Friday, October 16, 2009

Beginners Guide To Understanding Hockey

By Kenneth Maluda

Hockey, typically associated with colder regions - such as Canada, the United States, Russia, Norway, Sweden, and Scandinavia - is a sport which is quite physically demanding on many players. Rotating 6 players at a time, the game has a total of 22 players. Overtime is similarly split into twenty minute periods, ending when there is a goal made. This applies if it's a tied game at the last period and this is one way to break a tie to end a game as late ties are no longer allowed in the NHL.

Hockey has modified itself over the time since its conception with the establishment of strict regulations - nothing like it was back in Europe where the referee was in the audience instead of on the field. These days there are actually two referees, and each of them make their home on the ice next to the players, coffering with each other and with the league officials watching on the sidelines is not unheard of. The league behavior is also different because of the regulations, and the increased organization led to the addition of a penalty box. In severe cases, this time out can last all game.

Players have to be careful not to be 'called out' too often, as this can cause them to get penalty shots - points ultimately rewarded to the opposite team. While the first hockey players had up to 30 people on a team - much less than the numbers on today's NHL teams - the way the sport is played today is increasingly aggressive.

The fights between the players on the ice today is amazing to watch, as even the referees can get caught sometimes in the brawls that happen between rival and fellow players. This is an understandable outcome, as the fist fights that erupt from these fights on the ice can easily turn into assault with a weapon if the players start using their sticks or helmets. Even the protective glass that is located rink side has been known to break because of the hockey players' intensive fighting style.

This is the reality of hockey in today's world, which can result in serious injuries, which are mostly cuts and bruises from the constant fist fighting on the ice. The fights can result from calls the players feel are unfair and fall to the other team or even a rival player taunting them in some way which can cause them to be angry and combative.

In order to tone down the intensity of a fight, players are sent to the locker rooms to cool off. The high-energy involved in hockey makes it a sport where anyone can get angry very quickly. In fact it can be very difficult not to get angry, but when it comes to the referee fighting, well, that's a whole separate ballgame.

About the Author:

0 comments:

Post a Comment