Hockey is one of the significant sources of recreation for sport-loving people around the world. But some people become confused if they can carry the puck on their sticks in hockey. Do you know the answer? If not, then don’t worry. Because I am going to discuss “Can you carry the puck on your stick in Hockey” in this article.
Every sport has its own rules and regulations. People often become confused about some rules of a particular game. Hockey also has some confusing rules and regulations. Carrying the puck on the stick is such a rule. People rarely understand this rule and face trouble while playing the game.
Thus, I will explain “Can you carry the puck on your stick in Hockey”. Besides, you will become familiar with answers to some of the common questions. So, stay tuned with me.
What is a Hockey Puck?
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Before knowing how to pick up a puck with a hockey stick, it is important to know what a puck is in hockey. Because beginners often get puzzled about hockey puck and ball. So, let’s explore about Hockey puck.
A hockey puck is a tiny, solid, and flat vulcanized black rubber disk. It uses hardened rubber to maintain a balanced movement. Players use a Hockey Puck instead of a ball in Ice Hockey to get a score. Because a ball bobs too much on the icy flat ground. Different Pucks are used in different levels of hockey. Click here to know about the best roller hockey puck.
The National Hockey League uses black color pucks that have 7.6 cm in diameter, 2.54 cm in thickness, and a weight between 154 grams and 168 grams. In contrast, players use blue pucks in junior hockey. These blue pucks are light-weight than the former one, only 143 g.
The border of the pucks contains several “diamonds.” These diamonds enhance the holding capacity of the hockey stick when it shoots the puck. However, each team always keeps these pucks in the freezer. The purpose is to reduce the bounciness of the puck on the ice ground.
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How to pick up a puck with a hockey stick?
Here I will mention two methods of how one can pick up a puck with a hockeystick. So, let’s find out about those two methods.
Method 1: Picking puck by placing the stick upside down
- Hold your hockey stick upside down
- Holding the middle of the stick, place the front blade on the upper side of the puck
- push the puck backward
- If your stick takes position properly, you can use centrifugal force via a sweeping movement
- Scoop it
- Then, roll the twist over, bringing the puck with the stick
Method 2: Backhand Scoop
- Lay down the blade of the hockey stick on the puck
- Wedge the back blade under the puck
- Quickly roll the twist and get the puck on the stick
Can you carry the puck on your stick in hockey?
Forward Mike Legg of the University of Michigan exercised a lacrosse-style goal in a tournament in 1996 and secured the victory. Later, many players did it. Some people raised questions about the legality of this shot. Can a player carry the puck on the Hockey stick? Let’s find out.
Yes, a player can carry the puck on his stick but under certain conditions. Rule 24.2 of the NHL rulebook deals with these conditions. According to the rule, a player can deliver lacrosse-style shots in hockey. In lacrosse-style shots, a player picks the puck up on the hockey stick’s blade and shoots the puck into the net.
But here the player requires fulfilling a condition. He can’t raise the puck with the stick above his shoulder and the puck must be under the height of the crossbar. Simply, a player must carry the puck with a stick below shoulder height and keep the puck below the crossbar to gain a score. So, carrying the puck on a hockey stick is legal.
Can you pick up your stick in hockey?
Hockey players must have a powerful grip on their stick. But sometimes the Hockey stick gets slipped off the hands because of collisions of sticks or a hard slash. If hockey players can pick the stick up once it has dropped? The answer is not something straightforward.
A Hockey player can take up sticks unless the stick is broken or harmed. Because it directly violates the NHL Hockey rules. If a player plays with a broken or damaged stick, he may face a penalty of 2 minutes for violation of equipment rules.
So what does a player do when his stick drops off? He can go back to the bench and get a new stick. Someone else from the bench can’t throw a stick at the player. It is out of the norm. Sometimes, people observe that a player is in a crucial moment when he loses his stick and he is not in a position to go to the bench to get a stick. In this case, he can keep playing with no stick in his hand. Click here to know about the Best Roller Hockey Skates.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- How long can you hold the puck?
If a player catches the puck out of the air, he can’t skate with it. He must hand over the puck to another player or drop it on the ice. A player cannot hold the puck for over 3 seconds. A goalkeeper can hold the puck for over 3 seconds only if the opponent attacks him at that time. If a player violates this rule, he will have a penalty.
- How far out can the goalkeeper carry the puck?
A goalkeeper can carry the puck in certain places on the playground. These certain places are the red line in the middle, the goal line at the rink, and the trapezoid area in the back of the net. If a goalkeeper keeps playing outside these spaces, he will face a 2-minute minor penalty.
- Can you throw the puck into the net?
No. According to rule 67.6 of the NHL rulebook, a player can’t score by throwing the puck into the net with his hand. Moreover, any player, goalkeeper, or official can’t exchange the puck into the net.
- What happens if a player shoots the puck in the stands?
According to Rule 63.2 of the NHL rulebook, a player will have a penalty if he skates the puck directly beyond the playing ground from his defending area. But there will be no penalty if there is no glass. So, the primary criterion is the puck’s position when a player is batting it. If a player shoots the puck inside the defending zone and it goes beyond the play zone, he will have a penalty.
Final verdict:
Hockey has long been one of the most exhilarating sports in the world. It is one of the 5 most widely played sports in the world based on the most popular sport ranking. Like other sports, it has certain rules and regulations. But some players, especially the new players, become confused if they can carry the puck on their sticks in Hockey. Thus, I have tried to explain if carrying the pucks on a hockey stick is legal or illegal. I hope this article was informative and useful to you
