I think I've just seen another miracle on ice ...
The National Hockey League is back on one of the major American broadcast networks. Some would call that a miracle in itself, but I'm taking higher ground. Specifically, I'm referring to the quality of the broadcast. It's one of the best-produced sports programs I've seen.
Kudos to NBC Sports!
America is a difficult market for hockey. It may be the world's fastest team sport and it may encompass many attributes of skill and strength that should appeal to the American fan, but many regions in the USA have little or no local influence or infrastructure of any significance for the sport. That means any national broadcast package must overcome a series of complex perception issues, not the least of which is in attracting casual sports fans to even try viewing it. Some wags contend that the only real NHL fans are only found in their arenas --- explaining why the capacity percentages for NHL games are higher than in any other sport --- but, as a fan myself, I consider that a lazy observation.
I will agree that, more often than not, one has to actually attend a hockey game to become a fan. Therein lies the problem with most of its television broadcast packages in the USA. To date, they have not accurately captured the essence of the game, which would offer new viewers a reason to become fans. For example, only baseball can rival hockey in aural effervescence --- the sounds of sticks clapping the ice or shooting the puck, of hardened steel blades cutting ice, of the puck pinging off goal posts, of humanity crashing into each other and/or the sideboards --- and usually, that means you have to be there to truly absorb the experience. Once you do, the odds are strong that you'll be hooked on hockey, too.
This is a factor that American television networks never seemed to fathom. At least, until now. NBC's geeks have found a way to mike the rink so the sizzle of hockey's sounds are finely captured and the production crew has made sure that this audio element be made prominent throughout the game. The effect was absolutely visceral.
NBC's broadcasters have a dual challenge in describing the action so as not to insult the intelligence of avid hockey fans while doing so in a manner that won't confuse viewers new to the game. They accomplished it with aplomb, literally talking to two audiences simultaneously and seamlessly, using what's becoming a lost art in American sportscasting: selecting their terms judiciously and sparingly.
Meanwhile, the studio broadcasters worked from a bright-but-subtle, well-designed set and deployed the same discipline. The anchor, former Philadelphia Flyer goalie Bill Clement, is often reduced to a shill when he hosts the NHL's cable package on OLN. However, on NBC, he was excellently understated, allowing his analysts to be themselves rather than talking heads and giving each discussion point only the time it needed, letting each message sell itself to each viewer. It will be interesting to see if NBC keeps that set outside, at the skating rink adjacent to their New York headquarters. It's the ultimate visual aid, of course, and Clement's obvious effortless abilities on it not only allows him to more smoothly elaborate an aspect of the game, by inference the new viewer can identify with skating as an activity available to everyone.
I never thought I'd see the day when an American video production of a hockey game was actually better than its Canadian counterpart, but NBC did it. Comparatively speaking, hockey broadcasts in Europe are basic and banal, but those countries are more attuned to the game and actually seem to prefer that sort of presentation. The Canadians are rightfully viewed as being state-of-the-art when it comes to televising hockey. Any true fan will confirm that Hockey Night in Canada is a Saturday night rite of respect to a game that, on many occasions, can count 25% of that nation's population among its audience.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Avoiding Penalties In Hockey
Hockey is really a pretty rough sport considering the fact that there are twelve players on the ice who are seemingly fighting over a tiny little rubber puck that’s only an inch thick and three inches in diameter. Add the fact that they knock the puck around the ice with big sticks while wearing skates and you’ve got a game that can seem somewhat brutal at times. The truth of the matter is, accidents happen in hockey and it isn’t unusual for players to get roughed up a little. However, the sport is really disciplined with precise rules and penalty assessment for infractions. Penalties, depending on their nature, may result in a player being temporarily or permanently put out of a game while more severe penalties may lead to a player being suspended or fined.
Because unintentional events can happen on the rink, penalties can’t be altogether avoided in hockey. However, by playing by the rules, a player can prevent unnecessary penalties from being assessed against him and his team.
