Louisiana Ice Hockey

NHL: Is Louisiana Ready For An Expansion Team?

admin — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

If you would have said twenty years ago that the city of Charlotte would be able to sustain a hockey franchise, you would have been laughed at. The thing is, when the Hartford Whalers moved to that location in 1997, few would have thought that the team would have been so successful. After a Stanley Cup victory in 2006, the Hurricanes continue to have a large fan base and actually sell out a good amount of games. With success in places like Carolina and Atlanta, the question has to be asked: could we see an NHL expansion team in a place like Louisiana? The answer, unfortunately, is no.

It’s not that New Orleans is a bad market for hockey, it’s that if expansion were to happen in the NHL, it would happen in other places. In the United States, the two places most mentioned is Kansas City (because of their NHL ready arena), and Las Vegas. Truth be told, though, is that if the NHL expands it would be in Canada, with markets like Quebec City, Winnipeg and Hamilton without a team. In fact, New Orleans would probably have to build a new arena to even dream of getting an NHL team. And in a city dominated by football, the NHL may be a hard sell.

How Hockey Aficionados Can Network In Louisiana

admin — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Louisiana is not exactly known for being a hotbed of hockey. In fact, some people may argue that a game that is played on ice has nothing to do with a state that is traditionally boiling under hot, sticky heat. If you are a hockey fan, though, living in living in the Pelican State, you know that there are fans out there. Whether you are a transplanted fan from someplace else, or you just love the sport, you love hockey the same way other people in the state love football. The key is finding those who love the game as much as you do.

There are plenty of hockey fans out there for you to network with, and thanks to the internet they are easy to find. There are groups that will get together to watch games and talk about going’s on. If you want to watch the game live, you have the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs of the Central Hockey League who play in Bossier City, and the Louisiana IceGators of the Southern Professional Hockey League who play at the Cajundome in Lafayette. If you want to see an NHL game, there are always road trips to be taken to see the Atlanta Thrashers or the Dallas Stars.

How Ice Hockey Has Impacted The Bayou State

admin — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 00:00:00 +0000

In Louisiana the hard hitting sport of hockey has gone from ice cold to boiling point faster than you can say Zamboni. That’s right, the sweltering Bayou State has laced up their skates and put on their helmets to bring you a sport that is sure to provide heart pounding, quality entertainment for the whole family.

Hockey is a popular team sport that is generally played indoors on frozen water, known to most as an ice rink. Two goalies guard their nets on either side of the rink as five players from each team use skill, teamwork, and tactic to defend themselves and score on the opposing team. Teams have a roster of 20 players, 18 take turns in various lines for three 20 minute periods, with two 20 minute intermissions in between.

All it takes is watching one game in live to become addicted to the game of hockey. Lucky for Louisianans there are four professional teams in the state to check out including the Boissier-Shreveport MudBugs, Louisiana IceGators, and New Orleans Brass. There is also a junior league in Carencro called the Cajun Catahoulas. Just a tip, you’ll want to pick up a cool hockey sweater, http://www.hockeygiant.com/jersey—apparel-hockey-sweatshirts—jackets.html from one of my favorite hockey shops, the arenas can get chilly and we’re not accustomed to the extreme cold.

Where to Get Your Hockey Fix?

