As UBC’s biggest hockey event of the season — the Winter Classic — approaches, there’s never been a better time to catch the T-Birds on the ice. Yet, you may be asking: “How can I enjoy the Winter Classic if I don’t know anything about hockey?” Well, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s everything you need to know to understand Canada’s favourite sport.
The main objective of the game is very simple — score more goals than the other team. There’s no complex scoring system here either. One goal is one point.
To score goals, each team has six players on the ice at all times. These players are divided into three groups, called “positions”. There are three forwards, whose main job it is to score goals, two defensemen, who will typically stay further back and protect the area close to the net, and one goalie, whose sole job is to stand in front of the net and block incoming shots.
These numbers remain consistent throughout most of the game, but that can change if a team takes a penalty. Common infractions such as tripping, slashing and high-sticking will put the guilty party in the penalty box for two minutes, leaving the team down a player.
Those two minutes are essential, as hockey games are only 60 minutes long, divided into three 20-minute periods. The only time the game clock will be extended is if the teams are tied when the clock reaches zero. Then, an additional five minutes will be played. If the tie still remains, the game will be decided by a shootout, where teams take turns shooting one-on-one on the opposing teams’ goalie.
The clock will run continuously throughout the game, only stopping if the goalie covers the puck, the puck goes out of bounds, a goal is scored, a penalty is called, or, the two most common reasons, offsides and icing.
A team will be considered offsides if they cross the blue line closest to their opponent’s net before the puck does. Icing, on the other hand, takes place when a team shoots the puck down the ice, crossing at least two marked lines, and being touched by the other team. Both will result in a stoppage, and a face-off for control of the puck.
There you go! You’re ready to become a sign-waving, jersey-wearing, diehard fan. A great place to start that fan-ittude is the T-Birds Winter Classic games on Friday, January 17. The women’s game starts at 4 p.m., and the men’s starts at 7:30 — both against the Trinity Western Spartans.
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