More Rules: Markings on the Ice and What They Mean
With 6 players on each side all chasing one puck, a few guidelines as to what you can do with said puck must be put in place in order to prevent sheer chaos on the ice. As far as game play is concerned, hockey is governed by three principle rules that can often trip up newbie skaters. These rules center around markings on the ice. The “blue line,” as you may have figured out, is a blue stripe across the ice, separating each team’s offensive end from center ice. The goal lines are red and run parallel to the blue lines, extending across each side’s curved end and connecting both goal posts before continuing outwards to the wall. A puck must pass over the portion of the goal line between the posts in order for the goal to be official. For close plays, a line judge makes the call, serving as an official whose sole job is to watch the goal line and determine if a puck fully breaks the plane. The center line is a straight red line that simply divides the rink into two halves. Now that you are all caught up on what those colored lines on the ice actually mean, here are the more complicated rules they regulate. more…