Both are stoppages, but they penalize different things. Offside occurs on the attack: a player may not cross the opponent's blue line into the offensive zone before the puck does. If he does, play stops and a face-off is held outside the zone.
Fighting is uniquely tolerated in North American professional hockey, though it is penalized. Two players who fight each receive a five-minute major, and because both sit out, neither team gains a man advantage. Historically, fighting served to police dangerous play, deterring cheap shots through the threat of retaliation, and to shift momentum or protect star players.
Pick two names from this sport’s all-time list. The larger number in each shared stat is highlighted.
| Stat | Wayne Gretzky | Bobby Orr |
|---|
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Both are stoppages, but they penalize different things. Offside occurs on the attack: a player may not cross the opponent's blue line into the offensive zone before the puck does. If he does, play stops and a face-off is held outside the zone.
Fighting is uniquely tolerated in North American professional hockey, though it is penalized. Two players who fight each receive a five-minute major, and because both sit out, neither team gains a man advantage. Historically, fighting served to police dangerous play, deterring cheap shots through the threat of retaliation, and to shift momentum or protect star players.
An ice hockey game consists of three periods of 20 minutes of playing time each, for 60 minutes of regulation. Because the clock stops on every whistle, a game takes roughly two and a half hours of real time, including two intermissions during which the ice is resurfaced. If the score is tied after regulation, the game goes to overtime.
A hat trick is when a single player scores three goals in one game. The term, borrowed from cricket, is celebrated in hockey by fans throwing their hats onto the ice, a tradition dating back decades, and play pauses while the crew clears them.
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