Avoiding Penalties In Hockey

Avoiding Penalties In Hockey
by: Jason Tarasi

Hockey is really a pretty rough sport considering the fact that there are twelve players on the ice who are seemingly fighting over a tiny little rubber puck that’s only an inch thick and three inches in diameter. Add the fact that they knock the puck around the ice with big sticks while wearing skates and you’ve got a game that can seem somewhat brutal at times. The truth of the matter is, accidents happen in hockey and it isn’t unusual for players to get roughed up a little. However, the sport is really disciplined with precise rules and penalty assessment for infractions. Penalties, depending on their nature, may result in a player being temporarily or permanently put out of a game while more severe penalties may lead to a player being suspended or fined.

Because unintentional events can happen on the rink, penalties can’t be altogether avoided in hockey. However, by playing by the rules, a player can prevent unnecessary penalties from being assessed against him and his team.

Players, other than the goaltender, are not allowed to enter the crease – the blue area in front of a goal – unless they are in control of the puck shooting it or carrying it into the crease. If another team member is in the crease when a player scores a goal, the referee may assess an interference penalty for interfering with the goaltender as well as disallowing the score for the goal. Additionally, goaltenders cannot be checked even if they are outside of the crease.

Boarding is a pretty serious violation of hockey rules which occurs when an opposing team member checks a player and forces him into the boards of the rink. Boarding can result in minor, major or severe penalties depending on the circumstances and the referee’s assessment of the situation. Charging is another infraction that has penalties associated with it because it is the act of charging at a player from a long distance before checking the player which can be pretty violent in practice. High-sticking, elbowing and head-butting are taken pretty serious in the game of hockey. Such actions may result in a major penalty, a game misconduct penalty, suspension or fines.

Some behaviors are allowable to some extent but may result in penalties if they get out of hand. These include cross-checking, hooking, roughing, and slashing. Cross-checking occurs when a player rams into another player while holding his stick in front of his body with both hands. With hooking, a player interferes with another player’s movement using his stick. Roughing – pushing, shoving and minor wrestling – usually doesn’t result in a penalty unless it gets out of hand. Slashing – hitting another player with a hockey stick – doesn’t usually result in penalties unless it appears to be an intentional and malicious act or results in injury to the player being slashed. Holding or grabbing another player is not allowed and will result in a minor penalty as will tripping another player.

About The Author

Jason Tarasi runs the hockey equipment classified site http://Hockeyads.com, where hockey players can buy and sell new and used hockey equipment online for free. http://www.hockeyads.com.

Gearing Up For Ice Hockey

Gearing Up For Ice Hockey
by: Jason Tarasi

If you are ready to hit the ice and start playing ice hockey you need to know about the basic equipment that is essential to your game. The very basics include your stick, your skates, pucks and protective gear. There are different types of equipment for hockey which you can choose based on your preferences. Starting out, it is a good idea to buy used or at least inexpensive equipment until you discover your personal preferences.

When choosing a hockey stick, your height needs to be considered. If the stick is too long or too short, you will put unnecessary stress on your body when trying to use it and your performance in the game will be affected as well. If you visit a hockey equipment shop, the experts there can help you to determine what type of stick is best for you.

Buying skates for hockey is the easy part. When you purchase skates make sure that they fit well and have sufficient support for your ankles so you won’t easily sustain injuries or rub blisters on your feet. Pucks aren’t really anything special although you may find that you favor one style or brand over another. They are relatively inexpensive, so trying different types of pucks shouldn’t be a problem.

For protective gear you definitely need a well-fitted helmet with a mouth guard, shoulder pads, elbow pads and knee pads. A jockstrap and protective cup is also fundamental for your protection in the game of hockey. Protective girdles that cover the main part of your body are also a good idea as are hockey gloves. Neck protectors are also available for hockey players.

When you are dressed out in your hockey gear you should be protected, but sometimes protective clothing feels uncomfortable and some types may interfere with your mobility. If you feel like you can’t move you might want to try different types of protective gear, but for your safety, don’t give it up entirely. Unnecessary injuries can be prevented by using protective gear. You’ll eventually find the right mix of equipment, clothing and gear that will make you feel both comfortable and safe on the ice. As you get more familiar with the game and what it entails, you have a better idea of what you like and don’t like and you’ll be able to select higher quality gear that suits your needs and preferences for the game of hockey.

About The Author

Jason Tarasi runs the hockey equipment classified site http://Hockeyads.com, where hockey players can buy and sell new and used hockey equipment online for free. http://www.hockeyads.com.

