Hockey Rules

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I thought I would include, for those unfamiliar with the sport, a page explaining some of the penalties common in ice hockey, but I realized I would need some help in this department. Lucky for us one of the Utah Grizzlies unwittingly volunteered, and who better to help me explain penalties than our very own Simon?

Let's begin with two of the most minor and, therefore, most common penalties in ice hockey: OFFSIDE and ICING.   OFFSIDE is basically when any attacking player precedes the puck across the defending team's blue line. Both of Simon's skates must cross the blue line ahead of the puck.

Notice how BOTH of Simon's skates are ahead of the opposing team's blue line BEFORE the puck crosses it.  

ICING is when a player on the defensive side of the center line shoots a puck across the attacking goal line at any point other than into the goal.  A player may ice the puck just to force the opposing team to go all the way over there to get it, wasting time for them, and buying time for your team. This is annoying and illegal (if it were legal all hockey would consist of is a bunch of boogers passing a puck back and forth like a tennis ball over the center red line).  It is legal, however, if the opposing goalie or one of your teammates gets to the puck first.

Notice how Simon is on the other side of the blue line (in his own defensive zone...or basically on the side where HIS goal and goalie are) when he fires the puck across his defending blue line and across the next attacking line and it did NOT go into the opposing team's net.  That is ICING. Doing this will get Simon to scowl except when he is already short-handed due to a penalty. When that happens it's legal...and smart.


Both offsides and icing will result in a face-off in your defensive zone. Suckage.

Now onto the more serious penalties in ice hockey: boarding, charging, cross-checking, elbowing, holding, interference, tripping, high-sticking, slashing, hooking, and misconduct.

BOARDING is when Simon drives an opponent into the dashers (boards/glass) so violently the impact results in injury. It can be both a major and minor penalty depending on the degree of the violence and the likelihood of resulting injury.

Checking an opponent is part-n-parcel with ice hockey, the difference between your average check and boarding is the violence and likelihood of injury as a result.  This is a penalty where a lot of judgment on the part of the officials is involved.   An attacking player needs to be aware of the player he intends to check and ensure he is not in a vulnerable position that would increase the likelihood of him being injured. Boarding is usually called when an opponent is struck several feet from the dashers and the force of the impact is so strong they are driven, usually head-first, into the wall on their way down.  Boarding can result in Simon being sent to the penalty box for two-five minutes, being sent from the game, being suspended and/or being fined depending on the severity. 

CHARGING involves Simon taking more than three strides before checking an opponent.  The logic here is that if you are going really fast you are going to hit him THAT much harder (increasing likelihood of serious injury).

Right here our adorable but naughty Simon has taken two strides too many.  Charging may result in any sort of penalty at the discretion of the referee based on any resulting injury or violence involved.

CROSS-CHECKING is called for hitting an opponent with both hands on the stick and no part of the stick on the ice.  The idea behind this one is that if you are hitting someone with both hands on a very big stick (control your dirty mind), you're probably going to seriously injure them and that's just not cool.

Serving two minutes in the penalty box is the most common result for the offender, but the punishment, as usual, may be tailored to fit the crime if the violence was extreme or frequent.

ELBOWING, come on, is pretty much exactly what it sounds like: using your elbow to impede the other dude.  If Simon goes to check another guy and he's leading with his elbow...that's elbowing.

Elbowing has a twin brother called "kneeing" which is also a lot like how it sounds.  Kneeing involves Simon using his knee to impede an opposing player (usually involving his knee as well), this can definitely cause injury.  The length of the penalty, like all things in hockey, is at the discretion of the official.  Things factored in are whether it was accidental or intentional and whether there was resulting injury.  With elbowing/kneeing,  injury will result in both a guaranteed major penalty and a game misconduct penalty, which means the offending player will be forced to exit the game and will be unable to play in the next game as well.

HOLDING is one of those just-like-it-sounds penalties. It's called when a player uses his hands on an opponent or his equipment impeding his ability to move freely.  This is a penalty that is not very often called because it is difficult for referees to see in such a fast game whether the offender was holding the other player or pushing him.  Because this is so easily overlooked, it can be a very sneaky tactic employed by some players.

 

Punishment is typically two minutes in the penalty box, but it can be longer if the ref sees fit to make it so. *shrug*  

INTERFERENCE is called when a player has contact with an opponent who is not currently in possession of the puck.   In other words, as much as you would like to stop the dude BEFORE he gets the puck, you can't.   If we let you, no one would score, you know, ever.

Notice how Simon is harassing a player who DOES NOT have the puck. That constitutes interference.

TRIPPING is called when a player uses a stick, arm, or leg to cause the opponent to trip and/or fall.

Bad Simon.  *Simon curses*

HIGH-STICKING is called when a player carries their stick above their shoulder against an opponent.

This is a very dangerous action to take because of the high risk for serious injury.  Some of the most infamous incidents of violence in the history of ice hockey have been high-sticks.  Tomahawking a guy to the head is guaranteed to hurt him and guaranteed to land you in a whole heap of trouble...and not just with the refs and the league...but with that guy's teammates as well.  Simon will curse at you for it.

SLASHING is another serious penalty which involves swinging a stick at an opponent. 

This is a dangerous move that can severely injure another player and is penalized accordingly.


HOOKING involves using the stick or blade to hook an opponent and is just dirty play.

 Yeah, that's hooking.  It's uncool.

MISCONDUCT is that thing that's both a penalty in its own right and also tends to be other penalties' boyfriend.   It is called for various forms of misconduct (like Simon mouthing off to the refs, getting off of the bench when it is not his shift, interfering with a goalie, etc.) or if a player incurs a second major penalty in a game.

And there is cursing involved.  Always.

AND THAT'S THE GAME!!!!