The creation of ice hockey can't be traced to any one person or event. The game most likely evolved from British field sports such as hurley and shinty. The word hockey may have come from the French word hoquet, which was the name for the hooked sticks used to bat a ball or cork around. These sports were similar to field hockey, and are still played today.
During the winter, some players must have tried playing the game on ice. The long, frigid winters in Canada allowed this variation to catch on quickly in the 19th century, and the game also spread into the Scandinavian countries, as well as Russia. Hockey would develop independently in Russia, until the Russian hockey program converted to the Canadian style and rules in the 1930s.
The first documented hockey game took place on March 3, 1875, in Montreal, Quebec. The earliest games featured nine players per side on the ice, with a square rink that had no boards. Only a low curb separated the crowd from the action. Over the course of several decades, the game slowly morphed into something resembling modern hockey: The number of players on the ice decreased; players began firing shots that rose up off the ice, forcing goalies to adopt thick leg pads and a wide stick blade
Hockey Basics
Although rules for the National Hockey League differ from European and international hockey in some ways, the NHL is widely considered the premier hockey league in the world, so we'll take a look at the NHL rules.
Hockey is played on a sheet of ice 200 feet (61 meters) long by 85 feet (26 m) wide. The nets are 6 feet (1.8 m) wide by 4 feet (1.2 m) high. The puck is a disc of vulcanized rubber 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick and 3 inches (7.6 cm) in diameter. It weights about 6 ounces (170 grams). Pucks are actually frozen before the game and kept in a cooler so they don't bounce as much when they're in play.
The 60-minute game is divided into three 20-minute periods. If the teams are tied at the end of 60 minutes of play, a 5-minute sudden-death overtime period is played. During the playoffs, teams continue playing additional 20-minute sudden-death overtimes until one team scores.
Six skaters per team are on the ice at a time: a goaltender, or goalie, who stays on the ice for the duration of the game (barring injury), and five skaters who take rotating shifts that last from 30 seconds to two minutes or more. Usually, there are three forwards (left wing, right wing, and center) and two defenseman on the ice. In certain situations, some teams play with four forwards on the ice and one defenseman.
A hockey rink is marked by a red center line, which divides the surface into two halves of 100 feet (30.5 m) each. There are also goal lines running across the rink 13 feet (4 m) from each end. Sixty feet (18 m) from each goal line is a blue line, which marks the boundary of each team's defensive zone.
The nets are positioned with their fronts at the red goal line. To score a goal, players must get the puck into the opposing team's net. The puck must completely cross the goal line for the goal to count. It can deflect off of any rink surface, or any part of any player on the ice, including feet, prior to entering the net, and still count as a goal, with a few exceptions: If the puck is deliberately kicked in, or batted in with a hand, the goal will be disallowed. Also, the puck can't be struck with a stick above the 4-foot crossbar of the net.
There are two linesmen on the ice during a game. It's their job to call off-side and icing (see below). Two referees also man every NHL game. They can be differentiated from the linesmen by their bright orange armbands.
When a player moves into the opposing team's zone, the puck must cross the blue line before his skates do. If any attacking player has both skates across the blue line before the puck, off-side is called. This results in a face-off.
At the start of each period, and after stoppages in play due to goals, penalties or the puck leaving the rink, play is initiated with a face-off. The centers from each team face each other over a face-off location designated by the official, and the other skaters line up at least 15 feet (4.6 m) away. The official drops the puck directly between the opposing centers, who then vie for control using their sticks and feet.
The Red Line
The center red line is painted as a dotted or broken line, while the blue lines are solid. This wasn't always so. When hockey games were first televised, it was difficult to tell the lines apart on black-and-white TVs, so they started painting the red line differently.
Hockey has a second form of off-side, known as the two-line pass. As the name implies, a two-line pass off-side is called if a player receives a pass that has crossed one of the blue lines and the center red line before he touches it.
