey stick, usually made of wood and measuring about 4.5 feet (1.5m) long; the goalie's stick is slightly longer and wider. Safety necessitates that players wear helmets and generous padding. Objective: In short, hockey players are simply trying to knock the puck into the opposing goal. The entire puck must cross the goal line, and no points are scored if an attacking player kicks the puck in. Each goal counts as one point, and a team rarely scores more than ten points per game. A player earns the honor of a "hat trick" when he or she scores three goals in a single game. Play: In most leagues, each team fields six players, including one goalie, two defenders, one center and two offensive players (see Step 3). Skating is tiring, so player substitutions are frequent and can occur in the middle of a play. Penalties are also frequent and regularly result in a player's temporary removal from the game. Thus, team must frequently play with only five players. The team that has more players on the ice due to an opposing teams' penalties is said to be on a "power play." Offensive strategies: When a team possesses the puck, their goal is to retain control and move down the ice toward their opponents' goal. Rapid-fire passing throws the defense off balance and creates the opportunity for a shot on goal. Occasionally, there is a fast break just like in basketball. In this case, a player gains possession of the puck at his end of the rink, then passes or skates quickly enough to beat the defense back to their own goal for an easy shot. Defensive strategies: The defense has two goals. First and foremost they must prevent the other team from shooting. This can mean breaking up passing plays, harassing players so they can't shoot, or sometimes simply standing between the puck and the goal. Their second duty is actually to strip the other team of the puck and pass it up to their offensive line. This happens when the goalie stops a shot and regains control of the puck, or whenever a defensive player intercepts a pass or otherwise strips the puck from the offensive player. Familiarize yourself with the rink To understand the finer points of hockey, you must first become familiar with the field of play--i.e. the hockey rink. The number of lines and circles in a rink indicate the relatively complex nature of the game. While the principles of hockey resemble those of soccer, a glance at a rink will immediately reveal two differences. First, while a soccer field is divided into two parts, an ice hockey rink is actually divided into three, with a neutral zone in the center between the two teams' defensive zones. Second, hockey goals lie approximately 15 feet (4m) away from the edge of the rink, so that play can actually occur behind the goal itself. Other details to be aware of: The crease--generally a semi-circle 12 feet (3.5m) in diameter extending out from the goal--is the goalie's special domain--and within its boundaries he can use his hands and aggressively pursue the puck without fear of the ref's whistle. In addition, attacking players cannot enter the crease unless the puck has. A hockey goal is relatively small: about six feet wide and four feet high. By contrast, a soccer goal can be as large as 24 feet (7.5m) wide by eight feet (2.5m) high. The reduced size is only fair, given the smallness of the puck and the high speeds it can achieve. The rink is edged by "boards," or a fence about 3.5 feet (1.2m) high that entirely surrounds the rink. Both the players and the puck can make contact with the boards without being called out of bounds. This allows for angled passes, like the bank shot in pool. An attacking team cannot pass the opponent's defending (a.k.a. blue) line until the puck does (see Step 6). Learn the positions Since each team has at most six players on the ice at one time, everyone (except perhaps the goalie) must be able to play both offense and defense. However, players are assigned to definite positions with specific responsibilities. Here's a breakdown: Center: As leader of the team's offense, the center is generally responsible for moving the puck toward the goal. The center both sets up plays and takes shots on goal. The center also plays some defense, breaking up plays and preventing opponents from moving down the ice. As the name indicates, the center is generally responsible for area down the middle of the rink. Right and left wings: The two wings complete the offensive team. They generally stick to their respective sides (wings), and try to work the puck down the rink, then pass to the middle for a shot on goal. If the opposite wing has the puck, then the wing may move toward the center in order to receive a pass and take a shot on goal. Right and left defenders: The two defenders try to keep the puck away from the goal by intercepting passes, stripping the puck from attackers, and blocking shots. When they gain control of the puck they generally pass it quickly up to the center or wings. Then they often move up the rink and serve as reinforcements for the team's attack. Goalie: A goalie uses quick reflexes and a thickly padded body to stop the puck from crossing the goal line. Because the job is so difficult (the tiny puck can achieve speeds upwards of 100 miles/160km per hour), the goalie gets certain advantages. He gets to wear huge gloves, wields an extra-large stick, and can fall on a puck and grab it with his hands. The goalie usually