Ice Hockey for Southerners Trivia Quiz

Answer: Five

The ice rink itself is 200 feet by 85 feet wide (61m by 25.9m). It is surrounded by walls called boards that are usually made of fiberglass. Thirteen feet (4m) from each end of the rink is the goal, the posts of which are 4 feet high (1.2m) and 6 feet wide (1.8m). Each goal has a net.

There are two blue lines that divide the area between the goals into three parts. The area between the blue line and goal line is either offensive or defensive. A red line bisects the surface between the two blue lines and that line area is called center ice. The rink also has five face-off circles, two in each defensive zone and one at center ice where the puck is dropped. There are also four other face-off spots (not circles) near the blue lines.

Answer: Center

The six ice hockey positions are two defensemen, three forwards (center, left wing, and right wing), and one goaltender. The center is a forward who is often a primary scorer, completes passes, and directs plays. The center is also mostly responsible for face-offs and has to support both the offensive and defensive plays.

The left and right wings line up on either side of the center. They assist in scoring and help defend the puck. The defensemen are on the left and right sides of the ice in front of the goalie. Their primary responsibility is to protect their own goal, block shots, and prevent the opposing team from getting scoring chances.

Finally, the goalie (or goaltender) is the last line of defense, positioned in front of the net to stop shots and prevent the puck from entering the goal.

Answer: True

A hockey player has multiple pieces of equipment, including skates, sticks, and protective gear.

Historically the sticks themselves were made from maple or willow wood. In the 1940s the wood was laminated. In the later half of the 1900s fiberglass was introduced. By the 2000s, many sticks used composite materials like carbon fiber and kevlar. These sticks are approved in major ice hockey leagues such as NHL, IIHF, NCAA, and USA Hockey provided they meet safety standards.

Sticks also come in degrees of flex: medium, stiff, and extra stiff as an example. Players who do slap shots with a full windup would normally use a stiffer stick while those that snap the shot would go for one with more flex.

Answer: Periods

Hockey games are divided into three 20-minute periods. If the contest is tied at the end of regulation during the regular season, the teams play an additional period of sudden-death overtime that lasts no more than five minutes. During this overtime, each side has only four skaters and a goaltender.

The club that scores first wins. If no one scores, the game ends in a tie. During playoffs, however, the overtime lasts until a goal is scored, with the teams breaking after every 20 minutes as they do during regular play.

Answer: Icing

Icing is when a player shoots or deflects the puck from behind the center red line. The puck then travels all the way down the ice and crosses the opposing team's goal line untouched. This is considered an infraction and not a penalty. The play is stopped immediately and a face-off takes place in the defensive zone of the team that committed the icing. No player is sent to the penalty box. Icing is considered an infraction (a violation of rules) because teams can do it to take away legitimate scoring chances from skaters on the offensive.

Answer: He hit another player with his stick above the shoulders

Any contact made with a stick above an opponent's shoulders is not allowed and the officials will assess a penalty. This rule is supposed to protect players from being hit by the stick in the face, eyes, or head. Also, players cannot bat the puck above the normal height of the shoulders.

High-sticking penalties in hockey range from a two-minute minor penalty for accidental contact to a match penalty for intentional harm. A two-minute minor is assessed for a typical high stick, while a double-minor (four-minute penalty) is given if the high stick draws blood from the opponent. In cases of deliberate injury or excessive violence, a match penalty can be issued, which results in the player's ejection from the game.

Answer: False

In some penalty cases, a player is sent to the penalty box for a period of time.

If a player from the opposing team commits a penalty, leading to them being sent to the penalty box for a set amount of time (typically 2 to 5 minutes), the player's team cannot replace them on the ice, resulting in a temporary disadvantage. The team that was not penalized now has a "power play" and has more players on the ice, such as a 5-on-4, 5-on-3, or 4-on-3 advantage. They will try to use this advantage to score while the other team, on the "penalty kill," tries to prevent a goal and wait for the penalty to expire.

Answer: NHL

The National Hockey League (NHL) was founded in Montreal, Canada in 1917. It is divided into two conferences, the Eastern and Western. Each conference containing two divisions. The Eastern Conference includes the Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions, while the Western Conference has the Central and Pacific Divisions.

At the end of the regular season, the top three teams from each division and two "wild card" teams from each conference qualify for the playoffs.

Answer: Stanley Cup

The Stanley Cup dates back to 1892 when it was donated by the English governor-general of Canada, Lord Stanley of Preston, who enjoyed the game of ice hockey so much he bought a silver bowl with an intricate finish and asked it be given each year to the best team.

Unlike trophies in other major sports, the Stanley Cup is presented to the winning team's captain on the ice in the immediate aftermath of the final game. The trophy is also unique in that the names of every player on the winning team are engraved on it.

Answer: Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky was 18 years old when he made his NHL debut in 1979, scoring 51 goals in 79 games and winning the MVP trophy. He also played in the All-Star game that year and captured the trophy for sportsmanship and clean play. When he retired at the end of the 1998-99 season, he owned or shared 61 NHL records, had won the MVP trophy nine times, had collected ten scoring titles, and had received two playoff MVP awards.

He played on four championship teams and scored 2,857 points in his remarkable career.