Ice Hockey: Must-Know Terms And Rules If You’re Getting Into This Sport

Feeling anxious to dive into the world of hockey? You can’t do that until you’ve familiarized yourself with the basics. Keep on reading to learn about some exciting terms and rules, from penalty shots and line changes to penalty kills and the infamous penalty box.

The Penalty Shot: Penalty shots are rare but fun to watch. They are awarded if a puck-possessing player is fouled with nothing but the goalie in front of them.

Line Changes: There is no limit to the number of line changes allowed per period during a hockey game.

Standard Penalty: Well, you may wonder if there are three or five minutes to a standard penalty. Well, I tell you for free that two minutes are given for a standard penalty in hockey. Meanwhile, 5 minutes are awarded for fighting.

The Goal Line: The goal line is that line that runs horizontally with both goals.

Faceoff Circles: They refer to the four red circles on the ice (or four red dots, depending on the level of hockey).

High Stick: The high stick is when a player’s stick makes contact with the opponent above their shoulders. It might come to fisticuffs if you try to get too aggressive with your stick.

Delay of Play: A penalty is awarded when a player purposely launches the puck out of play or does anything to stall the game intentionally.

Penalty Kill: The penalty kill is when a team successfully prevents a goal while down with one or more players. While being short of a player, the penalty kill unit has a lot of pressure to survive the penalty without giving up a goal.

Penalty Box: A player must stay in this box after a penalty.