Hockey 101 – Hooking (Rule 55)

Hooking, broken down is … “Impeding the progress of another player by “hooking” them with the blade of your stick.”  I could stop there – however, this is another one of those “interpretation” rules.  Its up to the on ice official if a player has impeded another player by hooking them with the blade of his stick.  I have had this called on me quite a few times in error (Looking at you Highfield!)  In my defense, I believe there IS a difference in “impeding” and “manipulating the play” – allow me to explain!

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Hockey 101 - Tripping (Rule 57)

So there you are, on the edge of your couch … yelling at Patrick Marleau skating the puck up the boards - he dekes right, he dekes left (usually by now the puck has been stolen and the other team has a 3 on 1 breakaway … but in this instance … ) Patrick is up the ice and *boom* he is down! *said in my best John Madden voice* - whistle blows, the play is stopped!

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Hockey 101: Who Gets Their Name on the Stanley Cup

In light of the incredible Stanley Cup series we just witnessed, I thought it would be appropriate to address the question of “who gets their name on the Stanley Cup?”

Newcomers to the game may not understand the qualifications one has to meet in order to be considered for a name engraving on the greatest prize [...]

Hockey 101 - The Penalty Shot

One of the most exciting moments in all of hockey is when a penalty shot is awarded. Now, unlike our favorite hockey video games, there isn’t a little ‘ding’ to indicate when a player is considered to be on a breakaway, so the decision to award an attacking player a penalty shot relies solely in the hands of the officials on the ice. There cannot be a booth review of a possible penalty shot worthy infraction, so this one is all on the zebras.

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Hockey 101 - The Roles of the Referees & Linesmen

For those fortunate enough to attend a NHL game live, you’ll find it becoming somewhat of a tradition to “boo” the referees and linesmen as they skate out onto the ice before the players. I use the term “boo” very loosely as fans often come up with alternate ways (usually a word between 4 and 10 letters long) of saluting the men that police the game.

I would be curious to see, however, how many of those fans that heckle the officials actually know what the true role of a referee and linesman are.

I was watching a hockey game with a friend one time

Hockey 101 - Offside (Rule 83)

How many times have you been emotionally and physically invested into a game?  It could happen at anytime … the goalie makes a cartwheel save, a defenseman completely undresses the attacking team on a 2 – 1 breakaway … the puck is turned over … they head down the ice and all of a sudden, everyone stops skating and the Ref is standing there pointing to a round dot on the ice.  What Just Happened???  I am surprised at how many people do not understand what being “Offsides” actually is.  Down and Dirty - According to the NHL Rule book … Rule 83 reads:

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Hockey 101 - Icing (Rule 81)

So – today we are talking about Icing.  It has taken me 3 years and many, many, many, many games to teach my wife when to recognize an icing call and why.  I am hoping this explanation will help you all grasp the concept of icing and why it is a penalty.  There is currently a great debate going on regarding the rule of icing in and among the NHL purists … and I will explain that later on in the post (in other words … Keep Reading!).  I will first give you a “literal” definition of the penalty, then I will show you an example (in picture form) and then I will fill you all in on the great debate.  With that said … the definition (this is not taken out of the NHL Rule book) …

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Hockey 101 - Fighting (Rule 47)

If you sit down and look at the NHL Rule Book you will notice that A) It’s 312 pages long and B) It’s boring as hell! I started thinking today that it would be interesting to do a quick series on the rules of hockey and clear up some misconceptions of the sport. My goal is to break down some of the rules in the book, help us all learn something more about this great game and at the same time, help new-comers understand the guidelines and regulations for the sport. I find it interesting when I engage in conversations with friends regarding my passion of Hockey the conversation eventually turns to the physical and violent nature of the sport. I remember years ago becoming so upset when someone would say the sport I love was promoting violence by allowing its players the freedom to fight. I am sure everyone has heard the joke – “I went to a fight, and a Hockey game broke out!” Well … I would like to take a moment and go over a few things about fighting and its role in the NHL.

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