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HOCKEY RULES!

So for those of you who are new to the sport of hockey, grab a pad and paper and throw on your Devils sweater because it's time for Hockey 101.

STARTING FROM SCRATCH

Let's start with the basics. Ice Hockey is played on an ice rink. Players use "sticks" to pass and shoot round a "puck". The boards and plexiglass surrounding the ice rink are there to keep the puck in play and protect fans from flying pucks.

Painted onto the ice surface are a series of coloured lines, one red and two blue. The red line indicates centre ice, while the blue lines divide the surface into three zones (defensive, neutral, and offensive zone). "Face off" circles are found in each of the zones and at centre ice, and serve as areas where teams will face off for possession of the puck after play is stopped.

At "even strength", each team is allowed six players on the ice, two defensemen, two wingers, a centre and a goaltender. A team may elect to pull their goalie for an extra attacker when they are trailing in goals near the end of a game.

The object of the game is simple: shoot the puck into the opponents net. The team with the most "goals" at the end of a game is the winner. The game is broken down into three 20-minute periods, separated by two intermissions that last just over 15 minutes. If the game is tied at the end of 60 minutes, a five-minute sudden death overtime period is played with each team allowed only four skaters on the ice at a time. If a game remains tied after the five-minute, four-on- four overtime period, the teams will engage in a "shootout", in which three skaters aside take alternating "penalty shots" against the opposing goaltender. If still tied after three shots per team, 'sudden-death' shots will be taken to reach a decision.

THE POSITIONS
The goaltender, goalie, or netminder in ice hockey is a player who defends the goal net from opposing teams shots. He plays in the area in front of the net called the goal crease. Due to the power and frequency of shots, the goaltender wears special equipment designed to protect the body from direct impact and has special privileges that other players do not, such as "freezing the puck" or holding the puck within their glove until play is stopped.

A defensemen's primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from achieving a scoring opportunity, by keeping the opponents as far away from their net as possible. While keeping the opposition away from the net, the defensemen will also try to gain possession of the puck in order to pass or skate the puck out of their defensive zone.

A wing is a player whose primary area of play on the ice is along the boards and in the corners of the rink. There are two wings (left side and right side) that make up the offense and typically work by flanking the centre position. The winger’s responsibilities include trying to gain control of the puck and score goals by passing to a teammate, or shooting the puck in the opposition's goal themselves. Wingers typically skate into the corners of the rink in an attempt to take the puck away from the opposition and create a scoring opportunity for their team.

A centre is a player whose primary area of play is the middle of the ice, away from the sides; however, centres have more flexibility in their positioning and are expected to cover more ice surface in each of the three zones than any other player. The centres most notable responsibility is to take the "face off" in an attempt to gain possession of the puck.

THE PENALTY BOX
The number of players a team is allowed to have on the ice changes following a penalty. When a player receives a penalty, he must enter the penalty box for at least two minutes. This means his team is minus one player (short-handed), giving the other team a one-man advantage. These man advantages are called "power plays."

Minor: Lasts for up to two minutes. If a team scores on the power play, a minor penalty automatically expires and the penalized player may return to the ice.

Double minor: Lasts for up to four minutes and is served as two minor penalties: If a power play goal is scored during the first two minutes, only the first minor expires – the player must serve another minor penalty.

Major: Lasts for five minutes. The penalized player must serve the entire penalty regardless of whether or not the opposing team scores on the power play.

Misconduct: Lasts for ten minutes. This is a penalty to the player only; his team is not shorthanded during the misconduct.

Game misconduct: The player is ejected from the game. This is a penalty to the player only; his team is not shorthanded.

Penalty shot: A player is given an attempt to score a goal without opposition from any defending players except the goaltender.
LINE CHANGE
You may notice players jumping on and off the ice throughout the course of a game. These are substitutions. Teams rotate players in and out of a game during what is called a "line change" and can do so while the play is stopped or during the play, which is also known as "changing on the fly". Because of the speed of the game, line changes are necessary every 45 seconds to one minute of play.