It is a common theme running through many households. Winter is here and your child holes up on the couch after school to play video games or watch their favorite T.V. show. Hey, a little rest and relaxation (R and R) is always good for the soul, but for an active youngster who does it every day, it can lead to poor health. Throw in some soda and sugar land is on its way to wreak havoc inside your kid’s muscles. Get your kid off the couch and talk to them about getting involved in ice hockey. It’s a thrilling sport that will build their muscles, test their endurance and help them develop coordination skills.
A Rich Legacy
The game of ice hockey is an ancient art dated back to the early 1800s. Adapted from the Irish game of hurling, the Mimic Indians of Nova Scotia used a hurley stick and a wooden block to play the earliest known version of ice hockey. Some inspired young men attending the first college of Canada had a brilliant idea and decided to take their field game of hurley and put it on the local ice. The result was a new game sensation that came to be known as ice hurley. The local blacksmiths in the area developed the art of crafting block skates and gradually the game began to take off with people playing it in other areas of Canada such as Montreal and Kingston, Ontario. Today, ice hockey is a well-known national sport with many amateur, professional and youth leagues throughout the world.
Rules of the Game
To find out if your child would be interested in playing ice hockey, sit down with them and review the fun, excitement and, of course, the rules of the game. The basic skills come first and when they get better, they can play on a youth hockey team. Let them know that as they get bigger ice hockey will be more of an exciting contact sport leading to playing on high school and league teams.
If your child is very young (4-8) do not scare them up-front with all the penalty and contact issues. When they are ready with the basic skills, start them off in a non-contact league and address the penalty issues when they are older and advanced enough to participate in a more aggressive league. As a parent, be informed of the rules and the penalties for your own peace of mind.
The Basic Rules of Ice Hockey
The ice rink is the playing field with the ice divided into different zones. The red line indicates center ice with two blue lines marking off the defensive and offensive zones. The area between the blue lines that frames the red line is called the neutral zone. For safety purposes, the ice rink should be surrounded by boards and a bendable plastic glass known as plexiglass. European ice hockey rinks are usually bigger than North American rinks.
Each team is allowed to have six players on the ice. The teams are organized with five players and one goalie. The five team mates are organized with three playing as forwards and two playing as defense. All players, except the goalie can travel up and down between the two goals. The goalie stays in his cage to guard the team’s goal and cannot cross the center red line located in the middle of the rink. Players can trade off with other players during the natural flow of the game as long as the departing player is within five feet of the bench and is not actively playing or in current contact with an opponent
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The game begins with a face off where the referee drops a puck between two forwards, one from each team. All other players take one of the nine face off positions on the side of the defense. A hockey stick is used to get control of the puck and pass it to other teammates to coordinate a team goal. A face-off is used to resume the game after a break. There are three twenty minute periods and the clock is stopped during all breaks in play. The goal of the game is to get the puck past the other team’s goalie to score a point. The team with the most points wins.
Body-checking is where an opposing player can use their shoulder, hip or torso to block an opponent while they are traveling with the puck. Body-checks are illegal when they target the head or an opponent’s back. Other minor penalties include tripping, holding, hooking and interfering with a player who does not have possession of the puck. More dangerous penalties include slashing, spearing, aiming the stick at the head or face, called high-sticking and hitting a player with the long middle part of the stick, called cross-checking. Other serious fouls include kneeing, fighting, elbowing and checking an opponent from the back.
For a minor penalty, a referee will send a player into the penalty box for two minutes and will not allow a substitute player to play in the teammates place. For major penalties, players are quarantined for five minutes in the penalty box, again without opportunity to put in a substitute player. For major penalties where a player attempts to injure another player, the referee has the right to eject the player from the game. In the case of an ejection, another team mate is called to serve out the ejected player’s time in the penalty box.
Explain to your child that playing ice hockey will be fun, but it will require a personal commitment on their part to do their best and stay involved. Explain that the game will require them to personally stretch themselves. They will learn new things and their muscles may feel sore as they learn the new ice hockey skills.
Reviewing the rules and getting a commitment from your child in the beginning will encourage them to stay actively involved in the game. When things get tough, you can remind your child that s/he made a commitment and with positive parental encouragement you can help your child see the commitment through.
Beginners Need a “Learn to Play” Hockey Class
Get your child involved in hockey by starting small with a “learn to play hockey” class. Beginning hockey instruction is recommended for children between the ages of four and twelve who can skate well and have completed a learn to skate class. Your child should enjoy skating and show an active interest in the hockey sport. Contact your local ice rink to inquire about class times, schedules and instructors.
