Hockey - Help out a newbie
- Thread starter JoeBlank
- Start date
The_lurkeR
First Post
Funny that this would come up on the eve where the fate of NHL hockey hangs in the balance...
IamTheTest
First Post
If you're in the south I highly recommend watching inline. I play for my university and the only difference between inline and ice is that inline is a great deal faster. In inline there is no icing or offsides and the game is played 4v4 plus goalies. If you get a chance to watch your kid's friend play it may be more action packed.
JoeBlank
Explorer
Many thanks to all who helped out.
We went to the game last night, and it went well. Thanks to the info you provided my son and I were able to understand what was going on, and we had a good time.
We arrived early and paid too much money for a hot dog, hamburger, fries and drinks (as with any sporting event). We walked around the arena and saw the sights, he was very impressed by the rink. Our seats were good, I can only describe them as being on about the 35-yard line (in football terms), about mid-way up the lower section in a fairly small arena (seats about 11,000).
We bought a program, and the vendor pointed out we had won a prize. We had to go to a booth to collect a $25 gift certificate to a restaurant, which was pretty nice. Then we bought t-shirts, and my son wanted to put his on right away.
We enjoyed watching the teams warm up, and I had the time to explain what little I knew of the rules. Once the action started he was following it well. We were able to keep an eye on the puck, which I think is much easier in person than on television. We were both surprised by how physical the game can get, a lot of checking and such. He became a little bored with the lack of scoring, but once our team scored a goal he saw how exciting it was, with the horns and crowd cheering, he appreciated the build up of emotion.
There were 2 fights, the first of which got pretty bloody. I think my son was so shocked by the fact that these guys were actually fighting, not just pushing and shoving, that he couldn't appreciate it. On the way home, he asked why they would fight if they are just going to get put in "time out" for it. I explained that they know it is against the rules, but sometimes they just get so excited they forget. A good lesson, as I could note that this was no excuse, and they were still punished.
The break after the first period was 18 minutes. We stayed in our seats, as I knew that there was usually some goofy entertainment. The first of this was a mini-Newlywed Game, which did not impress the adults and did nothing for the kids. But then they made the husbands run around doing chores, sweeping up pucks, picking up dirty laundry, etc. At least that involvled action instead of talking. Then came the zamboni, which we enjoyed. A mini-blimp flew around dropping prizes too (coupons for free rounds of golf, but my son still wanted to catch one and win, although none came near us.)
Although it was getting late, I told him we would stay until the end of the second period. This seemed much faster than the first, with fewer game stoppages and a little more extended action. Another fight, less bloody than the first. Our team scored again. My son was asking about icing and offsides, and about "saves" when the goalie made a good stop. I was able to explain well enough for him. There were a few times where there were penalties for reasons that escaped me, but the action kept moving before we could dwell on it. We were enjoying seeing the goalies make some great saves, and my son was getting into cheering this too, so I was glad he was not only focused on scoring. He also understood the concept of power play, and the excitement when our team would try to take advantage of the opportunity.
We left with the score 2-0, and I later learned our team won 3-0.
A good time, and maybe something we will do every once in a while, but I don't think it will become a regular thing. The cost is one issue, but of course I won't have to buy t-shirts, programs, and overpriced junk food every time. The tickets were priced at $16 (although ours were free), which seemed a bit much for AA, and in fact the arena was only about a third full. Of course, it was a Tuesday night, perhaps the weekends are a little busier.
Thanks again to everyone who helped us enjoy and understand the experience.
We went to the game last night, and it went well. Thanks to the info you provided my son and I were able to understand what was going on, and we had a good time.
We arrived early and paid too much money for a hot dog, hamburger, fries and drinks (as with any sporting event). We walked around the arena and saw the sights, he was very impressed by the rink. Our seats were good, I can only describe them as being on about the 35-yard line (in football terms), about mid-way up the lower section in a fairly small arena (seats about 11,000).
We bought a program, and the vendor pointed out we had won a prize. We had to go to a booth to collect a $25 gift certificate to a restaurant, which was pretty nice. Then we bought t-shirts, and my son wanted to put his on right away.
We enjoyed watching the teams warm up, and I had the time to explain what little I knew of the rules. Once the action started he was following it well. We were able to keep an eye on the puck, which I think is much easier in person than on television. We were both surprised by how physical the game can get, a lot of checking and such. He became a little bored with the lack of scoring, but once our team scored a goal he saw how exciting it was, with the horns and crowd cheering, he appreciated the build up of emotion.
There were 2 fights, the first of which got pretty bloody. I think my son was so shocked by the fact that these guys were actually fighting, not just pushing and shoving, that he couldn't appreciate it. On the way home, he asked why they would fight if they are just going to get put in "time out" for it. I explained that they know it is against the rules, but sometimes they just get so excited they forget. A good lesson, as I could note that this was no excuse, and they were still punished.
The break after the first period was 18 minutes. We stayed in our seats, as I knew that there was usually some goofy entertainment. The first of this was a mini-Newlywed Game, which did not impress the adults and did nothing for the kids. But then they made the husbands run around doing chores, sweeping up pucks, picking up dirty laundry, etc. At least that involvled action instead of talking. Then came the zamboni, which we enjoyed. A mini-blimp flew around dropping prizes too (coupons for free rounds of golf, but my son still wanted to catch one and win, although none came near us.)
