Cheater!: Too Many Men on the Ice

Ok, so I'm a day or two late on this one, but as my 8th grade English teacher used to say: "Better Never than Late."  With that in mind, lets look into the frenzy that occurred over the game winning goal by the Sharks over the Red Wings.  The most important part of this rule is not the "what it prohibits" but "how to exploit it."

Photo via Nightmare on Helm Street.

Yes, there are seven Sharks' skaters on the ice in the photo.  Foul! Foul! Right?  No.

The Rule:

There is a five foot rule exception According to Rule 74:

Too Many Men on the Ice - Players and goalkeepers may be changed at any time during the play from the players’ bench provided that the player or players leaving the ice shall be within five feet (5') of his players’ bench and out of the play before the change is made. Refer also to Rule 71 – Premature Substitution. At the discretion of the on-ice officials, should a substituting player come onto the ice before his teammate is within the five foot (5’) limit of the players’ bench (and therefore clearly causing his team to have too many players on the ice), then a bench minor penalty may be assessed.

Exploiting the Rule:


The Benches are 24 feet long.  Players get 5 feet of buffer.  Thats 29 feet a the team can gain, for example on a break away.  Take this example from the Preds' playoff win over Chicago.  If the Chicago player had been at the top of the screen (i.e. near the bench) instead of at the top, a lot of ground could have been made up on this play, maybe even potentially broken up.

Sure, this rule isn't exploited very often, Its hard to plan, as all of the variables have to be exactly right: the timing, player positioning, skating full speed may be quicker than accelerating.  Regardless it is still a trick thats good to have in your back pocket.

I will say that the trick is more valuable in beer league games where, well... lets just say that the game isn't quite NHL speed.

Cheater!: Explaining Erat's Penalty Shot

This edition of "Cheater!" answers a question that several friends had following Erat's penalty-shot goal during game three, namely: "What the !@#$ is going on here?!"

I knew they were rare, but I did not realize  the quasi-historic treat Pred Nation got on Tuesday, as we watched Martin Erat's penalty shot goal.  NHL.com reports that it had been over two years since the last playoff-penalty-shot-goal.  In fact, Erat's goal was just the 19th goal on 59 total attempts in playoff history.

The Video (Ok, I couldn't find video of the penalty, but here's Erat scoring on a penalty shot, and its just as fun to watch).

The Basics: If a offensive player is on a breakaway, and a defender fouls him from behind, the result is a penalty shot (the most awesome penalty of all time!)

The Rule:  Rule 25 is damn long states in part:

"There are four (4) specific conditions that must be met in order for the Referee to award a penalty shot for a player being fouled from behind. They are:

(i)  The infraction must have taken place in the neutral zone or attacking zone, ...;

(ii)  The infraction must have been committed from behind;

(iii)  The player in possession and control ... must have been denied a reasonable chance to score...

(iv)  The player in possession and control ... must have had no opposing player between himself and the goalkeeper."


Infractions that will result in a penalty shot are: 

1. Being fouled from behind, via Holding, Hooking, Tripping, and Slashing
2. Deliberate illegal substitution
3. Deliberately dislodging the net
4. Falling on the puck in the crease
5. Picking up the puck in the crease
6. Throwing something at the skater (Pred Favorite Scotty Hartnell uses his glove as an example... poorly)

NFL Comparison:  No really good comparison, and the penalty shot is pretty self explanatory.  However, the best comparison I could come up with was this: when the defense jumps offsides, the offense often gets a "free play".  I suppose this is the "free play" of the NHL... not really though.  

Can you think of a better one? Leave it in the comments.

Cheater!: Elbowing or Charging - More Reasons to Hate Ho$$a

Coach Barry Trotz, who I have the utmost respect for, is saying in todays paper that Patric Hornqvist did not finish Game 1 because of a skate issue. Color me skeptical.

Looking back at the scarce highlights on NHL.com makes me want to pony up for full Gamecenter Package revealed some interesting tidbits.  Included was this hit on Hornqvist by yours truly, Marian Ho$$a.  There was no penalty on the play, due in part I'm sure, that it was within the first period of game one of the playoffs (i.e. emotions are high, "let 'em play").

