Absurd Hockey Questions you've always been afraid to ask.

[Stoner]

Pretty much. If the player coming off is w/in 5' of the bench, the player coming on can join the play. If the guy coming off the ice intentionally plays the puck or throws a check it's too many men. If the puck just hits the guy coming off but he doesn't make ANY play on it, it should not be too many men.

That applies to the player coming on, too, innit? The player coming on can't be "in the play" until the retiring player is off the ice.

[MattPie]

Had to explain that one to my wife and kid while at the ballpark, immediately following a balk. They looked at me like I was speaking braille.

 

 

 

Why can't they wear white at home?

 

That was post-2005 lockout that the change happened, right? (apparently not; 03-04). NHL decided they liked it better that way, probably to match the NFL. The "Away Colors" wikipedia page only talks about whites at home from 1970-2002. This is interesting from Wikipedia:

"The third major change was for the 1927–28 season when the team's name changed to the Maple Leafs, gaining a new logo and returning to the blue uniform. The logo was a 47-point maple leaf with "Toronto Maple Leafs" lettered in white. The home jersey was blue with alternating thin-thick stripes on the arms, legs and shoulders. The road uniform was white with three stripes on the chest and back, waist and legs. For 1933–34, the alternating thin-thick stripes were replaced with stripes of equal thickness. This would remain as the basic design for the next 40 years"

[sabills]

Why is moving someone else's stick out of the way a penalty. Yet, you can pick up the opposing player's stick, even if it has the wrong curve, score a goal with it, and that is allowed?

(I am thinking this was probably just missed by the refs, but I love this clip - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F77GCeH0t1Q.)

 

This continues to be my favorite hockey highlight. Also, that should definitely have been a penalty. Interference and holding the stick (as literally as possible) would probably both have applied.

[kas23]

I have a question. Why are minutes played followed as a stat? A follow-up question, why would we be looking for a defender that can "eat up minutes". Doesn't this heavily depend on his defensive teammates and the scheme the team runs. And I can think of many crappy defensive players that play many minutes. Why would we then care about minutes?

[Doohicksie]

Minutes are tracked by a team to get a sense of how much they're using/overusing/underusing players.  For data junkies, it's a way to normalize player performance for some stats- to calculate points per 60 minutes or whatever.

[SabresFanInRochester]

This continues to be my favorite hockey highlight. Also, that should definitely have been a penalty. Interference and holding the stick (as literally as possible) would probably both have applied.

Favorite? It is definitely one of my favorites, but how can it surpass this one? 

(It is the one of a fan heckling Sullivan because he took a high stick to the face and is bleeding... and later in the game, the SAME fan gets hit with a puck that came over the boards and is bleeding from his forehead. I would never believe something like this if I didn't see it.)

Edited March 30, 2017 by SabresFanInRochester

[Doohicksie]

As far as eating up minutes, from what I can tell there is a pretty wide range of talent at defense, so teams tend to depend on their top pairing to play in the most critical situations as well as their normal rotation, so they "eat up" a lot of minutes.

[SwampD]

Why do I care so much about a team?

[sabills]

Favorite? It is definitely one of my favorites, but how can it surpass this one? 

(It is the one of a fan heckling Sullivan because he took a high stick to the face and is bleeding... and later in the game, the SAME fan gets hit with a puck that came over the boards and is bleeding from his forehead. I would never believe something like this if I didn't see it.)

 

I have never seen that. Amazing.

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Hence why I said reflex. They might not be packing a lipper on the bench, but that wont stop them from spitting like they are. 

 

Also, there's something about hockey that just gets the ol' sinuses draining. That mix of cold ice and hot breath. I don't spit too much when I'm playing, but I get why someone would. 

 

Well, I would hope not.  Are you not a goaler?  That would make for a very messy mask, no?

 

Also, are these supposed to be answered?

 

I have no answers, mind you.

[darksabre]

Well, I would hope not. Are you not a goaler? That would make for a very messy mask, no?

 

Also, are these supposed to be answered?

 

I have no answers, mind you.

If I need to spit while playing goalie I tend to wait for stoppages in play and I'll spit behind the net.

[kas23]

Thanks! The other question I have is how do they actually keep track of these minutes? They do it for every player and for both teams. Does someone have to watch the game over with a stop watch(es) in hand and have to account for everyone coming and leaving from the bench.

[2 minuter för grovbearbetn]

When in the defensive zone, and a player breaks his stick, why do they insist on staying out on the ice? That guy is not only useless, he becomes a liability on the ice. Why not go into a 15 second penalty kill, and have that guy sprint back to the bench. He can grab a stick or come off for a sub.

I have never seen the stick less guy make a positive impact in that situation.

 

Every time I see that, I think of my daughters dance class when the girls do "jazz hands"

[MattPie]

When in the defensive zone, and a player breaks his stick, why do they insist on staying out on the ice? That guy is not only useless, he becomes a liability on the ice. Why not go into a 15 second penalty kill, and have that guy sprint back to the bench. He can grab a stick or come off for a sub.

I have never seen the stick less guy make a positive impact in that situation.

