A Bird's Eye View On Ice Hockey

If you loved watching “Mighty Ducks” the movie, then you must enjoy playing the role of spectator in ice hockey as well. Ice hockey is basically a full-contact sport requiring its players to be agile and daring master skaters. Here are a few interesting points to remember about the sport.

• DURATION. The sport typically lasts for just 60 minutes which is divided into three 20-minute rounds. The hour already includes the average 3-minute breaks required for penalty shots.

What happens in the event of a tie is mostly a decision made by the organizers of the amateur or the professional league. In professional games, tied wins may be tolerated but in case the decision is for the two teams to break the tie, they are given only an additional 20 minutes to do so – regardless of the outcome (tied or not). In amateur games, players may be allowed to exceed the usual 20 minutes until a clear winner emerges.

• SKILLS. If aggression is a skill, it's definitely a must in ice hockey. The main bulk of the final defense is left at the hands of the goalie that guards the goal. Most likely, you will see the team handling the puck advancing with raw force and power, although expert observers may see some semblance of a strategy being followed. Skating is also a necessary skill whether the game will be played on an ice rink or on a frozen lake during winter.

• PLAYERS. There are at least three ways you can classify ice hockey players:

o The first basis is the level of the players' exposure to the game, and this includes a combination of skills, expertise and actual experience. This basis is where amateur and professional leagues come in.

o The second basis is the age group of the players and this is somewhat related to the players' membership in the major, minor leagues and junior leagues. You can expect major-league ice hockey players to be older and better seasoned than those in the minor and junior categories.

o The third basis may come as a bit of surprise. Regardless of ice hockey being a full-contact and violent sport, it has not deterred players from both genders from playing the game. You see males mostly in movies, but in actuality, there are also females who play the sport.

• DEFINING LOOK. You'll know you're watching an ice hockey game based on the getup and the equipment used by the players. Ice hockey players are among the most heavily attired athletes around.

Aside from pucks, helmets, shin guards, heavy padded shirts, skates and a whole ensemble of protective equipment are needed before players are allowed to enter the rink. As you probably guess, joining the game unprotected is the closest thing to suicide.

• VIOLENCE. Despite penalties that the referee will impose for shoving and other dirty game tactics, ice hockey is unfortunately synonymous to violence. Players' tempers and aggressive moves often result to yearly fracases, serious accidents and major injuries.