As much as you might think otherwise, in rec hockey we need to remind ourselves we aren’t the NHL. We don’t play hockey as a living, and we certainly aren’t as talented as what we see on TV. We also have to accept that the standards to which we play are also not what we see on TV.
In our last game (against the Pints) there was an incident where a player seemed to forget that he doesn’t play in the NHL and did something he shouldn’t have.
That player was me.
Once in the second period, and again in the third, I attempted to dig out a puck from underneath the Pints goalie. I was under the impression that the play was still live as long as the referees hadn’t blown their whistles to stop the play. In our game, the refs were often very slow to respond, and when the Pints goalie attempted to cover up the puck, I continued to try and dig the puck out until the play was stopped.
A giant wookie on the Pints warned me the first time not to try and dig out the puck once it was covered by his goalie, and when I did it the second time, it led to some pushing and shoving between us (and only then did the refs blow the whistle). The referee then told me that the play should stop when the goalie had it covered, but for some reason I had my doubts about this. I continued to think the puck was fair game until the ref blew his whistle. After all, in the NHL, commentators always state that a player should play until the whistle is blown. So, that’s what I was doing. I wasn’t penalized either time for trying to dig the puck out.
When I returned home that night, I looked up the USA Hockey rulebook and discovered the following:
Rule 633 Slashing
(d) A minor penalty shall be imposed on any player who makes
stick contact with an opposing goalkeeper while he is in his
goal crease, who has covered or caught the puck, regardless of
whether or not the Referee has stopped play.
So, evidently I was wrong about my understanding of the rules, and I should even have been penalized on the play for slashing. As such, I offer my apologies to the Pints goalie, and I’ll remember this rule for the future. My bad.
TPS HGT2 Bionic Gloves
On another note, I’ve doubled down on the orange and black attack. These new bad boys (aka TPS HGT2 Bionic Hockey Gloves) made their debut in our game against the Misfits on November 14.
Unfortunately, since I’ve been wearing these gloves, we’ve been 0-2. I refuse to believe that these mitts are bad luck but if we keep losing, it might be hard to convince myself otherwise. I would hate to have to think of them that way – they’re very comfortable with thick padding and soft leather, and they ventilate quite well. Plus, if you hadn’t noticed, they’re orange and black.
Hopefully we’ll get a win soon and I’ll be able to dispell any such notion regarding these gloves.
Singh10.