The tale of the tape, if nothing else, provided for a great opportunity to provide another installment of "Cheater!", which provides explanations of Hockey penalties to the casual fans out there. (And for the record, I'm not saying this should have been a call... do you?  Vote using the poll at the bottom.)

Here's the video for a full breakdown.

This hit reminds of of a hit on a Red Wing player who I can't remember, during the playoffs.  The story went that he got a concussion during the game, but kept playing, because the rule was that if you suffered  a concussion and sat out the rest of the game, you had to sit out the next game.  He woke up the next morning, and the only reason he figured that he played a game last night was that his foot hurt from where he blocked a slap shot.  He said "my wife had to tell me whether we won or lost".   (I can't remember the player of specifics, if you know, share it in the comments below).

The Rules

1. NHL's New Rule on Headshots:  

Basically: You can't hit a guy in the head.

The Rule: According to the press release: A player is prohibited from making "a lateral, back-pressure or blind-side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principal point of contact."


NFL Equivalent/Analogy:  Defensive players are not allowed to touch the quarterback's helmet.  Of course, that rule is enforced with an insane level of strictness.   The NHL rule is punishable only by fine, after the fact.

2. Charging


Basically: You can't blow a guy up.

The Rule: Rule 43.1 states that charging is: "A minor or major penalty shall be imposed on a player or goalkeeper who skates or jumps into, or charges an opponent in any manner. Charging shall mean the actions of a player or goalkeeper who, as a result of distance traveled, shall violently check an opponent in any manner. A “charge” may be the result of a check into the boards, into the goal frame or in open ice."


NFL Equivalent/Analogy:  Tackling.  And just like in the NFL, thats kind of what I love about the games... so... hmm.  Moving on.


3. Elbowing


Basically: Don't elbow.  You need more? Fine.

The Rule:  Rule 46.1 States: Elbowing shall mean the use of an extended elbow in a manner that may or may not cause injury. 


NFL Equivalent/Analogy: Yup, an elbow to the head.  Its 15 yards.


The Poll

Cheater!: Boarding or "Thanks For Losing Us the Game, Marty"

Welcome to "Cheater!", a new feature here at Preds 101.  Cheater! is the Anatomy of a Goal (AOAG) for penalties.  For fans new to the game, we'll show you what the penalties in hockey are, and explain why you care.  For the knowledgeable  hockey fan, Cheater! will hopefully dive into the finer points of the rougher side of the game.

Our inaugural Cheater! is none other than predator's own Martin Erat (RW, #10).  His boarding penalty came with less than one minute left in the game, where the Predators where defending a 3-2 lead.  Take a look at the penalty.

The Rule

Basically, you can't hit a guy from behind into the boards.  But here is the official rule 42:  

42.1 Boarding – A boarding penalty shall be imposed on any player or goalkeeper who checks an opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to be thrown violently in the boards. The severity of the penalty, based upon the degree of violence of the impact with the boards, shall be at the discretion of the Referee.

There is an enormous amount of judgment involved in the application of this rule by the Referees. The onus is on the player (or goalkeeper) applying the check to ensure his opponent is not in a vulnerable position and if so, he must avoid the contact. ...

Football Equivalent/Analogy: Clipping.


The Situation


As in most sports, there are smart penalties and dumb penalties.  A tripping a player on a breakaway to the net can be smart.  Erat's decision to take this boarding call, however, was not.   The Preds were outnumbered 6-to-5, because the Islanders had pulled their goalie in the hopes of scoring a goal to tie the game up.  With less than a minute remaining, the odds of scoring a goal on a 6-5 are not particularly good.  Erat's hit neither clear the puck from the zone, nor prevents a shot on goal.  No, the hit is simply a hit.  


The result is a penalty, which gives the Islanders a chance to stop play and call a time out.  The faceoff moves to the Islanders offensive zone.  Now the Predators are outnumbered 6-to-4.  The islanders score soon after. The islanders go on to win the game in a shootout, and the Predators get only one point in the standings, instead of 2.


The Poll

I plan on posting this same poll for each Cheater!.  Share any additional thoughts below in the comment section.