The last "line rule" in hockey is icing. This rule was put into place several decades ago to prevent teams from simply slapping the puck the length of the ice to waste time. If a player shoots the puck into the opposing team's zone from his side of the red line, and the puck crosses the goal line at the other end without anyone touching it, and an opposing player other than the goalie then touches it first, icing is called on the attacking team. This results in a face-off in the attacking team's zone. But if someone on the attacking team is the first to touch the puck, or if the defending team's goalie touches it first, the icing is waived off.
Two teams of six players skate on the ice at one time. Teams usually line up with one center, two wings, two defensemen, and one goalie. Any player may score a goal and all skaters contribute on defense. Substitutions may take place at any time during a game. Offensive and defensive players generally are substituted as complete “lines,” rather than individually.
Center - Plays on the front line of the offense between the two wings. On an offensive attack, the center attempts to gain a position in front of the opposing team’s net for scoring opportunities.
Wings - Together with the center, they lead the offensive attack against the opposition. They usually play along the “boards” to contain the puck, pass to teammates or shoot on goal.
Defensemen - Play in front of the net in their team’s defensive zone. They use stick and body “checks” to prevent opposing players from shooting the puck at their goal. They work to keep the puck out of their own territory by pushing it up toward their opponents’ zone.
Goalie - Plays directly in front of the net to stop opponents’ shots from going in the goal. The goalie is the only player on the ice allowed to catch and hold the puck.
To The Penalty Box!
If a player breaks the rules, the referee may blow a whistle, stop the game, call a penalty, and remove the offending player from the ice. The player then sits in the “penalty box.” When a defensive penalty occurs, the referee allows play to continue until the non-offending team loses control of the puck. A penalty results in a “power play” situation for the opposing team. Infractions include: holding, hooking, cross-checking, roughing, elbowing, profanity, tripping, unnecessary contact with the goalie, slashing, or hitting a player from behind. The severity and degree of intent of a foul are determined by the referee. There are no substitutions for players during penalty time and the offending team must skate “short-handed.” The goalie is the only player exempt from going to the penalty box. However, another player on the ice is designated to serve a goalie’s penalty.
Minor Penalty - Called on the less severe infractions such as cross-checking, charging, and elbowing. When called, the offending player is sent off the ice and into the penalty box for two minutes. No substitution for that player is permitted and his team skates short-handed.
Bench Minor - Called against coaches or players on the bench who use profanity or interfere with the game. The result is the same as a minor penalty. In this case, the coach designates a player to leave the ice and serve the two-minute infraction.
Double Minor - Occurs when a player is called for two simultaneous minor offenses. This costs him four minutes in the penalty box and no substitution is allowed for the duration of the penalty.
Misconduct Penalty - Called on players for unacceptable conduct. In this situation, the penalty time is longer than for a minor penalty. A player is removed from the ice for ten minutes. However, substitutions are allowed immediately. Misconduct penalties are often called in combination with another penalty, and the player must serve the accumulated time.
Game Misconduct - When a severe foul is committed, the offending player leaves the ice for the rest of the game and goes to the locker room. A substitute skater may replace the penalized player.
Gross Misconduct - Similar to a game misconduct penalty except that the offending player may not skate in another game until a league official reviews the player’s conduct. A substitute player may fill the leaving skater’s position.
Assist: Point awarded to a player or players for helping set up a goal; usually the last two offensive players to handle the puck prior to a goal being scored are credited for assists.
Boards: The wooden and glass walls that surround the rink.
Body Check: Using the hip or shoulder to impede the progress of an opponent who has the puck.
Breakaway: A scoring opportunity that occurs when there are no defending players between the puck carrier and the opposing goaltender.
Changing On The Fly: Substitution of players without a stoppage in play.
Face-Off: To initiate play, the puck is dropped between two opposing players who face each other.
Forechecking: Pressuring the opposition when they control the puck in the neutral or defensive zone.
Hat Trick: Three goals scored by one player in a single game.
