Explanation of Hockey

Ice hockey is a sport that is played in halls on ice surfaces around the world. The leading countries in this sport are Canada, the United States, Russia, Sweden, and Finland. Hockey is a very intense and fast sport requiring high skating skill on the ice and complete control of the body and movements. The physical fitness of hockey players is among the highest of all sports because they are constantly in motion on the ice. The puck moves continuously on the ice and is difficult to follow.

Ice hockey is a fast and exhausting game, so the teams change the players on the ice frequently - every half a minute to a minute. The exchange can be made when the game is stopped for some reason or while the game is being played (in English: changing on the fly). For this purpose, 22 players are registered in each team's roster in international ice hockey, including two goalies (only 20 players are registered in the NHL).

The sport's homeland is Canada, which is considered an essential part of its culture. It is even officially considered the national game of the winter (alongside lacrosse, which is the national sport of the summer). The industry is also popular in the United States, in some of the Nordic countries (mainly in Finland and Sweden), and in Central and Eastern Europe (mainly in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union). These countries dominate the ice hockey field, where since 1920, all but six men's Olympic medals and all but one women's Olympic medals have been awarded to these teams. Successful leagues also exist in Switzerland, Germany and Austria.

The NHL, which operates in North America, is considered the best and most popular league in the world. The audience figures for its games far exceed those of the other major leagues, and its games are televised in over 160 countries.

Each team has 20 players, including 2 goalkeepers, 7 defense players, and 11 attack players. At any given time, there are five players and a goalkeeper, who are usually divided into two defenders and three strikers. In practice, all five players participate in both the defensive and offensive efforts, although their roles in the team formation change according to their position.

You can make as many exchanges as you want, but the exchanges are made while playing and the game is not stopped for this. Six players can be brought in, but in this case, the goalkeeper must be removed from the goal. A case like this usually happens when there are only two or three minutes left in the game, and one of the teams is behind by a goal, and then it prefers to take the goalkeeper out to try to equalize. There are times when it works and times when it doesn't, and it's a bet that each group takes on to do it.

An ice hockey game lasts three-quarters of 20 minutes each, in "net" time - that is, the game clock is stopped when the game itself is stopped. If no decision is reached, an extension takes place. The length of overtime varies depending on the league and the frame (5, 10, or 20 minutes). It takes place using the "golden goal" method (known in English as the "sudden death" method) - when a team scores a goal, the game ends immediately, and the team that scored is declared the winner. The composition of the players on the ice also changes according to the league and the framework - in most frameworks, overtime is played with reduced compositions on the ice, of four and even three skaters per team instead of five. A penalty kick duel occurs in most frames if the game is not decided even after overtime. On the other hand, in the playoffs of the NHL league and the playoffs of different leagues, additional overtime is played, and God forbid it repeats until the "golden goal" is scored.

There are several central rules in hockey; the violation of any rule is a suspension for two minutes, and the team of the player who committed the offence is left with only four players. There are also cases where there are two violations in the same move or two different moves, and then both players go to a two-minute suspension, and the team is left with three players against five.

Offences and penalties (Penalties)

In ice hockey, several prohibited actions constitute an offence, and the punishment for them is removing the player from the field for a set period or the entire game, depending on the nature and severity of the offence. A player sent off for an allotted period will serve his penalty in a particular area demarcated on the sides of the ice arena, called the "penalty box". Another player will not replace a player in the penalty box, and his team will play at a numerical disadvantage for the penalty duration. When the penalty time expires, the penalized player can leave the penalty box to the ice arena and immediately join the game.

The period when a team has a numerical advantage on the ice is called power play in English. The team in a numerical disadvantage mainly tries to pass the time of the numerical disadvantage without conceding a goal, or in the common expression "kill the penalty" (kill the penalty). The percentage of power play situations utilised to capture a goal on the one hand, and the rate of success in "killing penalties" on the other are essential statistical data for an ice hockey team.