Players, other than the goaltender, are not allowed to enter the crease – the blue area in front of a goal – unless they are in control of the puck shooting it or carrying it into the crease. If another team member is in the crease when a player scores a goal, the referee may assess an interference penalty for interfering with the goaltender as well as disallowing the score for the goal. Additionally, goaltenders cannot be checked even if they are outside of the crease.
Boarding is a pretty serious violation of hockey rules which occurs when an opposing team member checks a player and forces him into the boards of the rink. Boarding can result in minor, major or severe penalties depending on the circumstances and the referee’s assessment of the situation. Charging is another infraction that has penalties associated with it because it is the act of charging at a player from a long distance before checking the player which can be pretty violent in practice. High-sticking, elbowing and head-butting are taken pretty serious in the game of hockey. Such actions may result in a major penalty, a game misconduct penalty, suspension or fines.
Some behaviors are allowable to some extent but may result in penalties if they get out of hand. These include cross-checking, hooking, roughing, and slashing. Cross-checking occurs when a player rams into another player while holding his stick in front of his body with both hands. With hooking, a player interferes with another player’s movement using his stick. Roughing – pushing, shoving and minor wrestling – usually doesn’t result in a penalty unless it gets out of hand. Slashing – hitting another player with a hockey stick – doesn’t usually result in penalties unless it appears to be an intentional and malicious act or results in injury to the player being slashed. Holding or grabbing another player is not allowed and will result in a minor penalty as will tripping another player.
Because unintentional events can happen on the rink, penalties can’t be altogether avoided in hockey. However, by playing by the rules, a player can prevent unnecessary penalties from being assessed against him and his team.
Players, other than the goaltender, are not allowed to enter the crease – the blue area in front of a goal – unless they are in control of the puck shooting it or carrying it into the crease. If another team member is in the crease when a player scores a goal, the referee may assess an interference penalty for interfering with the goaltender as well as disallowing the score for the goal. Additionally, goaltenders cannot be checked even if they are outside of the crease.
Boarding is a pretty serious violation of hockey rules which occurs when an opposing team member checks a player and forces him into the boards of the rink. Boarding can result in minor, major or severe penalties depending on the circumstances and the referee’s assessment of the situation. Charging is another infraction that has penalties associated with it because it is the act of charging at a player from a long distance before checking the player which can be pretty violent in practice. High-sticking, elbowing and head-butting are taken pretty serious in the game of hockey. Such actions may result in a major penalty, a game misconduct penalty, suspension or fines.
Some behaviors are allowable to some extent but may result in penalties if they get out of hand. These include cross-checking, hooking, roughing, and slashing. Cross-checking occurs when a player rams into another player while holding his stick in front of his body with both hands. With hooking, a player interferes with another player’s movement using his stick. Roughing – pushing, shoving and minor wrestling – usually doesn’t result in a penalty unless it gets out of hand. Slashing – hitting another player with a hockey stick – doesn’t usually result in penalties unless it appears to be an intentional and malicious act or results in injury to the player being slashed. Holding or grabbing another player is not allowed and will result in a minor penalty as will tripping another player.
Hockey Ornaments
History of Hockey:
Throughout history people have played games involving a curved stick and a ball. There are drawings and depictions of such events in ancient Egypt, Greece and in the Middle ages in Europe. There is even evidence of people playing hockey or stick and ball like games on the ice in sixteenth century Europe. And of course as immigrants came to the Americas, they brought with them many of the games that they had played in their respective countries, such as hurling and other hockey like games.
Current ice and field hockey owe much to those ancient games. Of the two, field hockey is the forerunner and ice hockey was mainly an altering of the game to fit colder climates and such. The first organized ice hockey game is recorded to have taken place in Montreal, Canada at an indoor skating rink in March of 1875. It wasn’t until 1904 that the first professional league for ice hockey was formed in Michigan, United States, called the International Professional Hockey League. The league lasted all of four years, folding in 1907. For field hockey, the first international game took place between Ireland and Wales, with a high score of 3 to 0, Ireland winning.