Power Play: When a team has more players on the ice because of a penalty (or penalties) called against the opposing team.
Pull The Goalie: In an attempt to tie the score, a team trailing by one or two goals may take its goalie off the ice and send out an extra skater. This usually occurs in the closing minute(s) of a game.
Shorthanded: When a team is forced to play with fewer than six players because one or more have been sent to the penalty box.
Slap Shot: A sweeping motion with an accentuated back swing to shoot the puck (similar to a drive in golf).
Wrist Shot: The motion of shooting with the puck directly against the blade of the stick.
Blue Lines
- The two lines that extend the width of the ice, dividing the playing area between goals into three equal sixty-foot zones. Inside the blue lines is where “offside” violations occur.
Board Check - A body check that knocks an opponent into the boards.
Boards - Wood and fiberglass boards that surround the skating rink to keep the puck in play. The boards are an integral part of the playing surface as players frequently use them to body check opponents into, to pass the puck along, and to trap the puck against.
Break-away - When an attacking player with the puck beats all defenders leaving only the goalie to shoot against.
Carrying the Puck - Moving the puck along the ice with the hockey stick.
Checking - Players may use their bodies to push or shove opponents in an effort to break up attacking moves. Checking is a normal part of the game and is only considered a foul if the referee believes it is done in an overly aggressive manner.
Clearing - A defensive strategy in which a player fires the puck out of the defensive zone, sending it into the “neutral zone.”
Crease - The semicircle area in front of each net. No player other than the goalie may occupy the crease at any time.
Cross-check - An illegal check by a player having both hands on the stick but no part of the stick on the ice when knocking into an opponent.
Dumping the Puck - An offensive player sends the puck deep into the opposing zone rather than try carrying it across the blue line through the defense.
Face-off - Done at the start or restart of play. The referee drops the puck into the center of a face-off spot as two opposing players, lined up on opposite sides, use their sticks to fight to gain possession.
Hat Trick - When an individual player scores three goals in one game.
High Sticking - Raising the stick blade above a certain height is illegal. High sticking subjects a player to a two-minute penalty and a referee may disallow a goal that was scored by a shot made with a high stick.
Holding - Players may not use their hands or the stick to hold an opponent.
Hooking - Illegally using the stick to hook an opponent, in the attempt to impede that skater’s progress.
Icing - Called if a player shoots the puck from his zone across both the red (center) line and the opposing goal line, and an opposing defensive player other than the goalie, is the next player to touch the puck. When icing occurs, the referee stops play and returns the puck to the opposite zone for a face-off.
Lines - The dividing lines of the rink. There are two blue lines, two goal lines, and one center (red) line. This term also refers to the grouping of players as they skate
Neutral Zone
- The area on the ice between the two blue lines.
Offside - Occurs when an attacking player crosses the blue line into the opposing team’s defensive zone ahead of the puck. On this call, the referee stops play and conducts a face-off in the neutral zone.
Pass - The manner in which the puck is moved along the ice between teammates.
Penalty Box - The designated box, off the ice, in which penalized players must sit out their penalty time.
Penalty Killing - When a team skates short-handed on a power play, it tries to kill time by holding or clearing the puck.
Poke Check - Stealing the puck from an advancing player using the hockey stick.
Power Play - The period of time during which one team skates with a man advantage over the opposing team because that team has lost a player to a penalty.
Power Play Goal - Scored by the team which has more players on the ice during a power play. This terminates the penalty for the opposing team.
Save - When the goalie prevents a shot from going into the net.
Short-handed - The team that skates with fewer players on the ice when the opposing team is on a power play.
Short-handed Goal - A goal scored by the team that skates at a player disadvantage in a power play situation. A goal here will not end a penalty.
Stealing - When an opposing player intercepts the puck on a pass between teammates or poke checks the puck away.
Zamboni - The machine that resurfaces the ice between periods.
Andrea Besson - Power Skating, Hockey Basics, Figure Skating - Coach - Houston, TX