sticks close to the goal, but when he has firm control of the puck he may skate part way up the rink and help set up the attack on the opposing goal. Factor in the face-off Whenever play resumes (at the beginning of each period, after a goal is scored, after penalties and virtually any other time play is interrupted), two opposing players must "face off." Face-offs generally occur in one of five places: in the center circle in the middle of the rink, or in one of two circles in either team's defending territory. The two players face squarely forward and stand about one stick-length (about five feet or 1.7m) apart, with their sticks touching the ice. The rest of the players must stand outside the circle, or about 15 feet (4.5m) away. Once the players are in position, the referee drops the puck between them and they fight for control. This makes for an exciting battle of wills, especially since they cannot make any bodily contact, nor can they touch each other with their sticks. Ponder penalties It seems like hockey players are constantly banging into each other, tripping each other, whacking each other with their sticks, etc. That's because they are. In fact, a certain amount of roughness is part of the game. Take the body check: it's perfectly legal to hit someone with your hips or shoulders in order knock them off balance, then steal the puck (provided you're not moving too fast). And as long as you hold your stick with one hand, you can whack your opponent with it in certain designated areas below the neck. However, a number of rules keep the game from turning into a slugfest. The following are just some of the actions that can land a player in the penalty box, an enclosed area located just off the ice at the rink's center line: Minor (two-minute) penalties include: Hooking and holding: Using your stick (hooking) or a hand or arm (holding) to prevent a player from moving. Players regularly try these maneuvers to slow down an opponent from getting to the puck, but it's definitely illegal. Charging: Body-checking with too much force. Some nudging is fine, but you cannot skate full speed into another player like a charging bull. High-sticking: Lifting the stick above shoulder level is always illegal, even if you're all alone on the ice. If you do so in order to strike an opponent, you can expect swift action from a referee. Elbowing and kneeing: Shoulders and hips are fine, but you can't hit a player with these more pointy extremities. Cross-checking: Hitting an opponent with a stick that is held with two hands. Interference: Deliberately blocking a player who is not in possession of the puck (kind of like a moving pick in basketball). Slashing: Taking a wide swing with the stick in order to strike an opponent, whether with one hand or two. Roughing: Relatively minor hitting and shoving. Major (five-minute) penalties include: Fighting: When roughing and shoving turns into all-out fighting with unchecked punches, the penalty grows more severe. Boarding: Body-checking a player from behind and into walls at the side of the rink. Spearing: Jabbing a player with the stick in a way that could be injurious. You can see why ice hockey has such a rough reputation just from the list of penalties! Understand offsides and icing As you learn about hockey, two rules are worthy of special note. They frequently baffle spectators new to the game, and even confuse some old timers. Offsides: A player cannot cross the other team's defending (blue) line until the puck does. This prevents an attacker from hanging around the opposing goal. When the defending team clears the puck past their blue line, the attacking players must cross back over the blue line themselves before they're allowed to touch the puck again (the delayed offside rule). However, once the puck enters the opponent's zone, attackers can maneuver anywhere in that zone. This differs from soccer, in which an attacker must always have two opposing players or the ball between him and the goal. Icing: The most misunderstood rule in hockey, icing makes it illegal for the attacking team to pass the puck from the behind the center line all the way past the goal line--IF the defending team touches the puck before it gets to one of the offensive players. When this happens, the whistle blows and there's a face off in the attacker's defensive territory. This seems odd, since the team who commits the penalty has already lost possession of the puck. And if another attacking player receives the pass, there is no penalty and they get to keep playing deep in attacking territory! Why such an arbitrary rule? Perhaps because it encourages more precise passing and strategizing. Otherwise, attackers would whack the puck down the rink, then go barreling after it (and perhaps smack into the defenders). Watch a complete game After reading and reviewing Steps one through four, sit down with a TV guide and find out when you can catch the next game. Meanwhile, try to recruit a diehard fan who can provide personalized commentary. Even if you're by yourself, watching a game will begin to make some of the abstract rules come alive. The icing rule may still baffle you, but you'll quickly get a feeling for the rink, the various positions, and the pace at which the game unfolds. When you feel confused by the melee, simply keep your eyes on the puck. Slowly, the finer points of the game will reveal themselves to you!   -end- Learn More!