In 1908 field hockey made its debut at the summer Olympics, it was dropped in 1924 but by the following Olympics in 1928 it was back. Ice hockey started at the winter Olympics in 1924 and has been played there since, but it wasn’t until 1960 that the U.S. won their first gold medal in ice hockey.
Hockey Ornaments:
Many hockey fans enjoy decorating their homes and Christmas trees with hockey and sports ornaments. Ornaments which help to convey ones love or enthusiasm for a particular theme which in this case would be the love of hockey. There are a variety of sports ornaments and specialty nutcrackers to help beautify and accent any sports enthusiasts home.
Playing the Games:
For a regular game of ice hockey it is of course played in an ice rink with a total of six players on each team, five regular players and one goalie. The object is to get the puck, which is made of hard rubber into the opposing teams goal and the team with the highest score wins. The players must use their sticks to move the puck around or to pass the puck from one player to another. A team can be forced to play with only 5 players instead of the normal 6 if a player commits a foul and is then placed in a penalty box for a short time which is usually about 2 minutes long.
Field hockey is played on a rectangular field measuring about 100 yards by 60 yards, with eleven players on each team. Again the idea is the same to get the small hard ball, not a puck, into the other team’s goal to score, to do this you must use your stick and teamwork. There is a defined semi-circle area around each goal that is called the shooting circle or arc. The team which has the ball is called the attackers, while the team that doesn’t have the ball is called the defenders. A game or match has two umpires to officiate, usually they split up the field down the middle and each takes care of their half of the field. The game has two periods each being 35 minutes long, with the half time break being about five minutes.
Throughout history people have played games involving a curved stick and a ball. There are drawings and depictions of such events in ancient Egypt, Greece and in the Middle ages in Europe. There is even evidence of people playing hockey or stick and ball like games on the ice in sixteenth century Europe. And of course as immigrants came to the Americas, they brought with them many of the games that they had played in their respective countries, such as hurling and other hockey like games.
Current ice and field hockey owe much to those ancient games. Of the two, field hockey is the forerunner and ice hockey was mainly an altering of the game to fit colder climates and such. The first organized ice hockey game is recorded to have taken place in Montreal, Canada at an indoor skating rink in March of 1875. It wasn’t until 1904 that the first professional league for ice hockey was formed in Michigan, United States, called the International Professional Hockey League. The league lasted all of four years, folding in 1907. For field hockey, the first international game took place between Ireland and Wales, with a high score of 3 to 0, Ireland winning.
In 1908 field hockey made its debut at the summer Olympics, it was dropped in 1924 but by the following Olympics in 1928 it was back. Ice hockey started at the winter Olympics in 1924 and has been played there since, but it wasn’t until 1960 that the U.S. won their first gold medal in ice hockey.
Hockey Ornaments:
Many hockey fans enjoy decorating their homes and Christmas trees with hockey and sports ornaments. Ornaments which help to convey ones love or enthusiasm for a particular theme which in this case would be the love of hockey. There are a variety of sports ornaments and specialty nutcrackers to help beautify and accent any sports enthusiasts home.
Playing the Games:
For a regular game of ice hockey it is of course played in an ice rink with a total of six players on each team, five regular players and one goalie. The object is to get the puck, which is made of hard rubber into the opposing teams goal and the team with the highest score wins. The players must use their sticks to move the puck around or to pass the puck from one player to another. A team can be forced to play with only 5 players instead of the normal 6 if a player commits a foul and is then placed in a penalty box for a short time which is usually about 2 minutes long.
Field hockey is played on a rectangular field measuring about 100 yards by 60 yards, with eleven players on each team. Again the idea is the same to get the small hard ball, not a puck, into the other team’s goal to score, to do this you must use your stick and teamwork. There is a defined semi-circle area around each goal that is called the shooting circle or arc. The team which has the ball is called the attackers, while the team that doesn’t have the ball is called the defenders. A game or match has two umpires to officiate, usually they split up the field down the middle and each takes care of their half of the field. The game has two periods each being 35 minutes long, with the half time break being about five minutes.
