How many quarters are in a hockey game? Hockey 101 for beginners
Hockey is a sport that combines speed, agility, and teamwork. It's played on various surfaces, including ice, grass, and synthetic turf. Teams must manoeuvrer a puck or ball into the opponent's goal using their hockey sticks to win. But what else do you know about the sport? For instance, how many quarters are in a hockey game?
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Modern hockey is a beloved sport played worldwide, with its roots dating back to the early 19th century in The United Kingdom. Its fast-paced gameplay and hard-hitting action have garnered the sport a loyal following. However, confusion regarding the format or number of quarters in a hockey game is common for those new to the sport.
How many quarters are in a hockey game?
How many quarters are there in a hockey match? There are four quarters in a typical field hockey game. However, other game variations, like ice hockey, have three periods instead of quarters. To learn more about this fun game, here is a detailed breakdown of the match durations and intermissions between periods:
Field hockey
Field hockey features gravel, natural grass, sand-based, or water-based artificial turf with a small, hard ball. It consists of two teams of eleven players on each opposing side, ten field players, and one goalkeeper.
Initially, field hockey consisted of two 35-minute periods and a 5-minute halftime interval. However, in 2014, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) announced its adoption of four 15-minute quarters. These quarters have two 2-minute breaks after the first and third quarters and a 15-minute intermission after the second quarter, which is halftime.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey uses a hockey rink as its turf. During regular play, there are six players on ice skates per side, one of whom is the goaltender. Physical contact in ice hockey is quite significant in a move known as a body check.
An ice hockey game consists of three 20-minute periods with 17-minute to 18-minute intermissions. The intermissions happen twice during a regular match: once between the 1st and 2nd periods and another during the 2nd and 3rd periods.
Para ice hockey (sledge hockey)
Sledge hockey or Para ice hockey is a form of ice hockey designed for players with physical disabilities affecting their lower bodies. The World Para Ice Hockey Organisation and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) sanction the sport.
Games consist of three 15-minute periods, with overtime and penalty shootouts used when necessary to decide tie games. Intermissions are 15 minutes after the first and second periods, with a break of 3 minutes after the third period in case of overtime.
Understanding hockey basics
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There are many types of hockey; some use wheeled or bladed skates, while others do not. In each sport, two teams play against each other by trying to manoeuvre the ball or a disk (such as a puck) into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.
How to play hockey?
The aim is to score more goals than the opposing team before the stipulated time runs out. The players use hockey sticks to control the ball and drive it to the opposition's goalpost to score for their team.
They must pass or dribble the ball or puck only with their sticks. Players can only take a shot from inside the striking circle to score a goal (on field hockey).
Common hockey rules
According to Hockey Monkey and NHL Street, here are some standard rules across the different variations of hockey.
Ice hockey
- Each team has five skaters and one goaltender on the ice.
- The game includes positions like forwards, defensemen, and goaltenders, each with specific roles.
- Players must wear specific equipment for protection, including hockey skates, sticks, gloves, helmets, shoulder pads, hockey pants, shin guards, and elbow pads.
- The main basic rules include icing, offside, faceoffs, and penalties. An offside occurs when an attacking player enters the defensive zone before the puck.
- You can body-check or hit an opponent when possessing the puck.
- You cannot pass the puck over two lines.
Field hockey
- Field hockey is an indoor or outdoor sport.
- The outdoor version of the game is 11-a-side on a pitch similar in size to a football pitch.
- Each player has a stick with a rounded head to play the ball. They aim to score goals by hitting the ball into the other team's goal.
- Players must use their sticks and not their feet to play the ball.
- Only the goalkeepers can use their feet, hands, and any other body part in conjunction with their stick to play the ball.
Roller hockey
- Roller hockey is played on a dry surface using wheeled skates.
- It uses traditional roller skates (quad skates) or inline skates and either a ball or puck.
Street hockey
- Also known as road hockey, this unique sport is played outdoors on foot or with inline or roller skates.
- The game uses a ball or puck designed for play on flat, dry surfaces. Its turf comprises rinks often designed for roller hockey and can be indoor or outdoor.
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Sledge hockey
- Also known as Para ice hockey, sledge hockey is for players with physical disabilities.
- Players sit on sledges and use two sticks to move around the ice and control the puck. They also use the sticks to pass, stickhandle, shoot the puck, and propel their sledges.
Were NHL Hockey games always 3 periods long?
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Yes, they were. The three-period structure was already underway when the National Hockey League (NHL) rolled out in 1917. According to NBC Sports Chicago, before the amendments of 1910, ice hockey matches consisted of two 30-minute halves.
Does hockey have 2 quarters?
No, it doesn't. Although the field version had two halves before a 2014 amendment, all versions of this popular sport have more than two quarters or periods.
Are there 4 quarters in hockey?
Field hockey adopted the four 15-minute quarters game duration in 2014, and the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil adopted this format.
Are there 3 or 4 periods in hockey?
There are both. Ice hockey consists of three 20-minute periods in a game, while field hockey utilises four 15-minute quarters of game duration.
When did hockey start, and where?
Hockey has a history of almost 4,000 years, with historical references in Iran, Egypt, and Greece. However, modern hockey and its rules were drafted in the UK in 1876, following the establishment of the first clubs, Blackheath Club (1849) and Teddington Hockey Club (1871). Modern ice hockey began in Montreal, Canada, in 1875.
How many quarters are in a hockey game? Depending on the different variations of the sport, there are those with three periods, like ice hockey, and those with four quarters, namely field hockey. In addition, different variants have different rules and game formats.
Yen.com.gh published about the most straightforward sport to learn and play. Accessible sports to learn are plentiful and diverse, from running to soccer and swimming. Whether you're looking for a new hobby or a way to stay active, these options can be a great starting point.
Each sport has unique benefits and challenges, creating a great way to stay active and have fun. But if you are a beginner looking to start, which sport is the easiest to learn? Find out more in the article.
Source: YEN.com.gh