www.lahockeyplex.com — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Depending on where you live in the state of Louisiana, it may be unreasonable for you to attend as many IceGators games in Lafayette as you might like or even catch hockey on TV. After all, hockey is an acquired taste for many people around these parts, not naturally broadcast with any sort of regularity. Fortunately for fans in the Bayou, no matter how warm the temperature might get outside, hockey is always only a few clicks away as long as your computer has a reliable plug-in or wireless internet service. Though IceGator games are not currently broadcast over the internet, the National Hockey League does provide streaming television service to online viewers, available in either monthly or full season payment plans, ranging from 20.99 to 169.00, allowing fans to watch the New York Islanders, the IceGators’ NHL affiliate, chase the Stanley Cup night on a nightly basis.For fans less concerned with the hockey outside the Southern Professional Hockey League, the IceGators official webpage keeps a “Live Game Blog” for each and every home game, doing their best to keep otherwise occupied fans up to date as to what’s happening on the ice. Gatorforum.com allows for banter with fellow fans as well as an open discussion of team related issues before, during and after the game. It can’t replace literally seeing the game on a first-hand basis, but on the bright side will keep supporters up to date on news, events and rumors.There’s no reason for geographic proximity or a busy schedule to limit your capacity as a hockey fan. With all the resources at one’s disposal in the form of scores, video, highlights and discussion, aside from the accent, it’s getting tougher and tougher to tell Louisianans from natural born Canadians.

Start playing hockey

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:39:10 +0000

All the NHL stars you see crashing the boards most likely got their start in youth hockey leagues across the globe. While many hail from the frozen regions of Canada, Russia and Eastern Europe, it today’s climate controlled world, Louisiana kids are hardly at a disadvantage. Whether you or your child is from New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Shreveport or right here in Lafayette, there are plenty of local skating rinks to help a new skater get accustomed to the ice. Just like football or basketball, hockey has a positive influence on youth, teaching valuable teamwork and leadership skills that will stay with them long after their skating days are over. Of course, extracurricular sports are just as important for what they shield kids from as the skills they teach them, helping to keep local youth busy and out of trouble. As basketball courts and football fields often find themselves overcrowded with the best athletes Louisiana has to offer, hockey could serve as an alternative outlet in which you or your child might find more success and stand out from the crowd. Like most warm weathered states, Louisiana historically has not produced very many high level hockey players. If a young boy or girl were to take the game seriously, putting in the requisite practice time and elbow grease, it would be far easier to garner attention and acclaim statewide than it would be to break through the clutter than it would be in one of the state’s more traditional pastimes.If your school doesn’t offer a middle school, junior varsity or varsity ice hockey team (most in the area don’t), don’t fret. Just like church league basketball, Pop Warner football, Little League baseball or at a higher level AAU competition, many local hockey rinks will either host their own hockey leagues for various age groups or field their own traveling team.

Penalties to Avoid in Order to Stay on the Ice

www.lahockeyplex.com — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:35:08 +0000

In hockey, there are the type of penalties where a stoppage occurs, but standard play continues and then more serious no-no’s where the guilty party is forced to sit out a minimum of two minutes or, in extreme cases, the entire game. Once a serious penalty occurs, the referee will escorted a player to the penalty box, where he will remain until the necessary time ticks off the clock and he is eligible to get back into the game. These are some of the most commonly called infractions resulting in penalty minutes (the accumulated total of time spent in the penalty box), and why a player would be found in violation.Elbowing Hockey can be a physical game, but in fighting for position, a player must be careful in how he uses his body. A stray elbow that connects with an opposing player can result in a whistle if an official decides it was anything more than incidental contact.Cross-Checking Players often crash into other players on the ice, in an effort to jar the puck loose; however, if you check another player and lead with your stick, you are likely headed to the box. In order to qualify as a cross-check, both hands must be on the stick with all parts of the stick off the ice.Interference It may seem as if players are checking anyone and everyone all across the ice. However, interference can be whistled when a player comes into contact an opponent who does not have possession of the puck, and is deemed to impede his progress.Roughing Roughing can indicate any unnecessary use of physically, such as shoving an opponent.Spearing/Slashing/Hooking/High-sticking These penalties all regulate what you can and can’t do with your stick. Spearing signifies stabbing or jabbing your opponent with the blade of your stick; slashing is when a stick is swung at an opponent; hooking is just as the name describes, using your stick to hold a player back as he attempts to move across the ice; high-sticking makes it illegal to touch another player with your stick above waist height, protecting the unpadded areas on a player’s face and neck.While not a cumulative list of everything that could send you to the box, avoid these penalties as they are the most often frequent whistles that add to the average hockey player’s penalty minutes.

