Tamm's ice hockey thread

[tassiedevil]

Hot ice hockey player pics too please Tamm

[Kay46]

Yes we need hot pics now!!!

[tammerz]

I am not going to go into a long history lesson about where the game of hockey originated, mainly because i dont know, and secondly because i dont care. It here now and its the coolest game on earth! (pun definately intended).


The Game is played on a sheet of ice, referred to as the rink. (if this is too elementary for you, let me know)
At either end of the ice surface is a goal. On one side of the ice surface are the players bench, and on the other is the penalty box. (we will get to that later).
You will notice in the picture above, that there are several lines across the ice surface. The red line through the center is the center line. (go figure)
the blue lines to the right and left of center ice are the blue lines. (duh)
In between the blue lines is called the Neutral Zone. This zone is not an offensive zone for either team, although some very offensive thigs sometimes happen in the neutral zone.
The area from the blue lines to the smaller red lines at the end of the rink, is called the offensive zone. Each team has one, which makes it good that there are only two because the game would get really confusing if more than two teams were playing.
The small blue area at either end of the rink is the crease. This is the home of the goaltender. He is the king of the ice. Players are not supposed to interfere with him but it happens, but a player or team can be penalized for goaltender interference. (if you get caught) Goalies are very territorial about their crease and the areas around it.
between the crease and the wall of the rink (called the boards) sits the net. This is where you want to put the puck. but thats another lesson, tonight i am concentrating on the location and playing surface.
The rink itself can vary in size but there are minimums and maximums that apply. International rinks are larger than NHL rinks. This has some advantages the game flows a little better, but overall i prefer the NHL rinks and rules. Hockey is a blood sport, it needs to stay that way, none of the mamby pamby international rules about fighting and hitting in my sport!
Anyway, obviously it's an ice rink so it must stay frozen, and twice during every regualtion length game the ice has to be resurfaced, to keep it smooth and pristine. This keeps the players from injury and the puck moving smoothly over the surface. The ice is resurfaced using a Zamboni, named after some guy who invented it, I have no idea how it works but they are really cool.


this is a Zamboni

Basically ithe Zamboni melts the ice then refreezes it and at the same time it shaves it down and smooths it. Like i said its all a bit too technical for me, but it gets the job done.
So thats basically where the game is played.

Tomorrow, or whenever i get to it, we will begin on the equipment.

have i forgotten anything

oh yeah






Girls meet Sidney

[Mrs James Toseland]

hello sidney

[tassiedevil]

It's official, Sidney is a hottie [insert drooling pic here]

[LilSmiler46]

Helloooooo Sidney!

[tammerz]

Okay
For any hockey game you have to have basic equipment.
A puck, made of vulcanized (i have no idea what that means, but i say it has been blessed by mr spock) rubber and kept below freezing. this makes it move across the ice better.
A Stick, these can be made of wood or aluminum (or titanium), the can be whatever length is comfortable for the particular player, but the blade if the stick (the part thats at the bottom) can only be a certain legnth and width. Most players will bend the blade to whatever curvature they feel suits their shot best, but the size of the blade can not be altered.
Ice skates, hockey skates, not ice skating skates, they would kill themselves with the toe pics. the blades have to be at least a certain width.
Helmets, this piece of equipment only became mandatory in 1978, if you can believe that. and as far as i know, face masks still are not mandatory, except for goaltenders.
Gloves and pads are also an importantpart of the equipment. for obvious reasons. you want as much protection as possible, there are guys swinging sticks, pucks flying around, and let me tell you getting hit with a puck is no picnic.
Goalies have the same Equipement, just more of it, they were larger leg pads and chest protectors, a throat protector and one of their gloves has a huge basket in it for catching pucks. To me the throat protector is very important. I saw a goalies throat get slit by a skate blade once, it was absolutely terrifying.
The goalies stick is also different from a regualr stick in the the shaft of it is a lot wider to help block pucks.

okay girls meet Vincent Lecavalier

[tammerz]

[tammerz]

[tammerz]

[tammerz]

[tassiedevil]

Oh that brawl footage was awesome..

[Kay46]

I am so enjoying this!!!
Thanks Tamm!!!!

[tammerz]

The rules are simple, except for icing, which i will get to.

