Overtime in hockey has differing rules due to various factors. In the NHL regular season, if the score is tied at the end of normal play, overtime consists of one 5-minute period of 3-on-3 hockey. If the game remains tied after 5 minutes, it will go to a shootout. However, in the playoffs, there are […]
Line changes (substitutions) in hockey can occur during live play and stoppage action. Any player on the ice can swap for a substitute on the bench so long as they are within 5 feet of the team bench. The new player on the ice can’t touch the puck until the player they are switching with […]
Minor league hockey is a league in which players can continue growing their hockey skills while awaiting their chance to move to the National Hockey League. There are two main minor leagues in the United States and Canada: The American Hockey League and the East Coast Hockey League, also known as the ECHL. There are […]
A linesman is a type of on-ice official during a hockey game. The primary job of a hockey linesman is to call any infractions of the rules during a game. Some common infractions that the linesman is looking for are offside plays at the blue line or icing the puck. So, what is the difference […]
In ice hockey, points occur when a player scores a goal. Goals happen when the puck goes into the goal area on the ice. For a point to count, the puck must go under the top bar of the goal, between the two posts of the goal, and across the goal line. The puck may […]
In a typical hockey game, there are three periods. Each of these periods is 20 minutes long. If the score is still in a tie after the first 60 minutes of gameplay, the game moves to sudden-death overtime, where the first team who scores wins the game. Some may be left wondering what adds to […]
Boarding in ice hockey occurs when a defenseless player is hit from behind into the boards via contact. A referee can issue a minor, major, or match penalty during a game against the player who initiates that collision. The referee makes this call based on how severe the impact was against a player. Since boarding […]
A hockey penalty kill is one team’s attempt to prevent a goal while at a player’s disadvantage on the ice. Being down a player or two in ice hockey is a disadvantage due to penalties, and teams on the opposing power play have a greater chance of scoring a goal. Therefore a successful penalty kill […]
Embellishment in hockey is when a player dives or flops toward the ice to draw a penalty. In other words, embellishment is the act of faking an infraction, similar to flopping in soccer on a play. Hockey players tend to flop on a play to give their team an advantage by the refs awarding them […]
In hockey, offsides occur when an offensive player crosses their team’s offensive zone before the puck enters that area. When a team has possession of the puck, all skaters must remain behind the blue line in the neutral zone until the puck crosses the blue line into the offensive zone. Ice hockey has three distinct […]