How To Bet Hockey
The NHL Lockout during the 2004-2005 season created many rule changes above the ice and the gambler was affected by one of those changes. The elimination of ties and the new shootout format to decide games has thus ended the point spread in hockey and instead created the moneyline. Hockey is now like baseball, where you just have to win the game and do not have to worry about covering a spread.
Unlike baseball, the moneyline in dealing with Hockey Odds is based on the strength of the team in whole, and not just the strength of today's starting pitcher. But hockey is similar to baseball in that a big favorite may force you to lay 2-1 odds, instead of the traditional -110 that can be found in football and basketball. With the talent gap wide between teams in the 2005-2006 season, the favorites have risen and some have reached the -500 mark. This would mean, one would have to bet $500 on a favorite and if the team won the game, one would collect a total of $600, making a profit of just $100, or 20 percent of your investment. I would avoid laying the big of number because everybody in this league is a professional and anything can happen on a given night.
Unlike baseball, the moneyline in dealing with Hockey Odds is based on the strength of the team in whole, and not just the strength of today's starting pitcher. But hockey is similar to baseball in that a big favorite may force you to lay 2-1 odds, instead of the traditional -110 that can be found in football and basketball. With the talent gap wide between teams in the 2005-2006 season, the favorites have risen and some have reached the -500 mark. This would mean, one would have to bet $500 on a favorite and if the team won the game, one would collect a total of $600, making a profit of just $100, or 20 percent of your investment. I would avoid laying the big of number because everybody in this league is a professional and anything can happen on a given night.
An Introduction To Hockey
Hockey is a sport that is enjoyed by many players and fans. Because it is most frequently played on ice (professionally anyway), it is often referred to as ice hockey, though there are some variations of the game using a roller rink rather than an ice rink making it possible for those who don’t have the benefit of ice rinks to engage in the game for fun. Hockey that isn’t played on the ice is generally referred to as roller hockey.
Ice hockey is played in a 200 foot by 85 foot rink. Lines are painted on the ice to mark various zones. The red line in the center of the rink marks the middle of the ice so the hockey players can tell how far to shoot. Blue lines are used to mark the three zones of the ice – the defending zone, the attacking zone and the neutral zone.
One each end of the rink, in the center of the ice is a set of goal posts which are set six feet apart, and a net. Between the goal posts there is a red line painted on the ice which is called a goal line. The object of the game of hockey is to make goals by knocking the hockey puck into the net using a hockey stick. A team achieves points when the puck crosses the goal line and goes into the net which oddly enough is also called the goal. The blue area in front of the goal that is painted in blue is called the crease. Only the goaltender is allowed in the crease, so if a player skates into the crease while attempting to make a goal, they may get an interference penalty.
Generally there are six players per team on the ice at one time. The three players that line up at the front of the team are called forwards and they mainly serve as the team’s offense. Depending on their placement they are referred to as the right wing, the center and the left wing. Behind the forwards are two defensemen, one on the right and one on the left. The sixth player is the goaltender, also called a goalie. The goalie generally stays in the crease to protect defensive zone, the defensemen also defend the goal as the forwards attempt to make goals for the team. Forwards and defensemen are allowed to provide both offense and defense for their team as they react to the activity of the game. At the end of three twenty-minute periods, the hockey team with the highest score wins. Tied games go into a five-minute period of overtime.
Ice hockey is played in a 200 foot by 85 foot rink. Lines are painted on the ice to mark various zones. The red line in the center of the rink marks the middle of the ice so the hockey players can tell how far to shoot. Blue lines are used to mark the three zones of the ice – the defending zone, the attacking zone and the neutral zone.
