Rules for the Game of Hockey

Hockey is widely recognized as a physically challenging sport. It is popular in countries with colder climates such as the United States, Scandinavia, Russia, Canada, Norway and Sweden. There are 22 players in a game, and they are rotated in at 6 players at a time. Each game is played in three 20-minute periods. For tied-games, there is an overtime 20-minute period that is played until a goal is scored.

The game has evolved since its conception and stricter regulations have been put in place. Earlier, the referee was a part of the audience instead of being on the field. Today the referee is on the ice, skating back and forth with the players. In fact, there are two referees on the ice, to help watch the players and confer between themselves and league officials from the sidelines.

The league itself has evolved since its inception. Rules and regulations are much more organized than before. There is an insistence on a penalty box for players who commit fouls. Here, the player would be kicked off the ice and made to sit out the rest of the period or the game, depending on the referee's choice. If a player is called too often, it can lead to penalty shots that give points to the opposing team.

Recently, the game has become a lot more aggressive and fist-fights and other physical altercations are more than common. Fights often take place between fellow players and rival players. Very often the referee will end up in the middle of a brawl in a vain attempt to separate the warring players. Blood shed is a common sight. Players have to be careful about using their sticks as weapons as they can be accused of assault with people. Several times these fights have gotten so out of hand that they've even broken the protective glass at rink side. The need for strict regulations and rules, didn't come from a whim, this was the long-due process.

There can be serious injuries to players, although most are cuts and bruises from the fist fighting on the ice. A lot of the fights result from calls that the players feel unfair, which fall in favor with a rival player. Or fights that arise from taunts, or deliberate abuse. Many players are sent off to the locker room to cool off, than allowed back onto the ice.

Continuous fighting on the ice has made today's hockey a highly aggressive game. Players often suffer cuts and bruises and sometimes even serious injuries. Most of these fights erupt because of players find the referee's decision unfair. More and more players join into the fracas and soon there is a complete fee-for-all.

Hockey is no "cool" game, it is a high-testosterone, a high-energy game with a lot of drama that singes with rage, even though the point is to shoot goals and win.