Basics of the game

The game of ice hockey played between two teams is basically identical to games such as football, rugby, basketball and others where a group of players try to get the ball or the puck in this case into the goal, basket or the boundary of the opposition’s team. The team in the end with the highest points wins.

Similar to other games, ice hockey too has player positions that indicate the responsibilities of a player. Position substitutions are allowed during any time of the game.

The game is played on a hockey rink, which is basically an ice rink that is designed for hockey. The rink is surrounded by a wall of fiber glass to keep the player away from the audience. The game is generally an offside game, meaning that all forwards passes are legal, unlike that in rugby. Earlier ice hockey was only a backward passes game, where only passes to players behind was allowed. When a player hits the puck across at least two red lines and the puck stays untouched, it is known as “icing”, during which the game is stopped. Only a face-off can start the game from here.

Different leagues follow different rules for icing. Another time the play is stopped is when the puck goes “out of play”. During this time the puck is flown off into the crowds out of the hockey rink. Players can stop each other by something known as “bodycheck”, where a player pushed his or her opponent into the board or the wall.