The Utah Olympic Oval, one of the best known U.S. Olympic Training Sites, features just such a class with a lesson and skill development program established by USA Hockey. Lessons supported by USA Hockey are considered a standard of quality and other national programs such as the Canadian National Ice Hockey Association and European Ice Hockey are available around the world. Contact your local ice rink to find out what educational hockey association is available in your area.
Each lesson offered through USA Hockey builds upon the next lesson so that each child gradually develops playing skills th
at will allow them to participate in a youth hockey league. Classes are held twice a week for one hour and the cost is reasonable. Basic equipment such as a helmet, skates and stick are provided and are all that a child needs for these first basic lessons. If you would like your child to have more padding during this initial class, check with your local ice rink to see if you can rent or buy it for a reasonable cost.
Hockey Gear
As your child progresses towards playing in a youth hockey league, they will need more equipment than just skates, a stick, a puck and a helmet. When your child is serious about their hockey commitment it will be wise to start by investing in a quality pair of hockey skates.
Buying new ice skates is often a better deal than buying used. Used skates have already conformed and lived their life around someone else’s feet. Not only do you risk the possibility of your child getting a foot fungus, the steel blades and the boot of the skate may have already outworn their usefulness.
Buying used is a good deal if your child is young and is not sure how long they want to stay involved in the sport. Make sure to buy skates that are gently used with a good blade and a still stiff boot for quality foot support. The skates need to be in good enough shape to last through the initial youth league experience.
Have your child try on their hockey skates with a thin sock. Wearing a thin sock will help determine how well the skates fit around your child’s foot. Wearing thick socks will often deceive a parent into buying a skate that is too big. A too big skate can cause painful blisters and more serious permanent foot damage
The hockey skate should fit snugly with about two inches of grow space above the toes. It should not feel overly painful with a too tight fight and it should not be too big. Your child’s foot should not rattle around inside of the skate. Bear in mind when shopping that it is always better to buy skates that are too tight rather than skates that are too big. A slightly tight skate boot will eventually stretch to conform to your child’s foot. Skates that are too tight can also be punched and power stretched to a bigger size at a local skate shop. Do not buy a hockey skate that is too big. Your child will not be able to balance on the skate and they will not be able to grow into the skate fast enough to make it a manageable mistake.
When shopping for new skates, look for a deal that includes a custom fit and five to six free blade sharpenings. Throw in blade alignments and a life time of boot adjustments for $100.00 to $150.00 and you’ve got a really good deal. New skates generally run $40.00 to $75.00 online without all these nice little extras.
When all is said and done it is much better to have your child try on the skate and wear it around the store before buying it. Buying hockey skates through the internet is not recommended unless you are absolutely sure you know the proper size that will fit your child. Skates are usually sized one to one half size smaller than your child’s normal shoe size. Of course how well a skate fits your child’s foot depends on the brand name and how well they size their standard measurements. Quality national skate brands include Bauer’s Supreme, Mission, Graf, Easton, RBK, Nike and CCM’s Vector line.
Heat fitting is a custom fit method that involves heating the boot of the skate up to 200̊and then lacing the boot tight around the skater’s foot. This is said to ease initial boot stiffness and actually conforms the boot to your child’s foot. Heat molded skates are considered by many coaches as “broken in” and your child can skate and play in them comfortably right away.
The traditional method of breaking in skates is to skate in them until the boot conforms to the foot. How long it takes to break in the skates depends on the skate and how much time your child spends on the ice in one week. If you don’t go for the custom heat fitting, talk to the salesperson about how much ice time is needed to actually break the skates in.
While skates are the most important piece of equipment that your hockey kid will own, other pieces of hockey equipment that are required for official league play include the following:
Helmet with cage (also referred to as a face mask:) This should fit comfortably with the top of the helmet falling just above the eyebrows. The chin should fit snugly into the bottom cup of the face mask. Clear face masks are available for better visibility but are not recommended as heat and perspiration causes them to fog up. The helmet should also be adjustable with a screwdriver so that the helmet can grow with your child.
Hockey Stick: Buying a stick with some fiberglass in it will contribute to more flexibility on the ice. The stick can be cut down so that the end will come up to your child’s chin when they are standing straight and holding the stick vertical while standing flat-footed in street shoes. This is a standard way to determine if a hockey stick is proportional to your child’s size. Be sure to specify if your child is right or left handed.
Gloves: Have your child try on a pair of gloves and then grab a hockey stick. The gloves should not be too big or too small. The back of the glove should be well-padded to absorb all shock. Hit the back of the glove while wearing it to determine how well the padding absorbs the shock before buying the glove.
Shin Pads: The cap of the shin pad should be well centered on the knee cap and the bottom of the pad should hit the very tip top of the skate boot. A pad is too short if any area above the top of the skate boot is exposed. A pad that is too long will be uncomfortable and will cause difficulty in a player’s movements.
