ICE HOCKEY BASICS

Equipment AND Clothing

The official playing rules specify the use of protective equipment out of concern for the orderly playing of the game, and for the safety, health and welfare of participants. Player and goalkeeper equipment include:

• Stick. Sticks are made of wood or other material, such as aluminum or plastic.
• Puck. The puck is made of vulcanized rubber or other approved material and is primarily black.
• Skates. Players must wear ICE HOCKEY SKATES, with safety heel guards, as stipulated by international standards.
• Shin guards. A device contoured and moulded to protect the shin, knee, and calf.
• Gloves. The player's gloves must cover the hand and wrist, and their palm must not be removed to permit use of bare hands.
• Elbow pads. A moulded pad that protects the elbow and elbow joint and provides forearm protection.
• Shoulder pads. Padding that provides extra protection for critical points of the shoulder, biceps, sternum, shoulder blade and spine.
• Helmet. Players must wear a hockey helmet that meets approved international standards with the chinstrap properly fastened.
• Visor. A clear plastic shield attached to the helmet that covers down to the lower edge of the player's nose.
• Goalkeepers equipment. Includes a goalkeeper stick, goalkeeper skates, blocking glove, catching glove, helmet with full face mask and leg guards. With the exception of skates and stick, all equipment worn by a goalkeeper must be constructed solely for the purpose of protecting head and body and must not include any garment or contrivance that would give the goalkeeper undue assistance in keeping goal.
  

The Game

Ice hockey is played on a rink, a sheet of ice which is approximately two-thirds the size of a football field, usually between 185 and 200 feet long and about 85 feet wide. The game is played in three periods of equal length — 20 minutes for each period at most levels, but often 12 or 15 minutes in youth classifications. The sport involves four basic skills: skating, passing, stickhandling, and shooting.

The Team

A team is comprised of a maximum of six players on the ice at any one time.

Goaltender (one): primary responsibility is to guard the team's goal and prevents the opposing team from scoring.

Defensemen (two): primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from having a good shot at the goal and attempt to gain possession of the puck and pass to teammates to initiate an offensive scoring opportunity.

Forwards (three — right wing, center, and left wing): primary responsibility is to score; however, forwards also assist the defensemen by back-checking after their team has yielded control of the puck to the opposition.

The Playing Zones

The ice surface is divided by blue lines into three zones: defensive, offensive, and neutral. The defensive zone is the area in which a team protects its own goal and attempts to keep the opposition from scoring. This same zone is the opposing team's offensive zone, or the area in which they are attempting to score.

The Officials

At higher levels of ice hockey competition, three officials — one referee (identified by an orange arm band) and two linesmen — are utilized. At the youth level, two officials — both of whom are referees — are common. The referee is the ultimate authority during the game and is primarily responsible for calling penalties and determining if goals have been legally scored. The primary responsibilities of the linesmen include determining violations of off-side and icing while assisting the referee in enforcing the rules of the game.

Ice Hockey Techniques

Skating — the skill that makes hockey unique. Players at all levels of the sport continually strive to improve their skating. Without adequate skating ability, players are less able to perform the other essential skills of the sport.

Stickhandling — perhaps the most difficult of the basic skills to master. It allows a skilled player to maneuver around opponents and create better offensive opportunities.

Passing — makes hockey a true team sport and helps make the game fun. Passing gets everyone on the ice involved in the action and turns scoring into a team effort. Helping teammates experience success is what the game is all about, and passing allows the thrill of scoring to be shared.

Shooting — the end result of an offensive team play; the action that produces a goal. Many players spend most of their time practicing shooting because they believe scoring is the most fun. Players should, however, place an equal emphasis on the other basic skills of hockey, given the fact most players generally take fewer than six shots in an entire game.

The Rules

The playing rules of hockey are divided into three basic categories:

• Violations that result in a face-off
• Violations that result in a player being awarded a penalty shot
• Violations that result in a player being sent to the penalty box for a specified period of time

Face-Offs

Off-Side — An offensive player may not precede the puck across the blue line into the offensive zone.

Off-Side Pass — The puck may not be passed from a team's defensive zone to a player of the same team who is beyond the red line (applies only to Junior B and above).

Icing — A team, when both teams have an equal number of players on the ice, may not shoot the puck from behind the center red line over their opponent's goal line (except if the puck goes into the goal). In Junior B and above, the puck must first be touched by a player from the defensive team before icing is called.

