Devlog- Ice Hockey

So disclaimer, I am the broadcaster for Texas Tech's club ice hockey team. I may have fibbed a little and said I understood hockey and loved to watch it in order to get the job, but nonetheless, I was hired this past spring. Thankfully, one of the videos from Mr. Animates covered ice hockey. Unfortunately for me, though, it was about 3x3 hockey and not an actual full-sized game. I guess I better start reading the Hockey for Dummies book my mom bought me!

3x3 is played with two teams with three players on each side. Also, 3x3 ice hockey is played on an ice rink that is smaller than a normal, full-sized hockey rink. In order to score, each team has to legally drive the puck into the goal past the goalie. 3x3 has the same rules as regular ice hockey, but with some exceptions. 3x3 does not allow body checking, icing, or offsides. To win, each team has to score the most points by the end of the ongoing clock. Since the clock doesn’t stop, there is a greater chance for a tie at the end of the game. In order to break the tie, each team takes penalty shots at the goal with the goalie guarding the goal. 

When it comes to tournaments, the ice rink that is already smaller than a full-sized one is cut in half. Two teams will play against each other on one side of the rink and another two teams will play on the other side. The game set-up looks like a 3on3 half court game for basketball. The game clock runs the whole time and both sides of the rink play with the same clock.

This game is considered a competitive play because “some players will win and some will lose” (Macklin and Sharp, Paragraph 6). At the end of each game, there will always be a winner and a loser. On top of the competitiveness of the rules, ice hockey is known for its aggressive physical contact. Another aspect of hockey that makes this game competitive is “trying to predict what the opponent is going to do so that the player can make a move that takes advantage of the weaknesses in her opponent’s strategic tendencies” (Macklin and Sharp, Paragraph 8). During timeouts while playing hockey, it is a strategic move to assess your next plays based on what is and isn’t working against your opposing team. If the opponent notices the plays that you and/or your team is executing, then it would be in the benefit of your team to change the plays to make it harder on your opponent. 

Typically, ice hockey is played in front of an audience of fans/supporters and the other team’s fans as well. This aspect, along with others, is what truly considers this game a sport. During practice, even if you scimage against another team and win, it “doesn’t count and it doesn’t matter, and in some sense, it’s not really even [considered] a sport” (Foddy, GDC 6:52) unless you are in an actual game with an audience, big or small, to witness it. The stakes are higher and the pressure is more intense.