IIHF OFFICIAL RULE BOOK 2022/23

I I HF OFF I C I AL RULE BOOK 2022 / 23

6

OUR VALUES

SKILLS Ice hockey is the fastest and most thrilling of all team sports because it is a combination of two sports – skating and hockey. Skating is a complex skill but also very enjoyable, while the skills involved in playing hockey take dedication and practice to master. Skating requires strength, balance, and stamina. Once a player masters the ability to skate Backwards and Forwards, to turn and stop quickly, to get around a player or avoid a bodycheck, the enjoyment of the game truly grows. Ice hockey consists of three basic skills – stickhandling, passing, and shooting. Stickhandling requires superb hand-eye coordination, the ability to cradle a puck and feint an opponent at the right moment. Passing requires vision, timing, and anticipation. Shooting requires practice and strength and technique. What makes ice hockey so special and challenging is that a player must learn to combine those three essential hockey skills with the completely different skill of skating. It is two sports, not one, but when combined, this makes an incredible enjoyable experience.