Avoiding the Big Hits

Hockey is a dangerous sports, especailly in bigger leagues when there can be a huge variety between the size of players. One of the biggest tips is skate in the direction you're looking. If you're skating in different directions things get messy. Someone can easily come to you from the same side your skating at and if your not looking the hits get really dangerous.

Defencemen are often prone to getting big hits, though mainly when they move into leagues with bigger players. Defencemen are usually switching from backwards to forwards and looking to make the break out pass, they aren't particularly conserned about hits, especailly when they're the biggest players. Now when a defencemen moves into a bigger league, or players with bigger players on different teams this can cause huge hits. So defencemen especailly, always skate in the direction your looking.

It's also very important to be close to players, especailly infront of the net. As a defencemen, standing infront of the net may make you prone to hits from guys rushing the net. The important thing is to keep an eye out for this and when you see the guy, come to him and absorb him, stay beside him and use your upper body strength to tie his hands up and make him useless.

Defencemen - 1v1 common mistakes (continued)

I forgot to mention a 2nd topic yesterday so it will be the tip of today. When your going with the 1 on 1 on one side of the ice, it's usually preferred to have the oppenent go down the boards then through open ice as he is a lot easier to take out along the boards. So when this is happening you as a defensemen usually try to "sell" your preffered spot to the oppent instead of the open ice. This is done by giving him more room to blast by you on the boards so he picks that side, then just cream him, but one thing we do as defense is give too much room on the boards if he doesn't pick the side quickly. Going down he stays aligned with you and doesn't pick open ice or boards so you continually give him more room on the boards till he rips by you. But why? The thing is, if your going down on a 1 and 1 and your openent isn't picking either side, you have nothing to worry about. If you have given him a fair gap on the boards so it's a good choice, and the open ice is still possible, you shouldn't try to give him more space. Just keep skating down the ice straight. He has to pick a side, its his duty to get by you, not yours to give him a chance. This is a smaller mistake but its more important then you would think. Just don't give him too much room and let him decide, if he doesn't chosing either side, keep with him, make sure your gap is nice and small and take him out before he can choose.

Defenceman - 1v1 common mistakes

When your a defenceman and your doing a one on one, theres a lot of common mistakes happening. The first one is the gap size and timing. If you are sitting on the opposing teams blueline during the game and you see a rush is going to be coming up your end, most defencemen start to move instantly backwards, putting no pressure on the rush coming up the board to him and almost always giving the rusher a free skate out of his zone, through the neutral zone all the way to the defensive zone.
-Two major things are wrong with that
1. When you see a rush coming and you are on the blueline, keep the gap close so he is pressured, but not close enough that you will be caught as he blows by you. You don't want to be too far, that leads to the 2nd thing.
2. Why wait? What is the point of taking the oppenent out once you hit your own blue line if you can take him earlier? So many defensemen are trained to skate backwards with the oppenent to their blueline then take them out. Theres no sense in doing that if you can take him out at the redline. If you have that gap small from the second you identify the oppenent rushing you, you can make sure he feels pressured, and you have the choice of when you want to take him.

To take him out, slowing down and blocking him is the best thing you can probably do..


So keep that gap small and don't wait!

Defenceman's Poke Check tip

One common mistake amongst not very experienced defencesmen is the way they keep their stick while defending something like a 1 on 1 or 2 on 1.

The poke check should almost always be used in these situations, especially in 2 on 1s as you can't exactly take out 2 guys at once. But to make the poke check effective you have to make sure you keep your stick close to your body, near your hip, or just out infront of you, and then push it out when doing the poke. This GREATLY helps the poke check, since the opposition doesn't know your reach, and has no clue how close they can come to you with the puck.

The "Sopel", behind the back bank self pass

Here's a play that was inspired by Brent Sopel who in the Vancouver Canucks' playoffs against Calgary was backing into his own end (backwards) with the puck and an opposing force close infront hoping to pressure him into the corner and battle for the puck.
Sopel took the puck on his backhand, slighty twisted his body and really twisted his arms around to hide the behind the back pass to the boards. He passed it on such an angle that he really had to work to skate for it. This ensured that the guy who was hoping to put him into the corner was out of the player and also that Sopel now had a nice break to the Calgary Flames golie.
The animated play for this is somewhat incorrect. The player (Sopel) just did a behind the back pass to the boards, but in the animation it shows him doing a spin-o-rama. ~Sorry
View the play