Most offences result in a minor two-minute ban. If the team with a numerical advantage scores a goal, the expulsion penalty ends. More severe offences result in a double minor penalty (a four-minute suspension that allows the opposing team to score two goals with a numerical advantage) or a five-minute significant penalty, during which the opposing team can score as many goals as possible.

Particularly serious offences, such as a severe and deliberate offence that resulted in the injury of an opposing player or improper behaviour towards the referees, can result in a player being suspended for 10 minutes for a misconduct offence or the rest of the game for a more severe game misconduct or match offence (for example - a deliberate attempt to injure an opponent). His team can replace him this time, but in most cases, his replacement will also have to serve an accompanying minor or significant penalty in the penalty box. A match offence automatically carries with it an accompanying considerable penalty.

There may be a situation where one team faces two penalties simultaneously. In such a situation, she is two players short on the ice. However, having less than three skaters on the ice for each team is forbidden. In the case of another offence against a team that already has two penalties against it, the new penalty is suspended. It will only be implemented when one of the players who has already been punished can return to the ice.

In situations where teams play with three skaters on the ice in a normal situation—such as overtime in the NHL's regular season—the penalty for the offense will be reflected in adding an extra skater on the ice for the other team.

When the judge sees an offence for which he intends to award a penalty, he will raise his hand to indicate the offence. The game will continue until the offending team touches the puck, then the foul will be whistled, and the game will be stopped. This allows the opposing team to temporarily take out their goalie and bring in another skater to increase the offensive pressure on the opponent who committed the offence without fear of conceding a goal.

The main rules are as follows:

These are the most common offences:

Hooking - pulling an opposing player from behind using the hockey stick.

High Sticking - hitting an opposing player with the stick above shoulder height.

Holding - catching an opposing player with the hands.

Interference - blocking the progress of an opposing player who does not hold the puck or physical contact with the opposing goalkeeper when the puck is not near him.

Elbowing - hitting the opponent with the elbow.

Kneeing - hitting the opponent with the knee.

Checking from behind - entering the body in the body on the back of an opponent who does not see the attacker and cannot defend himself. Usually, you will get a minor penalty and a 10-minute suspension on your side.

Cross-checking - hitting the opponent with a stick lifted from the ice and held with both hands.

Tripping - tripping an opponent with the stick.

Slashing - hitting an opponent with a stick coming down from above, even if the stick did not hit the opponent.

Boarding - knocking an opponent onto the boards with excessive force, with the opponent facing the boards.

Charging - Collision with the opponent's body after taking at least three swing steps.

Roughing - a deliberate blow, with an open hand or fist, to the head or face of an opposing player, even if it did not develop into a real fight.

Fighting - a fight between players. Usually, the bickering opponents are removed from both teams.

Spearing - stabbing an opponent with the blade of the stick. It is considered a dangerous foul, which entails a significant penalty followed by suspension for the rest of the game.

Illegal Check to the Head - a tackle aimed at the opponent's head. In the IIHF, the offence also includes a tackle to the neck.

There are too many players on the ice—too many players on the ice simultaneously. This usually happens due to uncoordinated substitutions, which means that substitutes entered the ice before the substitutes left. One of the team players who committed the offence will serve a minor penalty in the penalty box.

Delay of game - deliberately delaying the game, for example, by hitting the puck out of the ice arena.

Embellishment or Diving is an attempt to fraudulently attract the referees' attention to whistle an opposing player for a foul that did not exist or to exaggerate its severity.

Body Checking is a body tackle using the upper body, from the hips to the shoulders, on an opposing player. This is an offence only in women's games or young players; in men's games, the move is legal and is a cornerstone of the defensive play, which gives the game a significant part of its rhythmic and tough character. The age from which body tackles are allowed in boys' games varies from country to country and ranges from 11 to 15.

External links:

• Link to Wikipedia.

• American Professional League (NHL)