You need to know the rules of ice hockey so you don’t break them and lead your team to victory. Hockey teaches discipline and organization, improves speed reactions, and helps improve your health. Every game has its own rules. There is such a set of laws in the game of hockey. In the nineteenth century in Canada, a sport called hockey, and the first rules of ice hockey with the puck. This winter sport was gradually becoming popular, and in the early twentieth century was included in the Winter Olympics.

It should be said that the rules of ice hockey games can differ and in some aspects quite significantly. Distinguish between the rules of the NHL (National Hockey League) and IIHF rules established in Europe.

WHAT IS THE GAME OF HOCKEY AND THE RULES OF THE GAME?
A hockey match includes three periods that last twenty minutes each. Between them there are timeouts of 15 minutes. In some cases, if the match is a draw, then appoint an extra time (overtime), if and it does not determine the winner, it may be assigned penalty shots – hockey penalties (shootouts). Each team’s application for a match may include 20 field players and two goalkeepers, with a goalkeeper and five field players on the field at the same time who can change during the match or during technical pauses. The match is officiated by a team of referees (head referee and two linesmen) who watch for rules violations, record goals, offside, throwing the puck (iceing) and so on.

Playground and its markings

According to IIHF rules the size of the ice hockey rink is 60 meters by 30 meters. It is fenced with boards to which glass is attached for protection. There are wickets on each side of the boards, through which players of both teams enter the ice. On one side of the ice there are benches for reserve players, on the other side there is a penal box for penalized players and a referee table. The ice field is marked with a grid, which divides it into offense, defense and neutral zones.

Game start

The game and each of the three periods begins with a puck throw-in by the chief referee in the center circle. All subsequent throw-ins during the period shall be carried out by the linesmen. As a rule, the center forwards of the five teams currently on the rink stand on the puck when the puck is thrown in. After each period, the teams change goals.

A goal is scored only if the puck has completely crossed the goal line. The goal shall not be counted if the puck did not cross the goal line completely or was scored by a player with a directed movement of the leg, arm, head or other body part other than the stick, as well as if the judge has recorded a goal shift, before the puck hits the goal line.

Violation of the rules of the game and penalties in hockey

The rules of the game of hockey with the puck count a large number of provisions, which are called violations. For example, pushing, undercutting, hooking, attacking a player not in possession of the puck, dangerous play with a high stick causing injury to an opponent, etc. For this the referees penalize players with small (2 minutes) and large (4, 5, 10, 20 minutes) penalties, and for violations of the rules on the player going one on one with the goalie may be assigned a penalty shot (shootout).