How to play ice hockey
Ice hockey is a multifaceted and complex sport, and discovering it in depth requires dedication and passion: here are some highlights about the playground (or track), theequipment, the actualmatch, theteam, thereferee, the most commonpenaltiesand the almost-equally-commonfield brawls.
The playground
Theplayground, more correctly known as the "track", is a rectangular icy surface with a length of between 56 and 61 metres and a width of between 26 and 30 m. All around the track there is abalustradeabove which, in order to protect the public, there is a Plexiglas protection; behind the doors there is an additional safety net.
Asemicircular door areais marked around the goal, while two blue lines divide it into 3 zones of equal size: theattack zone,neutral zoneanddefence zone.
The neutral zone is divided in half by a red line: the half way line. At the centre of it, i. e. at the centre of the runway, is thestarting point,surrounded by the hiring circle. In total there are five engagement circles, all with a radius of 4.5 m: one in the centre and two in each of the defensive zones.
On the outside of the balustrade, at the level of the neutral zone on the long side of the field, there are the benches of the two teams, while in front of them there are the timekeepers and the "punished bench". Unlike many other sports,the track also runs behind the doorsand is smoothed out, to allow the disc to scroll at high speed.
In the NHL the track is slightly smaller, 56 m long and 26 m wide, and has a slightly different division of the areas. This normally results in faster and more aggressive play.
The equipment
Due to the physical and "rough" nature of this sport, a completeprotective equipmentis prescribed in order toavoid injuries. In addition to specialice skatesand thestick, it also includes ahelmetwithvisor,gloves,neck,larynxandmouth protections, and thegumshield. In addition, special protections are provided for theshouldersandchest.
Since the goalkeepers are exposed to greater risks, they often have to carry discs at very high speeds and they have special equipment: in addition to special "goalkeeper skates" and a slightly thicker stick, they carry a helmet equipped not with a simple visor, but with agrill mask, leggings, glove- that of the hand holding the stick - equipped with a "shield" and a "grip glove".
The match
An ice hockey match normally lasts60 minutes(three times - also called "third parties" - for 20 minutes). Since every game break involves stopping the stopwatch (it's about actual minutes of play), a game actually lasts about twice the actual time. Intervals between times last 15 minutes.
The team that scores the largest number of goals wins, unlike many other sports in ice hockey there isno draw: if at the end of a match the result is still equal, an extra time of twenty or five minutes is played, which ends immediately with the goal of one of the two teams (with the mechanism of sudden death, equal to the golden goal football). If neither team has scored at the end of the overtime period, the game will be decided on with a penalty or, depending on the championship, the overtime may continue. Usually 3 points are awarded to the winning team in the set time, 2 to the winning team after extra time or penalties, 1 to the losing team at extras or penalties and no points for those who lose in the regulatory time.
The team
An ice hockey team consists of a maximum of 22 players,20 playersin movement and2 goalkeepers. During a game, a maximum of 6 players can go down on the ice at the same time. The rule is that there are 5 players of movement and one goalkeeper, but in special situations, the goalkeeper can be replaced by a sixth moving player. In early ice hockey there was also a sixth movement player in the position called "rover", able to perform both the task of attacker and defender.
In a team there must beone captainand two alternative captains. As a mark of recognition, they bear on their chest a capital "C" or "A" respectively. The captain is the only one who can ask for explanations on the decisions of the referees. Motion player changes are possible not only during game interruptions, but can also be "flying". The change of all players of movement is possible and is called "line change".
The referee
Therefereeis one of the match officials. There is a distinction between "match officials" and "off-ice officers". The match officials are the referee or the two referees (Officials) and two linesman (Linesmen), in total they are either three or four. They wear black trousers and a black white-black vertical striped mesh. The first referee bears a red band on both arms as a sign of recognition. The referee has general control over the game, players and other officials.
The linesmen, on the other hand, have control over line fouls (offside and forbidden release), are in charge of engagements and assist the referee.
Off-ice officers include - alongside thespeakerandtimekeeper, ascore judge(possibly with assistants), avideo-replay judge, who can be summoned to show the images of the actions to the head-arbiter in case of contested decisions, twoassistantsto the bench points and twogoal judges, who sit immediately behind the doors and report the goal to the public with the ignition of the game.
Penalties
Penalties are decided by the referees. The most common are:obstruction(interference),tripod(tripping),high-sticking(high-sticking),stick hook(hooking),delay of play(delay of game),slashing,irregular charge(charging),back loaded(checking from behind),elbowing,too many men on ice,misconduct,excessive hardness(roughing),hold(holding),cross check,hold the stick.
Each penalty is indicated by a particular gesture of the referee. The duration of the penalty is at the discretion of the arbiter (but within certain limits). When the referee finds an irregularity to be punished, he raises an arm. The duration of the lesser penalty is2 minutes. The longest penalty is5. The disciplinary penalty lasts10 minutes. The latter can also be of a duration of20 minutes. The maximum penalty is thematch penalty(normally 5 minutes + 20 + final expulsion).
Penalties of2,5 and 10 minutesare discounted by the punished bench player. His team plays 4 vs 5. Formajor penalties, the question is different: the player sits on the bench, and his team plays without the man for up to 5 minutes. For the remainder of the penalty time (or for the rest of the match, in case of penalty matches), the player may not go down on the ice, but his place is taken by a team-mate, and the teams return in numerical parity.
The only player who never sits on a punished bench is the goalkeeper. In case of a minor penalty or the first disciplinary penalty, he remains on the pitch, and the penalty is discounted by a team-mate who was on the ice at the time of the penalty, chosen by the captain. In the event of a higher penalty or a second disciplinary penalty, the goalkeeper is immediately expelled and excluded for the rest of the game.