Although it was getting late, I told him we would stay until the end of the second period. This seemed much faster than the first, with fewer game stoppages and a little more extended action. Another fight, less bloody than the first. Our team scored again. My son was asking about icing and offsides, and about "saves" when the goalie made a good stop. I was able to explain well enough for him. There were a few times where there were penalties for reasons that escaped me, but the action kept moving before we could dwell on it. We were enjoying seeing the goalies make some great saves, and my son was getting into cheering this too, so I was glad he was not only focused on scoring. He also understood the concept of power play, and the excitement when our team would try to take advantage of the opportunity.
We left with the score 2-0, and I later learned our team won 3-0.
A good time, and maybe something we will do every once in a while, but I don't think it will become a regular thing. The cost is one issue, but of course I won't have to buy t-shirts, programs, and overpriced junk food every time. The tickets were priced at $16 (although ours were free), which seemed a bit much for AA, and in fact the arena was only about a third full. Of course, it was a Tuesday night, perhaps the weekends are a little busier.
Thanks again to everyone who helped us enjoy and understand the experience.
barsoomcore
Unattainable Ideal
Worth noting that one reason players fight (knowing what the penalties can be) is to demonstrate to the other team that they're not willing to get pushed around.
Most teams have a couple of "enforcer" players whose job is to apply physical force to the key players on the other team, driving them into the boards and knocking them down so much they get intimidated and become less effective. If a team starts to believe that they can't stand up to this kind of treatment, they won't play well because they'll give up the puck quickly rather than risk another crushing bodycheck, or they won't dig in the corners for it because they're afraid of getting hurt. So one of the jobs of the enforcers on one team is to stand up to the enforcers on the other.
If as one of these sorts of players you see an opposing player roughing up one of your guys, you need to move in right away and put a stop to that. Without any room for negotiation or hesitation. Lots of fights start because one enforcer is smacking around a smaller player, which draws an enforcer from the victim's team to come in and return the favour, and then you've got two tough guys trying to intimidate each other and prove they're the tougher, and well, nobody can back down now so the punches start flying.
A good enforcer is able to spot this kind of thing quickly and get involved right away, because there are rules regarding joining a fight (it's bad to start a fight, but it's MUCH worse to come in to a fight that's already started and join in). Some not-so-tough players are also really good at irritating opposing players into starting fights, knowing that they have strong enforcers on their side to back them up.
Or, like little Theoren Fleury, they're just so annoying and wound-up they don't care and end up getting the snot kicked out of them again and again.
Glad you had fun.
Most teams have a couple of "enforcer" players whose job is to apply physical force to the key players on the other team, driving them into the boards and knocking them down so much they get intimidated and become less effective. If a team starts to believe that they can't stand up to this kind of treatment, they won't play well because they'll give up the puck quickly rather than risk another crushing bodycheck, or they won't dig in the corners for it because they're afraid of getting hurt. So one of the jobs of the enforcers on one team is to stand up to the enforcers on the other.
If as one of these sorts of players you see an opposing player roughing up one of your guys, you need to move in right away and put a stop to that. Without any room for negotiation or hesitation. Lots of fights start because one enforcer is smacking around a smaller player, which draws an enforcer from the victim's team to come in and return the favour, and then you've got two tough guys trying to intimidate each other and prove they're the tougher, and well, nobody can back down now so the punches start flying.
A good enforcer is able to spot this kind of thing quickly and get involved right away, because there are rules regarding joining a fight (it's bad to start a fight, but it's MUCH worse to come in to a fight that's already started and join in). Some not-so-tough players are also really good at irritating opposing players into starting fights, knowing that they have strong enforcers on their side to back them up.
Or, like little Theoren Fleury, they're just so annoying and wound-up they don't care and end up getting the snot kicked out of them again and again.
Glad you had fun.
Thornir Alekeg
Albatross!
Sound like you had a fun game to watch, and you and your son both caught on to the excitement of the game. Power plays are a very exciting part of the game, but my personal favorite is when you end up with four-on-four hockey - wide open skating and you cannot just ice the puck.
$16 for blue line seating in AA is probably a pretty average cost. Those of us accustomed to NHL level prices think $16 is a steal - not that there are NHL level tickets to buy right now, and it's official, there will not be until next season at a minimum.
My heart goes out to my fellow Canadian EN Worlders in mourning.
One writers take on the cancellation here in Boston:
http://www.boston.com/sports/nesn/wilbur/sports_blog/blog/02_16_05/
$16 for blue line seating in AA is probably a pretty average cost. Those of us accustomed to NHL level prices think $16 is a steal - not that there are NHL level tickets to buy right now, and it's official, there will not be until next season at a minimum.
My heart goes out to my fellow Canadian EN Worlders in mourning.
One writers take on the cancellation here in Boston:
http://www.boston.com/sports/nesn/wilbur/sports_blog/blog/02_16_05/
barsoomcore
Unattainable Ideal
Meh. I haven't watched NHL hockey in years. Looks too much like watching people who are, you know, at the office. Gimme international play -- Olympics, World Cup, Juniors...
That's what I'm talking about. It just gets more exciting for me than watching a bunch of guys pick up paychecks.
That's what I'm talking about. It just gets more exciting for me than watching a bunch of guys pick up paychecks.
Similar Threads
