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Components and Equipment
The basic components for a hockey game are the ice hockey rink, skates, hockey stick and a puck. The ice hockey rink measures 200 inches long and 85 inches wide with round corners. The ice surface has painted lines on it. The red line indicates the center. The blue line is divided into three zones. The defending zone is the area behind a team's blue line. The attacking zone is the area behind the opposing team's blue line and the area between the two blue lines is the neutral zone. In each end of the ice surface, there is a goal cage. A hockey skate is usually made of a thick layer of leather or nylon to protect the feet and legs of the player from injury. The blade is rounded for easy maneuvering. The hockey stick of today is made from Kevlar and carbon. The curved blade provides power and lift. The puck is a disc-shaped vulcanized rubber measuring one inch thick and two inches in diameter. It usually weighs 6 ounces. In order to protect players from injury or from being hit by sticks and pucks, players are required to wear protective gear that basically cover their entire bodies. Players wear masks made from metal wire or transparent plastic attached to their helmets to protect their faces. Thick gloves with rubber wedges cover their hands. They also wear a good deal of padding such as knee pads, shin, hip, elbow, mouth and shoulder guards. They also don heavily padded shorts. |
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