Avoiding
Hockey Penalties
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Avoiding Penalties In Hockey
Jason Tarasi
Hockey is really a pretty rough sport considering the fact that
there are twelve players on the ice who are seemingly fighting
over a tiny little rubber puck that’s only an inch thick and
three inches in diameter. Add the fact that they knock the puck
around the ice with big sticks while wearing skates and you’ve
got a game that can seem somewhat brutal at times. The truth of
the matter is, accidents happen in hockey and it isn’t unusual
for players to get roughed up a little. However, the sport is
really disciplined with precise rules and penalty assessment
for infractions. Penalties, depending on their nature, may
result in a player being temporarily or permanently put out of
a game while more severe penalties may lead to a player being
suspended or fined.
Because unintentional events can happen on the rink, penalties
can’t be altogether avoided in hockey. However, by playing by
the rules, a player can prevent unnecessary penalties from
being assessed against him and his team.
Players, other than the goaltender, are not allowed to enter
the crease – the blue area in front of a goal – unless they are
in control of the puck shooting it or carrying it into the
crease. If another team member is in the crease when a player
scores a goal, the referee may assess an interference penalty
for interfering with the goaltender as well as disallowing the
score for the goal. Additionally, goaltenders cannot be checked
even if they are outside of the crease.
Boarding is a pretty serious violation of hockey rules which
occurs when an opposing team member checks a player and forces
him into the boards of the rink. Boarding can result in minor,
major or severe penalties depending on the circumstances and
the referee’s assessment of the situation. Charging is another
infraction that has penalties associated with it because it is
the act of charging at a player from a long distance before
checking the player which can be pretty violent in practice.
High-sticking, elbowing and head-butting are taken pretty
serious in the game of hockey. Such actions may result in a
major penalty, a game misconduct penalty, suspension or fines.
Some behaviors are allowable to some extent but may result in
penalties if they get out of hand. These include
cross-checking, hooking, roughing, and slashing. Cross-checking
occurs when a player rams into another player while holding his
stick in front of his body with both hands. With hooking, a
player interferes with another player’s movement using his
stick. Roughing – pushing, shoving and minor wrestling –
usually doesn’t result in a penalty unless it gets out of hand.
Slashing – hitting another player with a hockey stick – doesn’t
usually result in penalties unless it appears to be an
intentional and malicious act or results in injury to the
player being slashed. Holding or grabbing another player is not
allowed and will result in a minor penalty as will tripping
another player.
About The Author: Jason Tarasi runs the hockey equipment
classified site http://Hockeyads.com, where hockey players can
buy and sell new and used hockey equipment online for free.
http://www.hockeyads.com
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