A Few Hockey Questions

[Raygun99]

@Freddy_the_Pig

I’ve noticed that sometimes, when a player shoots from near the blue line, that a teammate will be roughly between the shooter and the goal and might deflect the puck into the net. They can do this with the upper part of their stick, or even with a body part, I believe, as long as it isn’t intentional? I suppose they also screen the goalie to some degree.

Any deflection off a stick is legal if the stick is below the level of the crossbar. Any deflection off a player is legal, save a “distinct kicking motion”. Players have scored goals with their face before (memorably: Geoff Sanderson), and have lived to regret it.

[howye]

@Rysto

I only ever see charging called when a player jumps to make a hit, and even a penalty in that case is all too rare.

In fact, it is the jumping that will usually draw the penalty. Even if the player being checked has the puck, if the opposing player jumps into the hit he will usually be called for boarding. The thinking, at least in my mind, is that a check is a normal play intended to free the puck up, but adding the jump serves only to increase the chances of injury.

[hroark2112]

@howye

In fact, it is the jumping that will usually draw the penalty. Even if the player being checked has the puck, if the opposing player jumps into the hit he will usually be called for boarding. The thinking, at least in my mind, is that a check is a normal play intended to free the puck up, but adding the jump serves only to increase the chances of injury.

Close.

If you leave your feet to hit someone, it’s charging. Boarding is when you hit a player who is facing the boards into the boards, basically in an attempt to protect a player who is in a vulnerable position. Charging is when a player leaves his feet to make a hit or takes 3 or more strides to check a player (without gliding).

The idea of putting players in front of the goal is three-fold. First, a goalie can’t really stop what he can’t see (I’m a goalie, on the ice 4 nights a week, and I hate when some fat-ass parks in front of me!). Second, the likelihood of the puck deflecting off of something and getting past the goalie is increased. Last, if the goalie does make the save, you’ve got people right there to put the rebound in after the initial save.

[Jas09]

@Freddy_the_Pig

OK, this is really basic, but what’s the deal with checking–when is it legal, and when is it not legal? Sometimes I’ll see a guy get clocked just after he gets rid of the puck. Is this the equivalent of hitting the quarterback just after he releases the pass? (In other words, you can him late, but not too late?) Is there any limit to how much of a head of steam you can build up before you plow into a guy?

To answer a question you didn’t ask, but is related, you also are not allowed to check a player that doesn’t have the puck, or hit a player before he has received the puck. This is called “interference” and enforcing it more rigorously is one of the primary reasons the current NHL is more open and “free flowing” than it was 5-10 years ago.

[howye]

@hroark2112

Close.

If you leave your feet to hit someone, it’s charging. Boarding is when you hit a player who is facing the boards into the boards, basically in an attempt to protect a player who is in a vulnerable position. Charging is when a player leaves his feet to make a hit or takes 3 or more strides to check a player (without gliding).

D’oh! I thought I might be mixing them up.

[Freddy_the_Pig]

@Jas09

To answer a question you didn’t ask, but is related, you also are not allowed to check a player that doesn’t have the puck, or hit a player before he has received the puck. This is called “interference” and enforcing it more rigorously is one of the primary reasons the current NHL is more open and “free flowing” than it was 5-10 years ago.

Interesting. I had a vague sense that the game I was seeing now was different (and better) than what I remembered from years back, but as a very occasional viewer I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. Maybe that’s it.

[Rysto]

@Freddy_the_Pig

Interesting. I had a vague sense that the game I was seeing now was different (and better) than what I remembered from years back, but as a very occasional viewer I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. Maybe that’s it.

Probably. I think that if you were to watch some footage from the playoffs before the lockout and compare to now, even the most casual of fans would be able to tell the difference. It’s barely an exaggeration to say that defences used to waterski off of the offence in the neutral zone.

[RickJay]

@Rysto

Probably. I think that if you were to watch some footage from the playoffs before the lockout and compare to now, even the most casual of fans would be able to tell the difference. It’s barely an exaggeration to say that defences used to waterski off of the offence in the neutral zone.

The only difference is they didn’t wear shorts.

[mnemosyne]

Except that they do wear shorts… just with a heck of a lot of other stuff on too!

[Northern_Piper]

@Raygun99

Any deflection off a player is legal, save a “distinct kicking motion”.

I thought that you weren’t allowed to use your hand to deflect the puck into the goal? I thought I saw a goal called off in one of the first round games this year, for just that reason - the goalie made a save, the puck rebounded into the air, and the forward batted it into the goal with his hand.

[Northern_Piper]

@Freddy_the_Pig

OK, this is really basic, but what’s the deal with checking–when is it legal, and when is it not legal? Sometimes I’ll see a guy get clocked just after he gets rid of the puck. Is this the equivalent of hitting the quarterback just after he releases the pass? (In other words, you can him late, but not too late?) Is there any limit to how much of a head of steam you can build up before you plow into a guy?

It’s also illegal to use the stick, if it’s not touching the ice. That’s a cross-check.

Hence Red Green’s famous tagline: “keep your stick on the ice!”