There are 5 players for each team plus the goaltender.
Three forwards: The right wing, the center, and the left wing.
Two defensment: right and left (typically a coach will pair a stay at home defenseman and an offensive defenseman together)
The Goaltender
and they play 5 on 5 unless there is a penalty.
There are several degrees of penalties:
Minor: a player commiting a minor penalty will sit two minutes in the penalty box, and his team plays shorthanded for that two minutes. This is called a power play. Should the other team score on the power play, the penalty is over and the bad boy can take the ice again. When one team is on a power play, having the man advantage in other words, the other team in on the penalty kill. In this instance you want your best defensive players on the ice to try to hold off the other team and their extra attacker. Also, goaltenders can commit penalties, but they do not serve them, another teammate who was on the ice at the time of the penalty sits when a goalie transgresses.
Double Minor: this is two minor penalties to the same player at the same time. They are served in two minute increments, so if the team with the advantage scores before the first two minutes is up, then that two minutes expires and the second two minutes begins. All Minor power plays end when the team on the power play scores.
Major: This is a minor penalty amped up several notches. Ususally given if blood flows or a penalty is blatant or with intent to injure. A major penalty brings about a 5 minute power play. However, it doesn not end if the team scores, a team on a 5 minute major can scoe as many goals as they can in that five minutes.
Penalty Shot: No time served. Awarded for a player being fouled from behind and denied a breakaway scoring opportunity. Also called for deliberately displacing the goal post during a breakaway, or can be called when a defending player other than the goalie intentionally falls on the puck, ususually around the defensive net area.
Coincidental minor and/or major penalties: This is when players of two opposing teams are simultaneously assessed penalties of equal duration. In this case, the players may be substituted for, but all penalized players must serve their full time in the penalty box and wait for a stoppage of play to come out of the box. Generally, the timekeeper will not post these penalties on the scoreboard and the players will be required to stay in the box for the amount of time assessed and until "the next whistle".
Misconduct Penalty: Any player, other than the goaltender, shall be ruled off the ice for a period of ten minutes. A substitute player is permitted to immediately replace a player serving a misconduct penalty. A player whose misconduct penalty has expired shall remain in the penalty box until the next stoppage of play. These penalties are often called in tandem with a minor penalty and you may hear it referred to as a Two and ten. What this means is that the player has committed a foul such as Checking from Behind and his team must play shorthanded for 2 minutes but the offending player must then also stay off the ice for an additional 10 minutes. Generally, a team will put two players in the penalty box with one coming out after two minutes.
Match Penalty: A match penalty involves the suspension of a player for the balance of the game and the offender shall be ordered to the dressing room immediately. A substitute player is permitted to replace the penalized player after five minutes of playing time has elapsed.
And the Grandaddy of them all.....
Game Misconduct: A penalty that involves the suspension of a player for the balance of the game. A substitute is immediately permitted to take his place on the ice.

What is a penalty, what can and cant you do?
Boarding
Checking (shoving) an opponent so that he is thrown violently against the boards.
Charging
Taking more than three skating strides prior to checking an opponent.
Checking from Behind
Checking or hitting an opponent whose back is facing you, often into the boards.
Cross-Checking
Hitting an opponent with both hands on the stick and no part of the stick on the ice.
Delayed Penalty
When a referee signals that he is about to penalize a player, but will not stop play until the team to be penalized touches the puck. Many times the team about to be awarded the power play will pull their goaltender in favor of another forward since the play will be stoped if the penalized team touches the puck and therefore cant score. This can however backfire on you should one of your team members accidently knock the puck into his own net. Embarassing, but i have seen it happen.
Elbowing
Using an elbow in any way to foul an opponent.
Hand Pass
Called when a player uses his hand to direct the puck to another player from the same team in the offensive or neutral zone. Hand passes are allowed in the defensive zone. I took my nephew to a game when he was about 6, he is now 16, and Hockey was still fairly new in Texas, but i have been a fan forever so everyone in my family knows hockey and loves it like me. Anyway, there was this guy sitting behind us and he was obviously on a date, he spent the evening trying to impress his date with his hockey knowledge, most of it wrong. Everytime he would say something incorrect Blaine and I would just look at eachother and shake our heads. Until, a hand pass was called and the guy starts yelling "what the hell call was that ref?" Blaine turns around and simply says, "it was a hand pass you idiot". I had to go get a beer after that.
High Sticking
Striking your opponent while carrying the stick above shoulder level.
Holding
Holding an opponent from moving with hands or stick or any other way.
Hooking
Offering sexual favors for money to the "puck bunnies" in the stands
just kidding, wanted to see if you were paying attention,
"Hooking" a stick aroung an opponent to try to block his progress.
Icing
Intentionally shooting the puck from behind the center red line over your opponent's goal line. Not technically a penalty, icing results in a faceoff in the offending team's zone. Quite possibly the dumbest rule in hockey with the exception of the "three blind mice rule".
Interference
Illegal body contact with an opponent who is not in possession of the puck, or knocking an opponent's fallen stick out of his reach.
Penalty Shot
When an attacking player has been clearly pulled down preventing a breakaway shot on the goalie.
Slashing
Hitting an opposing player with the stick or swinging the stick at an opposing player. (my personal favorite)
Spearing
Stabbing an opponent with the point of the stick blade while the stick is being carried in one or both hands.
Tripping
Using a stick, knee, foot, arm, hand, or elbow to cause an opponet to trip or fall.
Three Blind Mice
The home team will be assessed a two minute minor bench penalty if the song "three blind mice is played over the stadium sound system". This rule is never called, but stems from the fact that up until recently there were only Three officials on the ice at any goven time... you do the math.
Speaking of officials, lets get them out of the way:
Referees
The referee controls the game. He calls all of the penalties and must decide the legality of goals. Sometimes he will call time-out and ask the linesmen for an opinion before he makes a final decision. There are two referees in each NHL game.
Linesmen
The duty of the linesman is to determine offsides and icings. They drop the puck for face-offs and chase the puck after stoppage of play. It is also the linesmen's unenviable job to break up fights while the referee assesses the penalties.
Goal Judge
It is the duty of the goal judge to watch the goal line and signal when a puck has completely crossed the line into the net.