 

Every time I see that, I think of my daughters dance class when the girls do "jazz hands"

 

I totally agree. If it's a D, a forward should give a stick and then sprint off. It's it a forward, just go. Odds are the other team won't even be able to get organized in the time it takes to swap.

[LTS]

When a coach is calling for a line change, how is this organized on the bench?  And when the coach alters the lines, how do they keep it organized? Does the coach state which five players he wants on the ice every time? Is there some sort of code (Line A B C D)? 

 

 

I was always curious about this, having never played at an organized level to have known the answer. I would expect more confusion and plays where two lines both try to jump on at the same time, but that literally never happens.

 

A few things happen here.  There are codes for lines, I have them even with my 12 year olds.  If I make a change I let the players know ahead of time unless I have to do it on the fly and then I'm calling their number (or their name because they don't always remember their number).

 

In higher level hockey the players generally know their situations and if the coach is rolling lines or if they are shorting shifts.  For example, if you are pulling your 4th line off the rotation you'll tell them.  At that point the bench knows 3 lines go and unless the coach inserts the 4th line back that's how it goes.

 

Players jump from the middle and go off from the doors... this works great at higher levels.  With my 12 year olds I have to manage the player on/player off two-step.. it's a catastrophe.  I can't wait until they jump boards more.

[Stoner]

If I need to spit while playing goalie I tend to wait for stoppages in play and I'll spit behind the net.

What kind of goalie are you? That loogie could slow down a puck just enough to not cross the line.

[inkman]

When in the defensive zone, and a player breaks his stick, why do they insist on staying out on the ice? That guy is not only useless, he becomes a liability on the ice. Why not go into a 15 second penalty kill, and have that guy sprint back to the bench. He can grab a stick or come off for a sub.

I have never seen the stick less guy make a positive impact in that situation.

 

Every time I see that, I think of my daughters dance class when the girls do "jazz hands"

Completely agree, that player provides little to no value on the ice gp get a stick FFS. Good teams coach players to do it, we let a guy flounder for 3 minutes until the other team scores.

[darksabre]

What kind of goalie are you? That loogie could slow down a puck just enough to not cross the line.

Man, I don't want that spit out where I'm trying to work! 

[thewookie1]

Why do hockey players spit so much?

 

If I had to guess, its a combination of saliva and flem build up caused by the heavy physical activity while on ice. Think long shoveling jobs and how your throat feels awful and your nose gets clogged, that's how they clear it out. Disgusting ain't it?

[RonHextallsShoulderPads]

i always wondered if Dominic Hasek, in his prime, could stop a golf ball driven at him from 20 feet away. 

[inkman]

Why do hockey players spit so much?

Let's not put a blanket statement on everyone. I have it on good authority Brad Marchand shallows.

[Doohicksie]

Man, I don't want that spit out where I'm trying to work! 

 

You're just not "all in" for the team, are you?

Let's not put a blanket statement on everyone. I have it on good authority Brad Marchand shallows.

 

Oh, that joke just blows.  :angel:

[Sabres Fan in NS]

Let's not put a blanket statement on everyone. I have it on good authority Brad Marchand shallows.

 

Hey, oh!!

 

I have net to run into that punk.  He summers just up the road from me, literally.

 

Would love to see him around and say hello.  Then I'd punch him right in that big nose of his.

[pi2000]

Why do hockey players spit so much?

 

Elevated respiratory rate in a cold environment exacerbates post nasal drip.

But then the ice would be brown.

 

I'll take Samson as an example.

Every time they showed him riding the bench, he spat. Why? 

 

 

A few guys on my mens league team dipped while playing.    However, the practice was eventually banned because of brown spots accumulating on the ice.  Nobody on my college team dipped during games/practice.

Edited March 30, 2017 by pi2000

[pi2000]

When a coach is calling for a line change, how is this organized on the bench?  And when the coach alters the lines, how do they keep it organized? Does the coach state which five players he wants on the ice every time? Is there some sort of code (Line A B C D)? 

 

Forwards coming off the ice sit on the end of bench closest to the door, so they leave the ice over the door, or through the door.   They then slide down towards the middle of the bench as each line changes eventually landing in the middle at which point you're up next unless the coach calls out some other line or line combination.    This helps to eliminate congestion as you don't want guys coming off and jumping onto the ice at the same spot.

 

Defensemen typically do the same as the forwards in the first and third periods, with the exception being the second period where you have the "long" change... so the rotation on the bench will be reversed such that the next d-pair up sits closest to the door so they're joinig the play closer to center ice rather than the near the offensive blue line.  

When in the defensive zone, and a player breaks his stick, why do they insist on staying out on the ice? That guy is not only useless, he becomes a liability on the ice. Why not go into a 15 second penalty kill, and have that guy sprint back to the bench. He can grab a stick or come off for a sub.

I have never seen the stick less guy make a positive impact in that situation.

 

Every time I see that, I think of my daughters dance class when the girls do "jazz hands"

 

A stickless player can still block a shot, throw a check, bat the puck with his hand, block a passing lane, etc...   It's much better than losing that player even for 15s which opens up the ice for the offense.