If You Had To Give Someone A Crash Course In Hockey Where Would You Begin

[bri]

I was asked to teach a guy about hockey before he goes to a game next week and am not sure where to start. I learned on my own by watching and reading and asking questions if I didn't understand. Yes, I know you are all scratching your head and wondering why he asked me. I don't want to confuse him and not sure if he is really that interested or just wants to impress his date. The worst part is I'm going to have to do it by email or phone since he lives in the Baltimore area. It will be kind of hard without actually watching a game and explaining stuff to him. Any suggestions on how to make this an easy process or advice on how detailed I should get?



Bubblehead, I know you are busy moving, but I could use your input if you see this cause he is going to a Caps game and wants to know stuff about them. I'll fill him in on the prominent players like Ovie, and Green, and Semin.





Thanks for any help you can give me.

 

[TSD]

Like anything, you have to "do it" to really learn it. I really dont think theres any point to just explaining it to him. You would have to explain it while watching it together, then he would have to continue watching and retaining what hes learned.

 

[jakobeast]

1st things first. Wait for the fuckin' whistle. Don't get up, dont go to your seat/leave your seat while puck is in play.



Second, don't watch the puck, watch the players. The players will tell you where the puck is. Appreciate the speed of the game and the skill that is on display.



3rd, enjoy.

 

[sth]

I would start with offsides. That is what people seem to have the most trouble with. When I first started watching when I was 10 that was the only part that really took some time to figure out.

 

[Sir Mike of Burbs]

Yeah I'm going to have to say offside, icing, faceoffs and line changes. Just send him the clip from Slap Shot to describe penalties. That's pretty much all you can teach him without actually watching it with him.

 

[supraman]

First tell him the Capitals suck. That's lesson 1. Lesson 2 is Ovie is a piece of shit. Lesson 3 teach him icing. Lesson 4 to borrow a rule of thumb from Count Dante if you think it is illegal to do with a stick it probably is.



Really there isn't an easy way to give someone a crash course in hockey without watching a game with that person so you can explain on the fly.

 

[Tater]

Could you get him on phone, watch a game at the same time and talk him through it?

Maybe even the all-game, that will be on t.v. everywhere.

 

[winos5]

I don't think there is anything you can do via e-mail or telephone that will give this guy the appearance of being a hockey fan. Any real fan will know in 2 seconds he's a fraud. Just tell him to go the game.

 

[supraman]

I don't think there is anything you can do via e-mail or telephone that will give this guy the appearance of being a hockey fan. Any real fan will know in 2 seconds he's a fraud. Just tell him to go the game.

Most important thing to tell new fans is to not fucking yell shoot on the PP when the shooting lane is CLEARLY blocked.

 

[Ymono37]

I was asked to teach a guy about hockey before he goes to a game next week and am not sure where to start. I learned on my own by watching and reading and asking questions if I didn't understand. Yes, I know you are all scratching your head and wondering why he asked me. I don't want to confuse him and not sure if he is really that interested or just wants to impress his date. The worst part is I'm going to have to do it by email or phone since he lives in the Baltimore area. It will be kind of hard without actually watching a game and explaining stuff to him. Any suggestions on how to make this an easy process or advice on how detailed I should get?



Bubblehead, I know you are busy moving, but I could use your input if you see this cause he is going to a Caps game and wants to know stuff about them. I'll fill him in on the prominent players like Ovie, and Green, and Semin.





Thanks for any help you can give me.

You're being too hard on yourself - you clearly know more about this sport than many supposed hard-core hockey fans I know.



Gotta agree with some comments below though - without watching the game with him, it's a tough call.

 

[puckjim]

Hockey is probably the easiest game for an uninitiated fan to watch in person. There are things that are complicated that happen, but new fans do not need to wrap themselves in the minutia to enjoy their first game.



Here are the main things a first time fan should know:



1. Red light means goal. Try and follow the puck and anticipate where it is going, but most goals are difficult to see, especially at close range. When the red light tells you to cheer, then you can cheer.

2. Icing. If a team, at even strength, shoots the puck all the way down the ice, they get a foul called icing. Let him know that when the team is killing a penalty, they don’t get a foul for this. The result of this foul is that the faceoff comes all the way down the ice near their goalie.

3. Offsides. The most difficult rule to understand and see at a game. It was explained in the newspaper a few years ago that the best way to explain offside is to think of the offensive zone like a swimming pool. The puck has to be in the pool before the attacking players. If the puck leaves the pool, all of the attacking players have to leave the pool before the puck goes back in the water. If there are still players in the pool when the puck reenters it, the attacking team gets foul called offsides, and the whistle blows.



Knowing those three things are enough for the uninitiated hockey fan to enjoy watching his first game.



You may also want to have them visit the website in my signature to determine what the Capitals playoff chances are before the game. They currently sit at 94.9%

 

[sth]

Hockey is probably the easiest game for an uninitiated fan to watch in person. There are things that are complicated that happen, but new fans do not need to wrap themselves in the minutia to enjoy their first game.



Here are the main things a first time fan should know:



1. Red light means goal. Try and follow the puck and anticipate where it is going, but most goals are difficult to see, especially at close range. When the red light tells you to cheer, then you can cheer.

2. Icing. If a team, at even strength, shoots the puck all the way down the ice, they get a foul called icing. Let him know that when the team is killing a penalty, they don’t get a foul for this. The result of this foul is that the faceoff comes all the way down the ice near their goalie.

3. Offsides. The most difficult rule to understand and see at a game. It was explained in the newspaper a few years ago that the best way to explain offside is to think of the offensive zone like a swimming pool. The puck has to be in the pool before the attacking players. If the puck leaves the pool, all of the attacking players have to leave the pool before the puck goes back in the water. If there are still players in the pool when the puck reenters it, the attacking team gets foul called offsides, and the whistle blows.



Knowing those three things are enough for the uninitiated hockey fan to enjoy watching his first game.



You may also want to have them visit the website in my signature to determine what the Capitals playoff chances are before the game. They currently sit at 94.9%

Pretty good starting point.

 

[chasman]

What Jako said is very important at a game......WAIT FOR THE WHISTLE.....the rest will be easy.

 

[phranchk]

If you have one of those dry erase clipboards with the diagram of the rink on it that would be helpful in explaining offsides and icing. Otherwise, print out a diagram of it. So much easier to understand when you can visualize it.

 

[nord]

If all else fails, some of the Peter Puck episodes are available on youtube.

 

[Chief Walking Stick]

If it's against the Devils/Predators have him watch the two forecheckers being annoying in the defensive zone as the left wing slides back to play "zone defense" aka boring as **** hockey.