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HOCKEY EQUIPMENT	BACK TO TOP
What is the puck made of? The puck is made of solid vulcanized rubber, three inches in diameter and one inch thick. It is frozen before entering play to make it "bounce" resistant. It weighs about six ounces. What are hockey sticks made of? Generally, they are made of northern white ash or rock elm. The handle is one piece and the laminated blade is affixed to it. Sticks may not exceed 53 inches in length. Modern-day sticks are now also made with fiberglass, plastic and graphite as well. Are all sticks alike? Far from it. Just as baseball players have their individual personalized bats, hockey players have their "patterned" sticks. Flexibility, lie (angle of the blade), weight, etc., vary from player to player.
GAME PLAY	BACK TO TOP
How long is a typical game? The game itself is divided into 3 periods, each 20 minutes long. However, game time itself is longer than 1 hour due to intermissions, stoppages, penalties, and other infractions. How long are players on the ice at a time? Hockey "shifts" generally last anywhere from 30 seconds to over one-minute. The average shift is about 45 seconds. How are goals and assists awarded? A goal is credited to a player who actually propels the puck into his opponent's goal. Assists are given to the player(s) taking part in the play immediately before the goal is scored. No more than 2 assists are given per goal.
PENALTIES	BACK TO TOP
A team plays short-handed when one or more of its players is charged with a penalty. No team is forced to play more than two men below full (six man) strength at anytime. Whenever a third penalty is called, it is suspended until the first expires. On penalties called on the goaltender, a teammate serves his time in the penalty box. Delayed Penalty: Whistle delayed until penalized team regains possession of the puck. Minor Penalty: (two minutes) Called for tripping, hooking, slashing, charging, roughing, holding, elbowing, boarding, cross checking, kneeing, delay of game, high sticking and for interference. Major Penalty: (five minutes) Called for fighting or when minor penalties are committed with deliberate attempt to injure. Major penalties for slashing, spearing, high sticking, butt ending, boarding and cross checking carry automatic game misconducts. Misconduct: (ten minutes) Called for various forms of unsportsmanlike behavior or when a player incurs a second major penalty in a game. This is a penalty against an individual and not a team, so a substitute is permitted. Penalty Shot: A free shot unopposed except by the goaltender, given to a player who is illegally impeded from behind when in possession of the puck and with no opponent between him and the goal except the goalie. The team which commits the offense is not penalized beyond the penalty shot, whether it succeeds or not. Fighting: Called when two players drop the gloves and begin fighting. Normally a five minute penalty. Instigating: Called when a player is deemed the instigator of a fight. This adds additional minutes to the five minute penalty and may result in that player's ejection from the game. Too Many Men On The Ice: Improper line change which results in an extra player on the ice. ON-ICE OFFICIALS Referee: The referee supervises the game, calls the penalties, determines if goals are scored and handles face-offs at center ice at the start of each period. Linesmen: Two are used. They call offside pass, icing and handle all face-offs not occurring at center ice. They do not call penalties, but can recommend to the referee that a penalty be called. OFF-ICE OFFICIALS Goal Judges: One sites off-ice behind each goal and indicates when the puck has crossed the red goal line by turning on a red light just above his station. The referee can ask his advise on disputed goals, but the referee has final authority and can overrule the goal judge. Official Scorer: He determines which player scores and credits assists if there are any. He might consult the referee, but the official scorer is the final authority in crediting points. Why doesn't the referee stop fights? Because they're fun to watch. Wait - what? No - no we're just kidding. There are actually several reasons. First, it is his job to watch what is going on and determine who should be penalized. Also, it is quite hazardous in close during a fight and since he is in sole control of the game, he has to protect himself from injury. What happens if a goal-tender is called for a penalty? If a goaltender is guilty of committing a penalty, the offending team must choose a player who was on the ice at the time of the penalty to sit in the penalty box in place of the goaltender.
RINK	BACK TO TOP
How big is the rink? The standard size is 200 feet by 85 feet. Occasionally, some professional rinks vary slightly in size. How big is the goal? The goal is six feet wide by four feet tall, curving from one to three feet deep. Pins anchor it to the ice. How thick is the ice? The best ice for pro hockey is usually held at 16° F for the proper hardness and is approximately ¾" thick. The thicker the sheet of ice becomes, the softer and slower it is. Commercial ice shows perform on warmer, slower, softer ice. It takes 30 hours and 14,300 gallons of water to prepare a rink for ice hockey. The temperatures needed are: 50 degrees Celsius three feet above the ice and 21 degrees on the ice surface. The concrete must be at a temperature of 17 degrees. How are the markings applied to the ice? The ice is built up to ½" thick by spraying water over the concrete floor, which has the freezing pipes imbedded. White paint is applied to the entire surface (the ice doesn't look white just because it's ice - it's mostly translucent!), then the blue lines, red line, goal lines and other markings are painted on. Additional water is then built up over the markings until the ice reaches its prescribed thickness.
SCORING	BACK TO TOP
Why is it called a hat trick when a hockey player scores three goals in a game? A hat trick originally meant three goals in a row, with no intervening goals by either team. Hockey borrowed the term from Cricket. In 1858, a cricket player in England took three wickets with consecutive balls, an incredible trick. As a reward, his club gave the bowler a new hat, hence the term "hat trick." Also, a "natural hat trick" is the term now used for scoring three back-to-back goals without anyone else scoring a goal in between. Who gets credit for an assist? The last player or players (not more than two) to touch the puck prior to the scoring of the goal. What if the puck is stopped or stops on the goal line? There is no score. The puck must completely clear the goal line between the posts to be counted as a goal Can the puck be kicked in for a goal? Not intentionally. However, if a puck is deflected off a skate or off a player's body and no overt attempt is made to throw it or kick it in, a goal is allowed. What about deflections? Deflections aren't just luck. Players practice redirecting shots by standing at the side of the net and knocking a shot from the outside past the goalie into another area of the goal. What if an offensive player is in the crease, the red outlined area in front of the nets? If he is there under his own power, there is no goal. A goal may be awarded if he was forced into the crease or held there by a defending player. An offensive player may carry the puck into the crease and score. You frequently see the goalie come far out in front of the nets. Doesn't this leave a very inviting target? Most often, when the goaltender comes out in front, it is to reduce the shooting area, cut down the angle of the shooter, or force the shooter to unleash his shot too wide or too soon. Of course, after coming out of the nets, the goalie is usually backing up slowly, trying to get the shooter to commit himself first. Which is more difficult for a goalie to stop: a slap shot or a wrist shot? Generally, the wrist shot takes the goalie more by surprise. The slap shot, while it is harder and faster, can frequently be timed better by the goalie. How fast does the puck travel? Some slap-shooters propel the puck between 90-100 mph. Speeds up to 120 mph have been recorded by some of the hardest shooters. Compounding the problems for goaltenders, frequently the puck will curve in flight, much like a baseball.