Category: Learn The Game

Boarding
Pushing an opponent violently into the boards while the player is facing the boards.

Charging
Taking more than three strides or jumping before hitting an opponent.

Checking from behind
Hitting an opponent from behind is a penalty. It carries an automatic minor penalty and misconduct, or a major penalty and game misconduct if it results in injury.

Cross-Checking
Hitting an opponent with the stick when it is held with two hands and no part of the stick is on the ice.

Elbowing
Hitting an opponent with the elbow

Fighting
Engaging in a physical altercation with an opposing player, usually involving the throwing of punches with gloves removed or worse. Minor altercations such as simple pushing and shoving, and punching with gloves still in place, are generally called as Roughing

Goaltender Interference
Physically impeding or checking the goaltender. Visually impeding the goaltender’s view of the play with the body, called “screening”, is legal; but at no time may a goaltender be hit or checked.

High-Sticking
Touching an opponent with the stick above shoulder level

Hooking
Using a stick as a hook to slow an opponent, no contact is required under new standards.

Slashing
Swinging a stick at an opponent, no contact is required under new standards

Too many men on the ice
Having more than the allowable number of players

Tripping
Using a stick or one’s body to trip an opponent, no contact is required under new standards.

Assist
An assist is awarded to the player or players (maximum of two) who touched the puck prior to the goal, provided no defender plays or possesses the puck in between.

Attacking Zone
When you are on the attack, your attacking zone is between your opponent’s blue line and goal line.

Back Check
Forwards in their offensive zone skate back quickly to their own defensive zone to protect their goal and keep the opponent from shooting.

Blocker
For the goalie, the glove that goes on the hand that holds the stick.

Boarding
Violently checking an opponent into the boards from behind. Boarding is illegal and merits a penalty.

Boards
The wall around a hockey rink (which was at one time really made of wood but which is now usually of fiberglass) measuring about 42 inches high and topped off by synthetic glass to protect the spectators while giving them a good view of the action.

Body Check
A body check is where you use your body against an opponent who has possession of the puck. Legal body checking must be done only with the hips or shoulders and must be above the opponent’s knees and below the neck. Unnecessarily rough body checking is penalized.

Box
A defensive alignment (similar to the diamond) often used by a team defending against a power play.

Breakaway
An offensive rush when there is no opponent between the puck carrier and the opposition’s goalie.

Breakout
When the attacking team comes out of its defensive zone with the puck and starts up ice.

Goalie
Perhaps the toughest position in all of sports, the goalie is the one player who can control a team’s confidence. His/Her job is to keep the puck out of the net, and if he’s good, he can take his team a long way. Good goalies win championships.

Defensemen
A team at full strength has two — one on the left side and another on the right. Nowadays, there are three primary kinds of defensemen. One is creative and offensive-minded; he/she likes to handle the puck and lead the team up ice, but is not too physical. Another is defensive-minded, a stay-at-home bruiser who plays a physical game and doesn’t often venture out of his zone with the puck. And there are those rare athletes who are a combination of the two.

Right wing
He/She works the right side of the ice for the most part. She/He needs to be a physical player who is good along the boards and in the corner. She/He is responsible for the opposition’s left defenseman in the defensive zone.

Left wing
Traditionally a left-handed shot, but the NHL is seeing more right-handers playing this position now, a practice picked up from the Europeans. A right-hander has a better angle to shoot from when he’s coming in on his wing. Like the right wing, he needs to be able to dig out the puck from the corners and battle in front of the net.

Center
He/She quarterbacks his club at both ends of the ice. Must be good at face-offs and passing, and it doesn’t hurt if he’s/she’s a good shot as well. Coaches want a lot of creativity in this position — and a lot of hockey smarts.

 

The hockey rink is divided into three zones: a defensive zone, neutral zone and offensive zone.

The lines that separates the rink into these three zones are the blue lines.

The key purpose of the blue line is to stop players from entering into the offensive zone before the puck has crossed the line. This is to prevent the offence from getting too much of an advantage over the defence in play.

Without the blue line it would be too easy for the forwards to get in behind the defence on the attack.

Therefore, A player is not allowed to enter into the offensive zone before the puck has crossed the blue line. Now the key determination of whether a player has entered into the offensive zone is if the players skates have crossed the blue line before the puck.

It is okay if the players stick or head or body or one skate has gone over the blue line as long as the puck beats both player’s skates over the blue line.

 

When you start to watch or play hockey one of the most important rules to know is the offside rule. The game does not make sense unless you understand it and it is one of the most common infractions in the game.

What is an offside in hockey? An offside is a stoppage of play that occurs when an attacking player has crossed the blue line before the puck into the offensive zone. The key determination is the position of a player’s skates as they will be considered offside if both skates are all the way over the blue line before the puck enters the zone. 

1. Minor penalty – 2 minute penalties and are most commonly called for tripping, slashing, high-sticking, holding, interference, and delay of game
2. Major penalty –  5 minute penalties that can be the same type as a 2 minute minor penalty but the referee in his judgement has deemed the penalty to be one of an extra egregious play. Fighting by a player is deemed a major penalty
3. Match Penalty –  5 minute penalty that also results in a player being removed for the duration of the game for intentionally injuring or attempting to injure another player
4. Misconduct Penalty – 10 minute penalty but does not require that the team will be shorthanded while it is being served
5. Penalty Shot –  Player is interfered from behind when he is on a breakaway. The player then gets to take the puck from center ice in on the goalie for a free shot with no other players on the ice – very exciting!

 

Blue Line
Two lines running across the width of the rink, one on either side of the red line. The area between the blue lines is called the neutral zone.

Red Line
The line that divides the rink into two equal parts. This area is center ice.

Goal Line 
The red line which runs between the goal posts and extends in both directions to the side boards.

The Crease
The semi-circular area in front of each goal is called the crease. If any offensive player is in the goal crease when a goal is scored, the goal is not allowed. The crease is painted blue. The goal crease is designed to protect the goalies from interference by attacking players. The area marked on the ice in front of the penalty timekeeper’s seat is for the use of the crease

Defensive Zone
When the other team is on the attack, the defensive zone is the area between your goal line and your blue line.

Neutral zone
The central ice area between the two blue lines (neither the defending nor the attacking zone).

Offensive Zone
When the your team is on the attack, the offensive zone is the area between blue line and your opponents goal.