I recently posted about the NHL Playoff Season and promised to add another post with more vocabulary and information about hockey, so here it is! I hope this helps you to get interested in and talk about hockey in English!

The place

Ice hockey (usually just called hockey) is played in/on a rink in an arena. Rink can refer to the building (use in) or the ice surface itself (use on), while arena just refers to the building. A hockey rink has a dressing/locker room, a bench, and a penalty box for each team and stands for the fans/spectators to sit in. Glass (actually Plexiglas) and netting surround the rink and protect the fans.  

The game

Hockey games typically last for 3 periods of 20 minutes each (called regulation time), though a game can go into overtime if the score is tied (e.g. 2-2) at the end of regulation time. Overtime is sudden death, meaning that the first team to score wins. If the game cannot be decided in overtime, there may be a shootout to determine a winner. In the regular season, there is a 5-minute overtime period followed by a shootout (if necessary). In the playoffs, overtime periods are 20 minutes each and will continue (e.g. double overtime, triple overtime, etc.) until there is a winner (there are no shootouts in the playoffs). The team that scores the most goals wins the game. 

Scoring

When a player scores a goal, the player(s) who passed the puck to the scorer will also receive a kind of point called an assist (for helping). If a player scores 3 goals in a single game, it’s called a hat trick and the fans will throw their hats onto the ice to show their support. If there is some uncertainty about a goal, it may be reviewed. If a coach disagrees with a goal, that coach can challenge the goal and force a review. However, if the coach’s challenge fails, that team will receive a minor penalty (one player must sit in the penalty box for 2 minutes, which means the team will be shorthanded).

To be continued in Part 2 (teams, equipment, and rules)