| During a sports season where the Dolphins | | | | The goaltender covering the puck is |
| have the worst record in the NFL and the | | | | self-explanatory, and penalties are generally |
| Miami Heat already seem hell-bent on a | | | | pretty intuitive (no using your stick to haul |
| lackluster (or worse) follow-up to last | | | | someone down, no elbowing people to the head, |
| year's stunning championship win (dropping | | | | etc.) Icing occurs when a team shoots the |
| almost all of their preseason games and then | | | | puck from their side of the ice (behind the |
| getting completely trounced by the Bulls | | | | center 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 a | | | | either end). Off-sides occurs when an |
| team that they can watch whose performance | | | | attacking player goes into their opponent's |
| doesn't disgust them. Enter South Florida's | | | | defensive 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 means | | | | exciting: the action. |
| that it was mandated by law that I play | | | | |
| hockey (and by hockey, I of course mean the | | | | Other than the fighting, the thing that |
| variety played on ice, not the variety played | | | | people know about hockey is the prevalence of |
| on fields by high-school girls and the | | | | bone crushing body checks. The whole stadium |
| Irish). As such, I developed an understanding | | | | will gasp (and then cheer wildly) as two 240 |
| of it that extends beyond that of the average | | | | lb. behemoths collide on the boards with a |
| Floridian - namely, that hockey is | | | | deafening shudder. Many people are surprised |
| essentially about large Canadians punching | | | | that such occurrences are completely legal by |
| each other. While this is an important facet | | | | the rules of the game; the fact of the matter |
| of the game, there is really a lot more to | | | | is that, when done legally, even the most |
| it. It is a precise game of individual skill | | | | impressive body checks have very little |
| and team strategy that is one of the most | | | | chance 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 punching | | | | It should be noted that to fully enjoy an |
| each other), here are some basic rules and | | | | ice-hockey game, you should take some friends |
| things to watch for: Each team is allowed 6 | | | | in tow and get some decent seats, as you |
| players, including the goaltender. The game | | | | would with any sporting event; and, just like |
| is played in three twenty-minute periods, and | | | | for any other sporting event, many limousine |
| the object is to put the puck in your | | | | companies (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 the | | | | trip 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 the | | | | cheering Ed Belfour's great saves and Ollie |
| referee blows his whistle, chances are there | | | | Jokinen's fantastic goals. Hockey is a great |
| is one of four reasons: the goaltender has | | | | game, and now, with the wintry outlook for |
| covered the puck, there is a penalty, there | | | | South Florida's other professional teams, is |
| is an icing call, or someone is off-sides. | | | | the perfect time to discover it. |