More Rules: Markings on the Ice and What They Mean

admin — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:32:06 +0000

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.Offsides: Offsides is primarily an effort to regulate cherry picking and limit fast break opportunities. The infraction occurs when any player crosses the blue line while on offense before the puck comes across. In summary, the puck must lead the charge towards the net.Two Line Pass: A two line pass is whistled when one teammate passes to another and the puck travels across two or more lines other ice. The lines in question are the center line and the blue line, as the goal line has no bearing in this regard. This forces players to either bring the puck up themselves or make more controlled, concise passes when handling the puck.Icing: On the defensive end, players often try to clear the puck across the blue line so the opposing team will have to restart their offensive attack. Icing regulates this practice by flagging any puck that starts on one side of the center line and traverses all the way across the goal line on the other end (unless, of course, the puck winds up in the net). Once icing is called, a faceoff occurs back in the offensive zone from which the puck was cleared.

Basic Hockey Rules (Continued)

admin — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:40:31 +0000

Defense is all well and good, but the main objective in hockey is to score more than the other side, a feat that is hard to accomplish without offensively focused players. Not to say that these positions don’t contribute on the defensive end, just as defensemen often wind up for slapshots from just across the blue line, but the number 1 goal for most offensive players is to light the lamp by putting the puck in the net. Think of the greatest hockey players in the history of the game Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Gordy Howe, Maurice “Rocket” Richard what do all of these players have in common? They are all elite goal scorers. While hockey is considered a tough guy sport, it’s still the glamour guys who enjoy the majority of the credit for a winning season.Center: The term center in hockey and basketball couldn’t be more opposite. While a center might possess a fair amount of size in order to outmuscle his opponent in a faceoff, in terms of his role on the ice, the center is actually more of a point guard, bringing the puck up the ice and setting up the offense. The center tries to guide the action towards the scoring end of the ice and force the puck into the slot (a term for the prime goal scoring real estate just in front of the net) where hopefully a teammate has gained favorable position.Wings: The two wings will likely be the most frequent goal scorers for a team, taking assists from the center, though it is very common for wings to set up assists and centers to score goals as well. The wings often play off the puck on the offensive end, taking feeds as soon as they get into goal scoring position. A center will usually look for one of his wings in transition as well, trying to set up a breakaway opportunity. Wings and centers alike make substantive defensive contribution closer to center ice as they look to break up passes and deliver hits before the puck crosses their blue line.

Basic Hockey Rules

www.lahockeyplex.com — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:34:22 +0000

While many Louisianans have probably caught an IceGators game on TV or maybe even in person, hockey is still a relatively foreign sport in the Bayou. In order to boost interest and participation in hockey leagues, from professional to adult amateur to youth, it’s necessary for each and every interested spectator and potential player to have a firm grasp of the rules. For starters, like any major sport, hockey teams are clearly broken up into positions. Here is a look at each player’s role and how it impacts the game, starting with the defensively inclined postions.Goaltender The goalie is perhaps the most important position on the ice, capable of single handedly winning or losing a game for his or her team. The goalie will rarely leave the net, unless of course he is pulled in order to add an extra skater to the ice (usually only in late game desperation scenarios). Just like in any other sport, the goalie’s primary task is to keep the puck out of the net. He or she will most likely not contribute offensively, though a goalie will usually start a team’s break towards the other end by holding the puck until an opportune pass presents itself.Defenseman Like a goalie, the defenseman’s job largely centers on stopping the opponent’s offensive attack; however, a defenseman cannot cup the puck with his hand (the goalie has a glove and can hold it until a stoppage is whistled). The defenseman wears standard hockey equipment, thus must be more careful in his puck stopping efforts, though it’s not uncommon to see one slide in front of a shot, sacrificing his or her body. Usually matched up against an opposing wing or center on the defensive end, the position is defined by physical play, breaking up passes, clearing the puck and delivering hits, in an effort to frustrate the other side’s offensive weapons.