General Rules Of Ice Hockey

Have you heard about ice hockey this far? Because if you didn’t, I am glad to share all the general rules of ice hockey in this post. Welcome to know about Ice Hockey or simply stated hockey game which is a sport played between two teams on ice skates. Usually, it is played on an ice skating rink having some specific lines and markings for the sport.

The sport completely belongs to the family of sports which is simply called hockey. In an official match of ice hockey, two teams standing in an opposing position of each other’s use the ice hockey sticks for controlling, advance, and shooting a unique type of disc. Such disc is usually of closed, vulcanized, and rubber disc which is also called “puck” sometimes.

This puck should be placed into the other team’s goal. This would result in a single goal that will give a single team one point. In the end, the team scoring the most points will ultimately declare the winner of this game. Ice hockey is kind a full contact support in which players have to have solid contact, sportsmanship, and athlete to be the winner of the ground.

Therefore, I would like to share each and everything about this ice hockey support if you would keep reading this post with me till the end. Without wasting this valuable time, let’s get started!

Also Read: All About Karate Sport

A Brief History Of Ice Hockey:

You may don’t know it but, the modern sport of Ice hockey was officially developed in Canada. In most notable scenarios, it was Montreal where there the first indoor game of ice hockey was played on March 3, 1875. From that day to the present, there are still some characteristics including the length of the ice rink and the use of a puck are still the same.

For amateurs, the ice hockey leagues took a start in the 1880s. But the professional ice hockey originated around 1900. In 1892, the Stanley Cup which was emblematic of the ice hockey club supremacy was initially commissioned as an official “Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup”. It was first awarded in 1893 to recognize the Canadian Amateur champion which later become part of the championship trophy of the International Hockey League. (NHL).

Moreover, in the very yearly 1900s days, the Canadian rules were highly adopted by the Ligue International De Hockey Sur Glac in Paris and France. It was the precursor of the International Hockey Federation.

Ice Hockey For Women:

The sport of ice hockey for women was also played during the early days when the game was in full formation. However, this was not as popular among women as it started becoming when the organizers officially recommended removing all body checking from female ice hockey in the 1980s.

After that, the game started becoming more popular as it spread to Europe and a variety of other countries around the globe. For women, the first IIHF Women’s International World Championship was officially held in the 1990s. Moreover, in 1998, women’s play was fully introduced in the Olympics.

Ice Hockey Into The Olympics For The Very First Time:

In the 1920 Summer Olympics, Ice Hockey was officially played as full contact support and became a significant part of the Olympics at that time. The premiere International Amateur competition of hockey which is also known as the IIHF World Championships is usually governed and organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation. While ice hockey is also a featured sport that can be found in the winter Olympics.

Different Versions Of Ice Hockey In Different Regions Of The World:

This game has different names all around the world. Because in America and most European countries, the sport is most commonly known as only “hockey”. In many other countries, it is also known as with the name of Field Hockey.

Besides, in some Northern areas of Russia, this sport is known as Russian Hockey. Moreover, it does have some other names including “Hockey With A Ball”, “hockey With A Puck” and many others.

The Main Objective Of The Ice Hockey:

The ultimate objective of this full-contact support is for both teams to always do more goals and score a greater number of points. Because only then, one team would be able to call itself a winner.

This scoring of goals is done by shooting a hard rubber disc which is called the puck into the opponent’s goal net which is present at the opposite end of the rink. Players do this by using their sticks for passing and shooting the puck into an opponent’s goal.

The Ice Hockey Players:

In an officially conducted ice hockey match, there shall be total 6 numbers of players on each team to play the match. These players are always on ice skates over the ice per side. Here, one participant has a rule of being a goal defender.

The Ice Hockey Equipment:

Despite such energetic play, there is some equipment that players should have to have in order to play safely in an ice hockey competition. The list of types of equipment is as follows.

The Protective Gear Required To Play A Match:

At first, the player’s safety is more important which is ensured by providing a specific type of protective gear. This includes the following things.

• A Helmet is supposed to be a helmet with either a visor or a full face mask.
• There shall be shoulder pads, elbow pads, and mouth guards. Also, players are permitted to wear some kind of protective gloves and there must be heavily padded shorts.
• A neck protector, skates, jock, and all the stuff which the organizing body shall recommend for the players.

The Equipment For The Goaltenders:

You must have this thing in your mind that a Goaltender will always use a different set of types of equipment. Because the hockey puck that will come towards him will be at the speed of up to 100Mph. These special type of types of equipment include the following.

• Some specialized goalie Skates.
• Large leg pads.
• Blocking glove.
• Catching glove.
• A chest protector.
• A goalie mask.
• And there shall be a large jersey.

Moreover, this equipment list for the goaltender has been rising and getting bigger and bigger. It happens since more injuries are to find and as the game goes ahead.

Skates Needed For The Players:

There shall be an extensive physical acceleration of the bodies of the players whenever they will be playing in an official hockey match. Therefore, these skates are a must for this acceleration, speed, and maneuverability. These include the following.

• Rapid starts.
• Turns.
• Stops.
• And changes in the direction.

Moreover, these skates must be rigid and tough enough to protect the skater’s feet from contact with the other skaters, boards and pucks, etc. It includes the Ice itself.

Ice Hockey Stick:

The players should also have a hockey stick in order to play this game of Ice Hockey. These sticks are normally wide and slightly curved with a flat blade that is attached to a full shaft.

All Ice Hockey Rules:

The rules of this game are simple and easy to learn for most players. Therefore, one must have a complete idea of these rules in order to play the game more specifically. This also states that keeping the general characteristics of the game the same, the exact rules are being conducted by a particular Code Of Play. These most important codes include the IIHF and the NHL. These rules are given as follows.

Hockey Rink:

This sport of ice hockey is usually played on a full hockey rink. However, during normal play, there shall be six players on ice skates on the ice per side. One player takes the position of a goaltender.

Rules With The Puck:

Depending on some specific restrictions, the players may redirect the puck with any other part of their body.

In that case, players are not usually allowed to hold the puck in their hands. Moreover, they are also prohibited from using their hands to pass this puck to their teammates. Also, kicking of the puck and intentionally batting the puck into the net by using their hands are not allowed.

The Division Of The Players:

As you know there is a total of 6 players in a match Ice Hockey. These are divided as follows.

The three players are placed and will be standing as forwards.

• There will be two defensemen.
• Plus, there will be a goaltender.

Whenever we talk about the term skaters, it is usually applied to the players that are on the field except for the goaltender.

Besides, the forward position-taking players include a Centre and there shall be two wingers. One is left-wing, and the other one is right-wing.

The forward players often keep playing together as lines or unique units.

A Period For The Match:

An official ice hockey match shall be based on up to three periods of almost 20 minutes. In this case, the clock keeps running only when the puck is in play. Moreover, each team changes ends after each period of play which also includes overtime.

Read More: All Rules Of Kabaddi

Final Thoughts:

Conclusively, all these things let us know the general rules of ice hockey before somebody even starts playing it. There shall be no misunderstanding about the game and you should play it with all the specific rules and regulations. However, you can search on Wikipedia more about this game. However, you may also ask in case you have any queries in your mind. But anyway, thanks for reading and spending time here. keep visiting for more latest sports rules and different sports.

Take good care of yourself and may you have a nice day!