Penalty Shot

A penalty shot is most commonly awarded if:

• A player, while in a scoring position, is fouled from behind and deprived of a scoring opportunity; or
• A defensive player grabs or falls on the puck when it is in the goal crease

To take a penalty shot, an offensive player takes control of the puck at center ice and tries to score against the opposing goaltender. All other players are removed from the action.

Penalties

For the following penalties, the penalized team must play minus the number of players serving such penalties, with one exception: the penalized team can have no fewer than four players, including the goaltender, on the ice (delayed penalty):

• Minor Penalty — Two minutes. If a team is scored upon while it is shorthanded because of a minor penalty, the penalty shall terminate immediately.
• Major Penalty — Five minutes. Does not terminate early for any reason.
• Match Penalty — Five or ten minutes, depending upon the violation, and is served by a teammate. If assessed a match penalty, the offending player is ejected for the balance of the game and may not play in future games until the case has been reviewed by league administrators.

For the following penalties, the team will replace the penalized player on the ice immediately:

• Misconduct — Ten minutes. Served in the penalty box.
• Game Misconduct — Ejection for the balance of the game and the player or coach will serve an additional one-game suspension.
• Gross Misconduct — Ejection for the balance of the game and the player may not participate in any future games until the case has been reviewed by administrators.

Penalties: Quick List

• Slashing: Hitting or swinging at an opponent with the stick
• Holding: Impeding the progress of an opponent by using the hand, stick or any other means
• Elbowing: Checking an opponent with the elbow extended
• Hooking: Using the stick to impede the progress of an opponent
• Tripping: An action against an opponent's leg which causes the opponent to fall.
• Charging: Body checking an opponent at an excessive speed; checking or pushing from behind.
• High-sticking: Carrying the stick above normal shoulder height. If the violation results in an injury to an opponent, a major penalty should be assessed.
• Interference: Impeding the progress of an opponent who is not in possession of the puck.
• Cross-Checking: Checking an opponent with the stick across the body.
• Checking From Behind: An extremely dangerous action characterized by a player checking an opponent directly from behind.

ICE HOCKEY GLOSSARY

Assist. Players are awarded assists for helping set up goals. The last two players to handle the puck prior to the scoring of the goal are usually credited for assisting the goal scorer.

Boarding. A penalty given to a player for flagrantly knocking another player into the boards.

Boards. The wooden and glass walls that surround the rink.

Body check. Using the hip or shoulder to impede the progress of a player or knock into a player.

Breakaway. A one-on-one scoring opportunity between the puck carrier and the opposing goaltender.

Butterfly pad save. A save the goalie makes by dropping to his/her knees and pointing his/her toes out, creating a "V" shape with the goal pads. This style of goaltending is effective because of the ability to cover a larger area of the crease.

Changing on the fly. Substitution of the players without stopping the play.

Charging. An infraction in which a player deliberately checks another player after taking more than two strides or steps.

Crease. A semicircle in front of the goal known as the goaltender's privileged area. No players are allowed inside the goalie's crease. Goals usually are disallowed if a member of the offensive team is in the crease.

Faceoff. The puck is dropped between two opposing players who face each other. Faceoffs occur at the beginning of each period and after any stoppage of play.

Five hole. The space in between the goalie's legs. Many goals are scored in the five hole because of the way the goalie must shuffle to cover the entire net.

Forechecking. Pressuring the opposition when it controls the puck in the neutral zone or its defensive zone.

Hat trick. Three goals scored by one player in a single game.

Interference. Impeding the progress of an opponent who is not in possession of the puck.

Neutral zone. One of the three areas of the ice surface, the zone located between the two blue lines.

One-timer. An immediate shot off a teammate's pass. One-timers are very effective in surprising opposing goaltenders.

Poke check. A check in which a defender or goalie uses the blade of the stick to push the puck off the stick of an opponent.

Power play. A situation in which a team has more players on the ice because of a penalty (or penalties) called against the opposing team.

Pulling the goalie. In an attempt to tie the score, a team trailing by one or two goals may take its goalie off the ice and send out an extra skater. This usually occurs in the closing minutes of a game.

Short-handed. A situation in which a team is forced to play with fewer than six players because one or more have been sent to the penalty box.

Slap shot. The slap shot is the fastest of all hockey shots. Players make a sweeping motion with an accentuated backswing to shoot the puck. Wrist shot.

Wrist shot. More of a finesse shot players shoot when the puck is directly against the blade of the stick with a flick motion of the wrist.

Zamboni. A machine that cleans and resurfaces the ice. The zamboni is run before and after the game, as well as in between periods.

More detailed rules can be found here on the Official IIHF Rules page