I figured I would try to dive deep into the NHL this season for the first time in my life. With the exception of a few friends who have played hockey, I know very little about the sport. So, I figured in my new endeavor I will have a few questions to what are probably common hockey knowledge.

First and foremost, what is a "forecheck"?

Tomáš Vokoun
Rostislav Klesla
David Výborný
Martin Havlát

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

How Patrick Kane is required to pay for all cab rides now.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Annnd we're off...

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Does your cat make too much noise? Try KITTEN MITTENS!


Charlie: Oh shit. Look at that door dude. See that door right there? That door marked 'Pirate'? You think a pirate lives in there?
Dennis: I see a door marked 'Private.'

Is it a fivecheck if the cab driver is drunk or has previous DUI's?

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First, welcome to a great game.

Second, it's when you're in the opponent's zone, they have the puck, and you're applying pressure to try and get the puck away from them.

Third, to add a smart ass comment, it's more than a 3- but less than a 5-check.

Yes, that sucked...

Yea usually it's the forwards that are mostly responsible for it as the defenders tend to be skating backwards to defend against a counter attack.

Very simply: The offensive team trying to regain control of the puck in their other teams defensive end.

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Team Cutler.

Was leaving ESPN

a) Dumb
b) Stupid
c) League Killing

I think ESPN caused the lockout. One more reason the House of Berman sucks.

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So, essentially it is the same premise as a full court press?

Full Court press is a decent comparison. Although teams will usually always be fore checking somewhat unless they are trying to complete a line change.

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Team Cutler.

OK, next question:

The center is essentially the same as a point guard insofar as that he chases the puck wherever it goes in the opponent's zone, correct?

No. Though it sounds like you may have a need for a "stupid basketball questions thread" also.

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Thanks Ugie for starting this thread. I'm so hockey stupid that I don't even know what question to ask.

I'll just sit and linger and let you take all the punishment from spanky, SSE, puckhead, stink & crosscheck.

Seriously though, I want to know more and get into it as well.

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-"God is great. Beer is good. And People are crazy!"

Wasn't really meant as "punishment" - I just don't even know how to attempt to answer that when the example of the PG doesn't make any sense either. I'm not aware of any simple basketball strategy where the PG chases the ball around (at either end of the court), so I'm not sure how to relate that to the center position in any way.

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Not a problem, but believe me... I have no problem admitting when I am clueless about a sport.

Why is there a sport played on ice skates?

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Why is a sport thats played indoors 99% of the time on the OUTDOOR Life Network

Jim Rome needs this racked asap.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

I'm no hockey genius, but I know there are many different types of forwards let alone centers.
The most obvious trait of the centerman is that he generally takes the faceoff.

You can have "Power forwards", playmakers, snipers, agitators, et. al.
I don't think there is a universal trait of Centers in hockey like there is for positions in basketball.

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011

if you are talking about a forecheck, there is no one position that leads the way, it doesn't have to be a center that starts the forecheck, it is usually a system where the three forwards try to coerce the offense into making a bad pass, or trapping the puck carrier into a corner or a bad place...

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

why do the flyers fucking SUCK!

huh? Flyers could be damn good this year... pending on their goaltending...

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

i know, i wrote that out of sheer frustration when they lost they went down 5-4 in the third.

but then briere saved them in OT. and then i was happy. but i forgot to edit the post. sorry crosscheck.

cool that makes sense... That was one of the better regular season games that i have seen in a long time...

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

Ok, so what players would be the forwards? I am assuming that on offense players have one position and then change to another on defense?

Well they change over in that everyone plays offense and defense, but their positions affect their general location on the ice.

Their are 6 players on the ice unless they are on a penalty kill. Goalie, 2 defensemen, and 3 forwards(who are usually broken down to Right Wing, Left Wing and Center)

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Team Cutler.

Forwards are the left winger, right winger, and center. People often think of the center as different, but it is essentially just another forward but takes faceoffs, and has other responsibilities...

positions stay the same, on offense, the defensemen are still defensemen, and forwards are still forwards on defense. But on defense, the forwards often cover the other teams defenders and visa-versa.

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team Mully & Hanley
team Meatpants

Awesome. That makes much more sense.

Another interesting distinction is that the forwards are grouped in "lines" comprised of a left wing, right wing and center. Now these lines are changed on the fly constantly, but generally coaches will stick with any combo that develops a "chemistry". Lines can also become jumbled over the course of the game by guys double shifting (usually the superstars) and situational play (i.e; a defensive type forward constantly in to harass a particular star) however some line combinations last an entire season or seasons.

Defenseman are grouped in pairs, with generally 6 guys or 3 pairs getting the bulk of the rotation time. Defenseman, and in particular stud defenseman get a ton of playing time, as a "blueliner" can somewhat rest and conserve energy more easily when the puck is in the opponents zone.

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1926-1931-1934-1942-1944-1946-1964-1967-1982-2006-2011