Hockey Pants: Pants are sized to the waist, should fit loosely and should not hang over the shin guard by more than one to two inches. For girls, make sure the pants fit well at the hip before checking the length.
Jersey: They come in small, medium and large sizes. These are usually included in the registration cost required by your local youth ice hockey league. Some leagues may tack this on as an additional charge beyond the usual registration fees. Every jersey comes with a number that is assigned to your child and some leagues even offer matching socks.
Elbow Pads: The elbow should fit snugly into the hard plastic cup of the pad with the bottom not extending past the top of the glove cuff. Straps should fit without cutting off arm circulation
Shoulder Pads: Shoulder pad
s should fit comfortably with the shoulders settling into the shoulder caps. Your child should be able to lift their arms without having the shoulder pads poke them in the neck. Additional padding is important in a contact league while non-padding is more important in a non-contact league.
Hockey Socks: Hockey socks should be thin and fit well around the foot and the inside of the skate. They come in junior and senior sizes. Be sure to buy a pair that will not super shrink after the initial wash.
Protective Cup: Protects the private areas of the pelvis. This is a necessary requirement for all contact sports.
Mouth guard: One size fits all. Soften it up by boiling it, let it cool and then have your child grip it with their teeth while slightly warm. The mouthpiece will conform to your child’s individual teeth.
Hockey Bag: With all this equipment, a bag is a must! Get a big durable one made out of nylon material and big side pockets for all those personal extras your child will need.
Additional hockey accessories:
White Tape: Protects the end of the hockey stick which is the piece of equipment that gets the most banging around. Have your child re-wrap the end of the hockey stick before every game.
Black Friction Tape: Protects the blade of the hockey stick and gives the hockey stick a glue-like effect for easier control of the puck.
Throat protector: Comes in Junior and Senior sizes. Is not necessary but does provide additional protection for the throat. A throat protector should not interfere with the other necessary equipment.
Blade Covers: Protects the blades of your child’s expensive skates and protects other equipment from ripping when your child is walking around in their skates.
Pucks: It is always good to have a few around so your child can practice. They come in a standard 6 oz weight size.
Goalie equipment includes all of the above with the exception of a special goalie stick and additional padding to include leg pads and chest protectors. Blocking and catching equipment is also required.
Body Checking and Safety
Ice Hockey is a thrilling sport that will help your child gain both team work and problem solving skills. Unfortunately, it is not always a safe sport. As a parent it is important to be informed about Body-Checking in Ice Hockey and how you can watch out for your child during the game.
Due to a serious number of facial and head injuries during the 1960s, the hockey helmet and face mask were put on the required hockey equipment list. Although this reduced head and facial injuries, the extra equipment gave many players a false sense of security which led to more aggressive body-checking behavior. An alarming rate of spinal cord and back injuries which accumulated after the helmet and face mask were introduced led the American Academy of Pediatrics to recommend that players under the age of 15 participate in a non-contact or non body-checking league. For Bantum level players who are fifteen years or older, a program called fair play was implemented in many youth ice hockey programs to reduce serious body-checking injuries.
The fair play program is a rewards based system that rewards points for the team that plays fairly without accumulating unnecessary and highly dangerous body-checking penalties. The team that accumulates more penalties is punished more aggressively by game officials. In an official policy statement originally published by the American Academy of Pediatrics published in March 2000, Vol. 105, No. 3 on pp. 657-658 and reaffirmed on September 1, 2007 states that “the authors of this (fair play) concept believe that the system decreases penalties, intimidation and violence during hockey and creates a climate that promotes fun and player development.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics goes on to point out a particular study where the fair play program was implemented for a period of time into a youth ice hockey tournament. The results were staggering with an injury rate that was four times higher during the portion of the tournament where the fair play rules were suspended.
Ice Hockey Leagues
If your child is older and wants to play in a youth ice hockey league, find a league that sponsors the fair play program or another program that promotes good sportsmanship to protect each and every player. Other recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics include making sure that your child’s size and weight is a considered factor as league officials pair teams up for games. Body-checking with someone twice your child’s size could lead to serious injuries.
Also, teach your child to never ever body check from behind. Body checking from behind is dangerous as the player cannot see it coming. It is considered to be a serious penalty that can result in ejection from the game. If you catch someone doing it to your child, know enough as a parent to pull your child out of the game, especially if the game official does not notice or officially call it. Keeping your child safe during the game is much more important than a team win.
Playing ice hockey, your child will learn many new skating skills and hockey team skills. Best of all, they will learn to handle their fancy moves on ice. They will build a healthy body, get muscle tone, make friends and have fun. Your primary job as a parent is to equip, support, love and keep them safe while cheering all along the way!