One each end of the rink, in the center of the ice is a set of goal posts which are set six feet apart, and a net. Between the goal posts there is a red line painted on the ice which is called a goal line. The object of the game of hockey is to make goals by knocking the hockey puck into the net using a hockey stick. A team achieves points when the puck crosses the goal line and goes into the net which oddly enough is also called the goal. The blue area in front of the goal that is painted in blue is called the crease. Only the goaltender is allowed in the crease, so if a player skates into the crease while attempting to make a goal, they may get an interference penalty.
Generally there are six players per team on the ice at one time. The three players that line up at the front of the team are called forwards and they mainly serve as the team’s offense. Depending on their placement they are referred to as the right wing, the center and the left wing. Behind the forwards are two defensemen, one on the right and one on the left. The sixth player is the goaltender, also called a goalie. The goalie generally stays in the crease to protect defensive zone, the defensemen also defend the goal as the forwards attempt to make goals for the team. Forwards and defensemen are allowed to provide both offense and defense for their team as they react to the activity of the game. At the end of three twenty-minute periods, the hockey team with the highest score wins. Tied games go into a five-minute period of overtime.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Rocket Hockey
Rocket Hockey brings innovative technology to the world of inline skates and inline hockey equipment. Rocket Hockey’s roller hockey frame and quick-release axle system, Clix®, makes inline skate maintenance and wheel rotation quick and easy. That’s right... 8 wheels – 1 minute – 0 tools! You heard us... NO TOOLS! Got your attention, Good! Click here to learn more about our inline skate frames and axle system.
No Glue! No Heat Guns! Rocket Hockey’s quick-release blade brings a new dimension to hockey stick blade replacement. You no longer need a separate hockey stick shaft for ice hockey, roller hockey, and street hockey. Our quick-release blades are so easy to change that one stick is all you’ll need. Just toss a couple replacement hockey blades into your bag and you’re ready to roll. Check out our Clix Stix® page to find out more about Rocket Hockey’s unique product line of inline hockey sticks and shafts.
No Glue! No Heat Guns! Rocket Hockey’s quick-release blade brings a new dimension to hockey stick blade replacement. You no longer need a separate hockey stick shaft for ice hockey, roller hockey, and street hockey. Our quick-release blades are so easy to change that one stick is all you’ll need. Just toss a couple replacement hockey blades into your bag and you’re ready to roll. Check out our Clix Stix® page to find out more about Rocket Hockey’s unique product line of inline hockey sticks and shafts.
ice hockey
Ice hockey was played by Native Americans as long ago as the 1600s, but the first recorded match in its modern form took place in Montreal in 1875. Today, there are more than 300 000 ice hockey players in North America. It is an extremely fast and tough sport demanding high levels of all round fitness. Professional players can skate at speeds in excess of 30 mph and even young skaters reach speeds of 20 mph. Puck speeds range from 50 mph to more than 120 mph, producing impact forces greater than 1250 pounds (567 kg). To minimize the damage caused by collisions with other players, the boards, or the puck, hockey players wear so much protective gear that they look like armoured gladiators. Nevertheless, ice hockey is still a high-risk sport. It is made even more dangerous by fans who expect fights and violence during a game, and by officials who do not enforce the rules strictly. Ice hockey is regarded by many sports medicine experts to be the most dangerous sport in the USA for non-fatal catastrophic injuries (i.e. injuries that are severely incapacitating). Statistics show that 2.55 non-fatal catastrophic injuries occur per 100 000 player hours in ice hockey, compared with 0.68 per 100 000 player hours for American Football. In recent years there has been an alarming increase in the number of cervical spine injuries. Some neck injuries resulted from players skating head first into the boards or another player, but most resulted from illegal checking from behind. Although the risk of injury can be reduced by strengthening neck muscles, ice hockey can be made a much safer sport only by better enforcement of the rules, and by coaches, players, and spectators not tolerating or promoting intentional violence. Ice hockey is an exciting game demanding high levels of skill and speed; these are the features to emphasize, not violence.
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