by Christopher E. Cebula

The Rink is 200 by 85 feet; Olympic sized rinks are 100 feet wide.  Coolant pipes are buried in the concrete, on which the lines and designs are painted.  Water is applied to a depth of 1/2 to 3/4 inch and kept below freezing.  The plexiglass is eight feet high and 1/4 inch thick.

The Zamboni, named after its inventor, is powered by natural gas.  A shaver removes about 1/8 inch of ice, then hot water is applied.  The two Zambonis can resurface the ice in about five minutes.

The Puck weighs 5.5 to six ounces, is three inches in diameter, and one inch thick.  Made of vulcanized rubber, it is frozen to deaden the bounce and can travel up to 120 MPH.  Keep your eyes on the puck at all times!

The Players are professionals; hockey is their full time job from August to May.  They wear shoulder and elbow pads, and shin guards which cover the knees.  The pants have thigh, hip, and lower back pads.  Goalies wear a chest protector.

The Game is three 20 minute periods, separated by 15 minute intermissions.  The teams alternate ends each period.  Each team plays 40 home and 40 road games in an unbalanced schedule.  The winning team receives two points in the standings and the loser none.  If the game should end in a tie, there will be a five minute overtime, four on four.  The winning team in overtime receives two points in the standings and the loser one.  If overtime should end in a tie, then both teams receive one point in the standings.

The American Hockey League is equivalent to a AAA baseball league.  There are other minor leagues at lower skill (and pay) levels.  The Admirals are the top affiliate of the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League.  There is a salary cap to keep the sport affordable.  There are 28 teams in the AHL.  Each team has 18 to 20 players and two goalies.  They are playing for the Calder Cup, equivalent to the NHL's Stanley Cup.

The Officials are the Referee, who calls the penalties and goals; the Linesmen, who call the minor stoppages of play; and the Goal Judges, who turn on the red light if the puck goes in the net.  They can be overruled by the Referee.  The AHL does not use instant replay.

There are four basic rules:  If a team passes the puck between two players and it crosses two lines, it is an offside or two line pass.  If the first player of the attacking team crosses the blue line and does not have the puck, it is offsides.  If a team shoots the puck from its half of the rink and the puck goes over the goal line without being touched by the goalie, going into the net, or going through the goal crease, and a player from the other team touches it, then it is icing.  Exception:  Icing is legal if a team is shorthanded or the Linesman rules the other team could have played the puck before it crossed the goal line.  A player may not use a high stick, kick, or throw the puck into the net; carry the puck in his hand; or pass the puck with his hand to a team mate.  Exception:  A hand pass is legal in the team's defensive end.

The Penalties are minor (two minutes) and major (five or ten minutes).  A team can only play one or two men shorthanded.  The team with the one or two man advantage is on the power play.  During a delayed penalty or near the end of a game, a team may remove its goalie and add another player.  Five minute fighting and ten minute misconduct penalties are usually offsetting and not placed on the clock; the players sit for five or ten minutes in the penalty boxes and are replaced on the ice.