Girlfriends guide to Hockey

It’s hockey season! And being that we are from Pittsburgh, GO Penguins!

I did not grow up in a hockey family and will admit that I knew nothing about the sport until, I met my husband. Ari played ice hockey in both high school and college. So ever since we got together, we’ve been watching. It took me awhile to understand the basics of the game, but now that I understand whats going on, I actually enjoy watching it. I even turn it on when hubby is away on business trips!

For all you ladies out there who are lost when it comes to hockey, Ari and I put together some basics.

HOCKEY BASICS

Three zones:

• Neutral zone (middle of rink, between two blue lines)
• Offensive zone (attacking zone, where the opposing net is located)
• Defending zone (where your goal net is located)

Net:

• Guarded by the goaltender

Objective: Score the most goals on the opposing team!

Teams:

• 6 players on the ice for each team (3 forwards, 2 defensemen, 1 goalie)
• Goalie must stay on his side of the ice and cannot cross the red line that divides the rink in half
• All other players have free rein
• Substitutions are unlimited and can occur at any time (time does not stop)

Game:

• Faceoff– beginning and resuming the game (referee drops puck between two opposing forwards)
• 3 periods (20 minutes each)

Penalties:

• 5 minute penalty: fighting, hitting from behind
• 2 minute penalty: tripping, roughing, slashing(hitting with a stick), high sticking
• Power play- when opposing team has a player in the penalty box, and therefore has one less player on the ice (duration depends on penalty)

Offside:

If the player crosses the offensive blue line before the puck, the whistle is blown and the faceoff is held in the neutral zone

Icing:

When the puck is shot from the defensive side of center ice all the way behind the offensive goal line, the whistle is blown, no substitutions are permitted for the team who shot the puck and the faceoff is held in the guilty teams defensive zone

And that’s it for the basics!

Now go cheer for the Penguins!!

XO

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