How to Watch a Hockey Game

Preface: Hockey is a very easy sport to understand at a simple level although the subtleties make the game much more complex. Luckily, this is a site about how to make the game simple to watch, so we’ll leave this explanation very simple.

• The hockey game is divided into three, 20 minute periods. Whichever team scores the most amount of goals at the end of the third period, wins. If the score is tied at the end of the third period the game goes into overtime. If the score is tied at the end of overtime the game is decided by a shootout (where one player at a time tries to score with no defenders other than the goalie. Each team gets the same amount of chances).

• The start of every period, and after every whistle that stops play and the clock, there is a faceoff where one player from each team tries to gain control of the puck after the referee drops the puck between the two opposing players. There is no guaranteed possession like in all other sports.  (“play” and the 20 minute countdown stop every time that there is a penalty or a goal).

• Hockey is a very physical (some would say violent) game because players are allowed to hit each other and knock each other down without being penalized. Certain hits, or use of the stick (to move the puck) are penalties. If a player is penalized for a physical penalty they are put in the penalty box, usually for 2 minutes, and that player’s team must play with one fewer player for the amount of time that the player is in the box. This is called a power play for the team with all of their players on the ice.

• Other, less violent penalties include off-sides (when there are no opposing players between a player and the opposing net, if the player does not have the puck) and icing (when a player sends the puck from one end of the ice to the other without anyone else touching the puck). When these penalties happen, play stops and there is a face-off on the transgressing teams side of the ice.

• Normally, when teams are at full strength (not with a player in the penalty box) there are 5 players on the ice at a time, not including the goalie. Sometimes one team will take the goalie out of the game to get an extra regular player on the ice. This leaves the net open, but gives the team an offensive advantage.

Things to get excited about:

Goals! – In most games teams don’t score more than 2 or 3 goals because it is very difficult to get the puck past a goalie that is 3 times the size of the net. But when it happens it is a thing of beauty.

Diving saves – As much of an advantage as the goalie has, the offensive players spend all their time thinking about getting the puck past the goalie, so the goalie really has to be on his toes. You will often see the goalie sprawled out on the ice, stopping shots coming at 90 mph. Really fun to watch good goalies.

Fights! – Hockey is known for the fights. And whether or not you like watching men fight each other, it is an exciting piece of the game. Fights are only broken up when one or both players hit the ice.