Learn to play inline hockey


Appreciating Ice Hockey: An Alternative to South Florida Football and Basketball Teams

During a sports season where the DolphinsThe goaltender covering the puck is
have the worst record in the NFL and theself-explanatory, and penalties are generally
Miami Heat already seem hell-bent on apretty intuitive (no using your stick to haul
lackluster (or worse) follow-up to lastsomeone down, no elbowing people to the head,
year's stunning championship win (droppingetc.) Icing occurs when a team shoots the
almost all of their preseason games and thenpuck from their side of the ice (behind the
getting completely trounced by the Bullscenter red-line) to behind the opposing
during their home opener), Miami - Ft.team's goal line (the little red lines across
Lauderdale residents might be looking for aeither end). Off-sides occurs when an
team that they can watch whose performanceattacking player goes into their opponent's
doesn't disgust them. Enter South Florida'sdefensive zone (past the blue line) before
hockey  team,  the  Florida  Panthers.the puck. Now that you know the basic rules,
you can concentrate on what makes hockey so
I was born and raised in Alaska, which meansexciting:  the  action.
that it was mandated by law that I play
hockey (and by hockey, I of course mean theOther than the fighting, the thing that
variety played on ice, not the variety playedpeople know about hockey is the prevalence of
on fields by high-school girls and thebone crushing body checks. The whole stadium
Irish). As such, I developed an understandingwill gasp (and then cheer wildly) as two 240
of it that extends beyond that of the averagelb. behemoths collide on the boards with a
Floridian - namely, that hockey isdeafening shudder. Many people are surprised
essentially about large Canadians punchingthat such occurrences are completely legal by
each other. While this is an important facetthe rules of the game; the fact of the matter
of the game, there is really a lot more tois that, when done legally, even the most
it. It is a precise game of individual skillimpressive body checks have very little
and team strategy that is one of the mostchance of resulting in injury, and when
fast-paced  games  on  the  planet.combined with the amazing speed of the game,
the  physicality  makes  it  very  exciting.
If you know nothing about hockey (beyond, of
course, the bit about the Canadians punchingIt should be noted that to fully enjoy an
each other), here are some basic rules andice-hockey game, you should take some friends
things to watch for: Each team is allowed 6in tow and get some decent seats, as you
players, including the goaltender. The gamewould with any sporting event; and, just like
is played in three twenty-minute periods, andfor any other sporting event, many limousine
the object is to put the puck in yourcompanies (including Mirage Limo) offer
opponent's net as many times as possible.sporting packages that greatly enhance your
That pretty much sums up the gist of thetrip  to  and  from  the  game.
game.
In no time at all, you'll be watching and
As far as some of the finer points - if thecheering Ed Belfour's great saves and Ollie
referee blows his whistle, chances are thereJokinen's fantastic goals. Hockey is a great
is one of four reasons: the goaltender hasgame, and now, with the wintry outlook for
covered the puck, there is a penalty, thereSouth Florida's other professional teams, is
is an icing call, or someone is off-sides.the perfect time to discover it.



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