Every sport has a rule book. What’s out of bounds, how many points this play is worth, and so on and so forth. The official dos and don’ts. It’s not that simple though. Each sport also has it’s own culture of what’s acceptable and what isn’t. Hockey is no different. To the uninitiated watching the game it might seem like nothing happened only to see 5 dudes start pushing around another 5 guys ending in 2 players dropping gloves and fighting. What the heck happened? This article will explore the unwritten rules of hockey. Nothing official here, but break them and there will be consequences. Sometimes painful ones. Here are some of the major unwritten rules of hockey.
Don’t mess with the goalies: Hockey is a very physical game. Players expect to get hit, pushed, smashed against the glass, and even hit with sticks at times. However, under no circumstances, will a team allow an opposing player to mess with their goaltender. That means you don’t run into them, hit them with a stick, shower them with ice, look at them wrong, or even have a mean thought towards them. Break any of these unwritten rules and the least you can expect is a good face washing with a nasty and not so soft glove. Worst case, your face gets introduced to a fist, repeatedly.
Don’t mess with the talent: Again, hockey is physical. Even though it’s completely legal to level a star player, that’s not acceptable in the NHL and is often met with several large dudes reminding the culprit that they are not to touch the talent. Teams go so far as to have “enforcers” that are rather scary individuals that play alongside the stars in order to remind the other team that there are plenty of other players on the ice to hit… not just this one.
Do not shoot the puck after the whistle: This is usually met with an immediate and very unfriendly response. Once the whistle is blown, leave the puck alone and DO NOT shoot it towards the goalie. And, heaven forbid, the puck actually crosses the line, you’ll probably need to make an appointment with a dentist in order to help replace teeth that have been knocked out.
Do not make big hits if the game is already decided: If the game is a lock, like a team is up by 3 or more goals, and there’s no chance the other team can win (say only 2 minutes left in the game) , do not make any big hits. This is especially true if you’re the team that is winning. This is also swiftly met with some very angry hockey players.
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These are some of the biggest unwritten rules in hockey. Each sport has them. Hockey is pretty much the only sport where the players just get a “time out” for punching someone in the face for breaking them though. Some of the best players that help remind everyone what these unwritten rules are Ryan Reeves, Kurtis MacDermid, and rookie Matt Rempe.
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