A Parent's Guide to a Basic Understanding of Ice Hockey

If you are a parent of a child who is new to ice hockey and you have never played the sport yourself, understanding the basics of the game can be confusing. Ice hockey is an exciting game that requires speed, skill and team play, and is played at a fast-paced. Whether you are new to the game, or would simply like a refresher, this guide will provide the basic information you need to understand how an ice hockey game is played.

Understanding the layout of the ice surface is helpful in understanding the game of ice hockey. A regulation ice IIHF hockey rink is 60 meters long by 30 meters wide (200 feet long by 85 feet wide), with rounded corners and walls that are approximately 1.2 meters high (four feet high). Each team has one goal at opposite ends of the rink which is 1.82 meters wide by 1.2 meters high (six feet wide and four feet high). The ice is divided into three zones – the attacking or offensive zone, the defensive zone and the neutral zone – with the two blue lines dividing the zones.

A full-time regulation game of ice hockey consists of three, 20-minute periods (stopping time when play is halted), with a 15-minute intermission after each period to resurface the ice. If the there is a draw at the end of the third period and a winner needs to be declared, teams play an additional sudden-death overtime period, with the first goal scored ending the game. If after the overtime period, there is still a draw a shootout may be held to determine the winner, or the overtime will continue until one team scores. How a draw is handled can vary between the different leagues.

The rules around period length, running time or stop time, breaks between periods and overtime can vary between leagues, especially in minor hockey where games need to fit into the allotted time for the game to be played, typically 60 minutes.

Each team has six players on the ice – one goalie and five skaters. Skaters are divided into three positions – defence, wingers, and centres (forwards). Typically, teams will have 12 forwards, 6 defensemen, and 2 goalies on their playing roster. Substitutions of players can be made on the fly, meaning a player can leave the ice and be replaced by another player while the game is still underway. Hockey is a fast-paced maximum effort game where fatigue sets in quickly and as a change every minute or so during the game and then recover until their turn comes up again.

Goalies are treated differently when it comes to substitutions, they will usually play the whole game, although the coaches can change goalies during a game, or even play without one in favor of another forward if they choose to.

Typically, in minor hockey teams will have 14 players, 9 forwards, 4 defence and a goalie (sometimes 2 goalies), but this can vary. If a team has 2 goalies, they will often split the games with each one playing half a game.

Goals are scored when the puck crosses the opposing team's goal line, the puck must completely cross over the goal line. The player who scores the goal is credited with the goal, and player(s) that set up the play are credited with an assist, up to two assists on any given goal. Assists are considered just as valuable as a goal when it comes to keeping track of scoring leaders.

Hockey goals can either be scored during play, after a stoppage of play if a penalty shot is awarded, and on the rare occasion awarded by the referee, that later two because of a serous infraction on the ice that prevents a goal scoring opportunity or a goal. Normally, if a team is penalized during play, the penalized player must sit in the penalty box for a specified amount of time, leaving his team shorthanded. A team may also pull their goalie during the game to add an additional attacker to the ice. A goalie can be pulled at any time during a game, but it is typically done when a team is down by one or two goals late in the game.

Ice hockey is a fun and exciting sport for children to play. As a parent, understanding the basics of the game can help you better enjoy and support your child's involvement in the sport. Remember, the ultimate goal should always be for your child to have fun and learn valuable life lessons through participation in ice hockey.