Monday, October 12, 2009

Beginners Guide To Playing Hockey

By Kenneth Maluda

People often cite hockey as a brutal sport, and it is definitely a sport that demands much physically out of its players. Instead, players are rotated in on a six at a time basis. These players play a game that is divided into three twenty minute periods. Overtime is a way to break a tied game's score in the last period, as late ties are not allowed in the NHL.

Having changed a lot since its origins in Europe, hockey is a sport which has grown to include many regulations, and is nothing like the sport that it was back when the referee was in the audience instead of on the field. The referee today is one that actually skates next to the players on the ice, and comes in sets of two, both of whom consult each other and the league officials on the sidelines.

Players have to be careful not to be 'called out' too often, as this can cause them to get penalty shots - points ultimately rewarded to the opposite team. The game has really taken a turn in the years with players becoming really aggressive to the point that they're actually fighting on the ice which says a lot about how the first real hockey players played - they had up to 30 people per team which is less than the number on today's NHL teams.

Same team members and referees can get caught up in the fights as well. This is because there are often brawls so bloody that they can deteriorate into fist fights or weapon assaults (if using a stick or a helmet). That some hockey fights have caused the breaking of the rink side protective glass gives a good indication of how intense the brawling can be in the game.

Same team members and referees can get caught up in the fights as well. The referee is busy trying to break them up as some of the brawls can get bloody because they usually have fist fights and it would be assault with a weapon if they used a stick or even their helmets. Even the protective glass that is located rink side has been known to break because of the hockey players' intensive fighting style.

As a consequence of the brawls on the ice, hockey players face injuries, bruises, and cuts. Something as simple as an unfair taunt from a rival player, or a call that a player didn't agree with, could spark the fight. In order to tone down the intensity of a fight, players are sent to the locker rooms to cool off. Temperaments are naturally prone to anger in hockey, to accompany the high energy the sport requires. While it might be natural for players to not get angry, fights with the referee aren't really things that should be tolerated.

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