Found primarily in very cold areas, the quite demanding physical sport of hockey is popular throughout parts of the United States, Canada, Russia, Norway, Scandinavia, Sweden, and other parts of Europe. To play the game, a team of 22 players is needed, though they are allowed to rotate 6 players in play at a time. Overtime is similarly split into twenty minute periods, ending when there is a goal made. Because there are no late game ties allowed in the NHL, this applies if the game tied in the last period.
Having changed a lot since its origins in Europe, hockey is a sport which has grown to include many regulations, and is nothing like the sport that it was back when the referee was in the audience instead of on the field. These days there are actually two referees, and each of them make their home on the ice next to the players, coffering with each other and with the league officials watching on the sidelines is not unheard of. A change of behavior has caused an entirely different type of league with stricter regulations and that has caused an penalty box to be added to the game. Depending upon the referees calls, this means that the player who breaks the league rules will be sitting out the rest of the period, or sitting out the rest of the game.
To penalize players who don’t follow rules and get ‘called out’ too much, penalty shots are awarded, which have the result of giving the other team points. Although there are much fewer players on todays NHL teams than the 30 players that hockey began with, there has recently been a lot of increased aggression between players, to the point where they are fighting on the ice. The confrontations on the ice can be between fellow players, rival players, and sometimes even the referee gets involved in the brawl itself. This is an understandable outcome, as the fist fights that erupt from these fights on the ice can easily turn into assault with a weapon if the players start using their sticks or helmets. Even the protective glass that is located rink side has been known to break because of the hockey players’ intensive fighting style.
Fighting on the ice that exists in present day hockey has been known to result in many injuries, cuts and bruises foremost amongst them. The fights can result from calls the players feel are unfair and fall to the other team or even a rival player taunting them in some way which can cause them to be angry and combative. In order to tone down the intensity of a fight, players are sent to the locker rooms to cool off. Temperaments are naturally prone to anger in hockey, to accompany the high energy the sport requires. Although tempers can be difficult to contain, fighting referees are another ballgame entirely.
Tags: , aggression, cold areas, confrontations, fellow players, fist fights, helmets, last period, league officials, minute periods, nhl teams, origins, overtime, penalty box, penalty shots, physical sport, protective glass, referee, referees, scandinavia, sidelines