Hockey, the game that we all know and love, is often regarded as a combination of hockey, soccer, and ping pong, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to understand what is happening on the ice.
Let’s take a look at the rules and vocabulary used in hockey, and how you can understand the game better.
Table of Contents
What Is Hockey?
Hockey is an indoor-outdoor winter sport played on a ice rink. It is traditionally associated with Canada and Scandinavia, but is now popular all over the world.
The object of the game is to score more points by throwing the puck (or hitting it with a stick) into the opposing team’s net than your opponent does by preventing you from doing so.
Hockey is usually a team sport, but you can play by yourself when there are only two teams. In most cases, two teams of equal strength vie against each other to see which can score the most points. In ice hockey, a team is penalized for minor infractions (such as holding or stalling) more than once per game.
Hockey is the most popular winter sport in the world. Some sources state that there are more people playing hockey now than at any other time in history. Thanks to the introduction of inline hockey, or puck sports, this number will surely continue to rise.
The Different Forms Of Hockey
There are a number of different variants of hockey, including;
- Elite hockey
- Inline hockey
- Ice hockey
- Football hockey
- Tertiary hockey
- Speed hockey
- Battle of the sexes hockey
- Senior hockey
- Junior hockey
Each of these variants is played on a different surface (usually ice, but sometimes a synthetic surface like fiberglass or Teflon), and require a different skill set to play. Let’s take a quick look at each one.
Elite Hockey
Some leagues and teams compete for the best players, rather than the best teams. These competitions are often called Elite hockey, and players are often referred to as elite skaters or elite athletes. Some hockey experts state that elite hockey is the fastest-paced of all the hockey variants, and requires the most conditioning to play at its highest level.
Games are usually between teams of six players, and one of the teams is usually composed of all elites. These teams are often called death lines, as they often play against each other with little rest in between games. These games can last up to seven hours, and they are rarely played in the summer.
Inline Hockey
Inline hockey is played on a flat skating surface, usually in an arena, where the rink is surrounded by the stands. The puck is placed on the floor in the center of the rink, and players use their hands to push, pass, or shoot the puck as in soccer.
This variant of hockey was first played in the 1920s in Europe, and it was initially used as a form of street hockey. Inline hockey has been played mostly by children and teens in the streets since the 1970s, as a way to build social skills and fitness. However, this is no longer the case, as more and more people are playing hockey in the backyards and on outdoor rinks, thanks to the growth of inline hockey governing bodies, like the International Inline Hockey Federation (IIHF).
There are a number of different rules and strategies that can be employed while playing inline hockey. For example, players can use their elbows to fend off their opponent’s shots, or they can wrap their arms around the trunk of their opponent to pull them down and prevent them from getting a clean shot at the puck.
Ice Hockey
Also known as battle of the beasts or the ultimate test of skill, ice hockey is a game that was originally played on outdoor rinks, but thanks to the innovations of the 1920s, it could now be played on indoor rinks as well.
The game’s objective is to score as many points as possible by moving a small ball around the opposing team’s net. This goal is usually accomplished by either throwing the puck at the net, or hitting it with a hockey stick. While there are some differences between this and traditional hockey, the primary goal (and the name) is the same.
Football Hockey
Also known as football hockey or field hockey, this is a game that is played on a hockey rink, but with the addition of a soccer ball. The object of the game is to hit the ball into the opposing team’s net with a hockey or soccer ball, similar to soccer’s iconic “ball four” rule.
This variant of hockey was first played during the early 1900s in Montreal, as a way for amateurs to have a fun and safe winter sport. Since then, football hockey has been played throughout the world, in outdoor rinks as well as indoor ones.
Tertiary Hockey
The tertiary or third variant of hockey was first played in the 1980s as a competition between three teams of four players each. It was designed to be a variation of hockey that could be easily televised. Like other hockey variants, the objective is to score more points by throwing the puck into the opposing team’s net than your opponent does by preventing you from doing so.
The rules are also quite similar to those of traditional hockey, but there is no need to worry about keeping track of which player is which, as each one is wearing a number on their chest. This number is incremented at the end of each period, and when the game is over, the total number of points determines the winner.
It’s important to note that while many people may know what hockey is, not all may know how to play it. Even for the most experienced hockey players, the rules can be quite complex, and it can be difficult to grasp how the game works, especially if you’ve never played it before. This is why it is important to establish some ground rules before you start playing. For example, you may want to work on your skating skills or fitness, before heading off to play in the street, or on a frozen pond. This will undoubtedly help you have more fun and enjoy the game more.
Speed Hockey
Speed hockey is played on an indoor rink, on which two teams of five players each compete for the fastest times in each period. The first team to reach fifteen goals wins the game.
Unlike the other hockey variants, speed hockey is played almost entirely at top speed. In fact, once the puck is tossed, players are generally not allowed to stop and reverse their skates, or change gears. This doesn’t mean that players can’t regulate their pace, but that the objective is to be as quick as possible.
Battle Of The Sexes Hockey
This variant of hockey features two teams of five players each, with only one player from each team able to hold or use a stick. This game’s objective is to prevent the opposing team from reaching the end of the rink, while you try to make them score as many points as possible by throwing the puck into their net.
The name of this game derives from the fact that it is traditionally played by men and women, or at least boys and girls. However, as gender equality becomes more prevalent throughout society, people are beginning to see this sport as being for everyone.
Senior Hockey
Like ice hockey, senior hockey was designed to be a game that could be easily televised. However, instead of using a ball, the object of the game is to move a men’s ice hockey puck around the opposing team’s net using a hockey stick.
In most cases, two teams of six players each compete for the best of three periods, with the first team to reach ten goals winning the game. However, if the score is still tied after three periods, then sudden death overtime is played, where the first to score wins.
Junior Hockey
Like other hockey variants, junior hockey is played on an indoor rink, but with only three players per team, and the game is usually shorter, with only two periods rather than three.
This version of hockey has been around since the early 1900s, and was initially played by men, but now girls can also take part in the sport.