Face-offs are used to begin play periods and resume play following a break. A face-off consists of two opposing players standing one stick blade apart, with the puck being dropped between them by the referee. After then, the two players compete for possession of the puck.
The goal of the ice hockey game
Explained, the purpose of ice hockey is to score more goals than your opponent by getting the puck into their net. A plan is only achieved when the puck crosses the goal line completely. Because it is forbidden to kick the puck beyond the line or volley it in, players must score by hitting the puck with their stick while it is in touch with the ice. Deflections off other players, including the goalie (sometimes known as the goaltender), are allowed as legitimate goals.
How long does it take to play ice hockey?
Three 20-minute segments make up each match. Every time play pauses the clock stops, which means every second counts.
Ice hockey squads
Each team can have a maximum of 20 players, including two goaltenders, on the rink at any given moment, but only six players from each side can be on the ice simultaneously. At any time throughout the game, substitutions can be made.
In ice hockey games, the playing zones are divided into three categories.
A set of red and blue lines run across the ice. The ice is divided into two halves by the red (center) line, while the blue lines split it into three equal ‘zones’: a defense zone, a neutral site, and an attacking zone.
Ice hockey regulations
In ice hockey, there are just two essential rules:
Offside: An attacking player is declared offside if they reach the opposing defense zone (designated by the blue line) before the puck. Play will be suspended, and a face-off will be held in the neutral zone if this occurs.
Icing occurs when a player strikes the puck across the other team’s goal line from their half without it bouncing off or coming into touch with another player (including a goalkeeper). If this occurs, the game will be stopped, and the puck will be returned to where it was passed without a goal being awarded.
In ice hockey games, referees are in charge of the game.
The referee (who wears a red armband) is in charge of the game and makes all final decisions. Linemen, who are concerned with offside, and goal judges, who check to see if the puck has passed the goal line, aid the referee.
In ice hockey, there is a lot of physical contacts.
Because of the many-body hits and another physical contact that occurs on the ice, ice hockey has gained a reputation as an aggressive sport at the elite level — but it’s not a free-for-all where players can do anything they want. Contact from the side and front is permitted, but purposeful checking (slowing or impeding an opponent) from behind will almost always result in a penalty.
Elbowing, charging, high stick use, and checking an opponent with the stick’s shaft are all prohibited, as are tripping opponents and forcibly pushing players to contact the rink’s walls. Because of the game’s fast pace, many of these things happen, and it’s up to the referee to determine if an offense has occurred and whether a penalty should be enforced.