Questions
Can a goalie score a goal?
What happens if
the goalie is called for a penalty?
Can a player
use his hands on the puck?
Can a player
kick the puck with his skates?
Can a player
knock the puck out of the air with his stick?
What is an
illegal stick?
Are all sticks
the same?
What is the
puck made of?
How thick and
how cold is the ice?
How are the
markings — the red and bluelines, goal lines, crease and face-off
circles — applied to the ice?
How fast does
the puck travel?
Which shot is
the hardest for a goalie to stop?
Which is
tougher for the goalie to stop, a slap shot or a wrist shot?
What about
deflections?
What if an
offensive player is in the crease?
Why do goalies
frequently come out of in front of their net?
Who gets
credited for an assist?
What is
"plus/minus" rating?
What are
hockey sticks made of?
How big is the
rink?
Answers
- Can a goalie score a goal?
- Yes, although it is very rare. A goalie is not allowed to stick handle the puck or participate in play beyond his team's side of the center red line.
- What happens if the goalie is called for a penalty?
- The goalie does not go to the penalty box. If he is called for a penalty, the offending team must choose a player who was on the ice at the time to sit in the box in place of the goalie. The only penalty that causes a goalie to leave the game is a game misconduct.
- Can a player use his hands on the puck?
- Any player can bat down a puck with the hand, as long as he does not hold the puck in his glove. The only exception is the goaltender, who is allowed to catch the puck in his glove. If a player intentionally directs the puck into the net with his hand, the goal is disallowed. A player is allowed to push the puck along the ice with his open hand, but is not allowed to deliberately direct the puck by hand to a teammate in any zone except the defensive zone. If he does, play is stopped, and face-off is called for at the spot of the infraction.
- Can a player kick the puck with his skates?
- Kicking the puck is permitted in all zones on the ice. However, a goal cannot be scored by kicking the puck into the net. If the referee rules that a player put the puck into the net with a deliberate kicking motion, then the goal would be disallowed. However, a shot that deflects into the net off a player's skate is allowed.
- Can a player knock the puck out of the air with his stick?
- For the purpose of scoring a goal, a player is not permitted to strike a puck above the height of the goal crossbar into the net. Elsewhere on the ice, a player is not permitted to knock down a puck above the height of his shoulders with his stick.
- What is an illegal stick?
- The rule book states that the curve of a player's stick cannot exceed one-half inch when measured from the heel to the tip of the blade. A team that believes an opposing player is using an illegal stick can ask the referee for a measurement. If upon measurement the referee determines the stick to be illegal, then that player is given a minor penalty. It the measurement determines the stick to be legal, then the team which asked for the measurement would be given a minor penalty for delay of game. No stick may exceed more the 63" in length from the heel to the end of the shaft, or more than 12 1/2" from the heel to the end of the blade. The blade must not be more than three inches wide, nor less than two inches wide. For a goalie, the blade of the stick can not be longer than 15 1/2", and can not exceed more than 3 1/2" in width at any point except the heel (4 1/2").
- Are all sticks the same?
- No. Just like baseball players have their own individually personalized bats, so do hockey players have their "patterned" sticks. Flexibility, angle of the blade, weight and length vary from player to player. Most stick shafts are made of aluminum, wood or composite materials and the blades are graphite or wood.
- What is the puck made of?
- The puck, which is made of vulcanized rubber, is 3" in diameter, and 1" inch thick. It weighs 6 oz and is frozen before game time to prevent it from bouncing excessively.
- How thick and how cold is the ice?
- The ice is kept approximately 1 1/4" inch thick when it is in prime condition. If the ice gets thicker, it becomes softer and more difficult to skate on. The ice is kept at 16-18 degrees during a game.
- How are the markings — the red and bluelines, goal lines, crease and face-off circles — applied to the ice?
- The ice is built up to a half-inch thickness by spraying water over the concrete floor, which has the freezing pipes embedded into it. Then the markings are painted on, after which additional water is sprayed to coat the markings and build the ice to the prescribed thickness.
- How fast does the puck travel?
- Some players can shoot the puck between 90-100 miles per hour. Speeds of up to 120 miles per hour have actually been recorded by some of the hardest professional shooters in hockey.
- Which shot is the hardest for a goalie to stop?
- Generally speaking, it is one that’s low and to the stick side. Some goaltenders overplay to the stick side, presenting a more inviting target on the glove side.
- Which is tougher for the goalie to stop, a slap shot or a wrist shot?
- The slap shot, while harder and faster, is easier for the goalie to time than a wrist shot, which takes the goalie more by surprise.
- What about deflections?
- Many people think that deflections are mere luck. Actually, players practice deflections by standing off to the side or in front of the net and deflecting shots from that position into another areaof the goal. Seldom does a goaltender have sufficient time to react to a deflection since the puck suddenly changes direction off an offensive player’s stick.
- What if an offensive player is in the crease?
- If he is there under his own power and the puck goes in, the goal is disallowed. A goal can be awarded if the player was forced into the crease or held there by a defensive player. An offensive player is allowed to carry the puck into the crease and score.
- Why do goalies frequently come out of in front of their net?
- Usually when a goalie leaves the areaimmediately in front of the goal it is to reduce the shooting area, cut down the angle of the shooter or for the offensive player to release his shot before he would like to. After coming out of the net, the goalie is usually backing up slowly in an attempt to get the shooter to commit himself first.
- Who gets credited for an assist?
- The last player or players (no more than two) who touch the puck prior to the goal scorer are awarded assists. For example, if player A passes to player B who passes to player C who scores a goal; players A and B get assists.
- What is “plus/minus” rating?
- The plus/minus rating indicated the overall success of a player while he is on the ice. A “+1” is awarded to each player on the ice when his team scores an even strength or shorthanded goal. A “-1” is awarded to each player on the ice when a goal is scored against their team. Goalies are not included.
- What are hockey sticks made of?
- Hockey sticks are made of wood, generally northern white ash or rock elm, or aluminum. The handle is one piece and the laminated wooden blade is affixed to it.
- How big is the rink?
- Hockey rinks can vary in size. They are typically 185 to 200 feet in length and range in width from 80 to 85 feet.