hockey!!

HOCKEY

Hockey is a team sport played on a large surface of ice. Players wear ice skates with sharp blades that glide smoothly along the ice surface. Sticks in hand, player’s battle to put the puck past the goalie into the opposing teams’ net.

Each team has anywhere from 12 to 30+ players with at least one designated goalie. Players are designated as either defensive or offensive players. Each team has three forwards on the ice, a center, right wing and left wing, two defensive players and a goalie. That is unless a team is shorthanded because of a penalty.

THE HOKEY RINK

Middle Circle:

Where face-offs are taken at the start of each period and after a goal is scored.

Centre Line:

The red-dotted line in the middle of the rink.

Blue Lines:

Lines that create each teams zone. The space between the blue lines, in the center, is called the ‘neutral zone’. If a player crosses the blue line into the opposing teams zone before the puck, the referee will call offside and play will be stopped.

Blue Line Dots:

Mainly for offside, puck out of bounds and penalty face-offs.

Zone circles:

Where face-offs take place after the goalie freezes the puck, an icing call, puck out of bounds, penalties, etc.

The Goal Line:

The puck must go past the goal line into the net to be considered a goal. Also if a player shoots the puck past the centre line and goal line on the opposing side, the referee will call icing, play will stop and the puck will be brought back to the shooters end.