Hockey 101

As my dad has reminded me now that I am writing here, hockey is not exactly the most accessible sport in this country ("Let me know when you want to write about the Brewers, or some team that I'm familiar with.")

Sorry, Dad, that is not going to happen—even if I still cared about baseball, a sport with far less action and far worse people making far more money, why would I write about something less than two percent into its season when hockey is about to enter the play-offs?

Unfortunately, hockey does not translate well on television. It is hard to see the puck, or enough of the action to see how plays develop. A High Definition television solves both problems (I am told) because the puck becomes clear and the screen is wide enough to usually catch anyone in attack position.

But let me say that the rest of the world still watches without one, and they watch soccer even though there is no camera with a wide enough angle to see all of what is going on in that game. Americans tend to have an attitude about trying out new things, so if you are not raised on hockey, you probably say something like "there's (sic) too many fights," or "it's too complicated."

Really? WWE is very popular (ick!!!)—perhaps the fights need to be staged. And there is no way it is more complicated than American Football--there are more than thrice the number of infractions in our favourite game.

It's just that we are used to those complications. So you don't have to search for the most basic rules and terms, let me hook you up to the following links: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hockey_rink; http://espn.go.com/nhl/s/rules/glossary.html.

Over the next few days, I will explain a few technicalities that seem difficult for those I know that do not understand hockey and are not detailed on these links. I will take it a little at a time so as not to overwhelm anyone or put an undue burden on my time in one sitting.

Icing: there are different rules for the NHL, junior leagues, and college or international play. In the latter, if the puck is dumped in towards a team's net from behind the center line, once it crosses the goal line (the line the goal mouth sits on), the play is blown dead and the face-off takes place in front of the offending team's net.

In the NHL, the offending team has the chance to be the first to touch the puck, in which case play continues. The risk of injury can be high when two opposing players are neck-and-neck racing straight at the boards to be first to touch the puck.

That is why I previously proposed a rule change on this site would be to make the NHL like juniors. There, referees have the option of calling icing as in college if they feel there is a significant danger of one of the players getting hurt.

Positions: the standard team dresses twelve forwards and six defensemen each game. There are four forward "lines" of three each, a center (the person who normally takes the face-off) and two "wingers" (the one to the center's right is the right wing, the other is the left wing). There are also three "defensive pairs." Teams generally keep these units together as much as possible so they can learn each other's tendencies and get a feel for where their teammates will be.

Generally there is one forward line and one defensive pair on the ice. Forwards are generally more responsible for scoring; defensemen are more responsible for protecting the area in front of their goalie's net (defensive zone), much like a safety in football. However, they will frequently "pinch up" into the offensive zone if there is a good chance of a score.

Teams often have a couple forward lines more relied upon for scoring and two more relied upon for defense. Forwards are often put together if they have different skill sets; for instance, it is good to put a great passer like Joe Thornton alongside a great goal scorer like Jonathan Cheechoo so they compliment each other. It is also a good thing to have someone fast (like Milan Michalek on that same line) to stretch the defense; this is really no different from an NFL receiving corps.

Defensive pairings are often chosen to compliment each other, too. You may put a big and thus probably slow person alongside a good skater who might be undersized or a "skilled player" who can pass, shoot, or handle the puck. The physical player will probably be a "stay-at-home" defenseman who focuses more on defense, allowing the other player to use his skills in open ice where his lack of size will not be as much of a liability, and that player helps cover the shortcomings of the less skilled partner.

Special Teams: if a player is called for a penalty in hockey, there is a "delayed penalty" indicated. This means as soon as the offending team controls the puck, play is blown dead. Because there is little chance for a team to score without controlling the puck first, the other team generally pulls their goalie out of the net to get an extra attacker on the ice.

Once the play is dead, the offending player goes to the penalty box and his teammates are forced to play with one less player (called a penalty kill) for two for a minor penalty, four for a double minor (usually a "high-sticking" minor that catches someone in the face and draws blood), or five minutes for a major penalty (an infraction that puts an opponent at serious risk of injury). A goal scored by the penalized team is called a short-handed goal.

If the other team's power play scores a power play goal, one minor penalty is over. Thus, if it is less than half-way into a double minor, the other two minute minor is still in effect. If it is past the half-way mark, both penalties are over. A major penalty always goes for its entirety, regardless of any scores.

This is sufficient for today; look for more Saturday, since Sunday night I will have to give my play-off predictions...and, no, I have not made up my mind that the Sharks will win it all.