A hockey game consists of three periods of twenty minutes each. There are two intermissions of 15 minutes. During a regular season game, should regulation time end and the score be tied, there will be a 5 minutes sudden death overtime period. If that ends and the score is still tied, they will move to a shootout, which in the regular season is okay i guess, even though it has absolutely nothing to do with what happened the previous 65 minutes. They are exciting as hell to watch though. During a playoff game, if the 3rd period end and the score be tied, they take a 15 minute intermission, and then begin another 20 period. Only it is now sudden death, the first team to score wins the game. If the OT period ends with no team scoring, they take another 15 minute intermission, then Play another 20 period of sudden death, and so on. I have attended a playoff game that went into the 4th overtime period. It was beautiful, like getting two games and an extra period for the price of one.

okay, i think thats it for tonight...
here are a few more things to look at:

[tammerz]

and hockey explained by an expert:

[tammerz]

I would say i have been to well over 100 hockey games over the course of my long life.

and i know the sport inside and out, i know the players, i know the nuances of the game, i know the fans.

But the greatest game i ever saw, i watched on tv
Hockey is one of the few sports i would rather watch live, that and baseball. But the 1980 olympic hockey game between The USA and Russia is quite possibly the best single game i ever saw, and it was televised. I think the whole world watched. There are people here in the States that you can ask where were you when Kennedy was shot, or where were you when the towers fell. I can answer both of those (in my mom's uterus, and at work at the hospital watching it on TV). But i can also answer the exact day and time i fell in love with the sport of hockey. February 22, 1980. I was sitting in my living room watching the olympics with my dad. The game came on and even not being a hockey fan i knew this was gonna be something to watch. A group of upstart college kids led by a has been player, up against the soviet hockey machine. No one, i mean no one, gave the American a chance to even skate with the Russians.
On Feruary 9th the two teams had played an exhibition match at Madison Square Garden in NYC and the Russians slaughtered us 10-3.
So this looked to be much of the same. But the world wasnt counting on how scrappy and determined the Americans were.
The Americans fell behind early, as they had been all through the tournament. Near the end of the 1st period, down 2-1 and being heavily outshot, the Americans moved the puck into the offensive zone. Dave Christian fired a slapshot (a shot where basically the blade of the stick slaps the full side of the puck, a very forcefull shot) and Tretiak (possibly the best goaltender in the world at that time) stopped the shot but misplayed the rebound and Mark Johnson pushed the puck past him to tie the score going into the 1st intermission.
The soviet coach pulled Tretiak for the 2nd period and replaced him with a back-up goaltender. The Russians scored again on a power play but Jim Craig made great saves to keep the Americans in the game. The entire game the crowd was unbelievably loud. Waving American flags and singing God Bless America and America the beautiful. Players later said they would never have lived with themselves if they had let those fans down that day. In fact, they would have let an entire nation down had they lost.
During the 2nd intermission, Herb Brooks, the coach of the USA team said nothing to the guys in the locker room. He just sat and looked at them. They became uncomfortable but still he didnt speak. As the break was winding down, Herb went to the door to go back to the ice and simply turned around and said "If you lose this game, you will take it to your graves...to your graves" and walked out to the ice.
Properly motivated the team went back out and with ten minutes left in the game, the Americans led 4-3. Craig withstood the Soviet onslaught and with 10 seconds left in the game, Al Michaels-the broadcaster/commentator of the game said, "Eleven seconds, you've got ten seconds, the countdown going on right now! Morrow, up to Silk. Five seconds left in the game. Do you believe in miracles? Yes!"
And bedlam ensued. The mouse had tamed the lion. David had slain Goliath. The Eagle had beaten the Bear. Pick your euphemism, no one can say what effect the win had on the world, probably none. It made a nation feel good about itself which it hadnt in a long time. But in my world, it deeply affected a short, homely 16 year old girl in Texas.A lot like Motogp affected a short fat 40 something haus frau in April of 2006. It got me excited about something like i had never been before, hockey is the one true love of my life. (sad i know) But when i have been at my absolute lowest, during hockey season anyway, i can turn on a game-it doesnt matter who is playing-and escape for three hours. Most things are easier to deal with when you can take a break from them. things dont look quite as bad when you have just had a hockey fix. lol

anyway, thats the story of the greatest single game i ever saw.

[tammerz]

Sean Avery Dallas Stars

[tammerz]

Andrew Raycroft Colorado Avalanche Goaltender

[tammerz]

Shane Hynes Anaheim Mighty Ducks

[tammerz]

Mike Modano Dallas Stars Center

[tammerz]

Jaromir Jagr

[tammerz]

Vincent Lecavalier

[tammerz]

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Ryan Gretzlaf

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