There is nothing quite like a TV show that everyone is tuned into, and this winter has been defined by what began as a small Canadian TV show and has become a global obsession: Heated Rivalry.
It’s the adaptation of a popular book series by Rachel Reid, following the all-consuming romance between fictional ice hockey players Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov. The show itself includes minimal hockey playing, instead choosing to focus on the decade-spanning situationship between Shane and Ilya. Despite this, it manages to capture the excitement and the spirit of the game – enough that my best friend was convinced to tune into an NHL (National Hockey League) match, prompting this article. This is because, in her words, ‘what do you mean there are 1312 Hockey games in a season?? Do they ever not play??’ If you, too, have been tempted to follow hockey after watching, or you’re curious about the hockey basics before the Olympics, here’s a basic guide which may be helpful!
The game of ice hockey is pretty simple, without many rules. The history behind its creation is fascinating (shoutout to the History of Ice Hockey module I did while studying abroad in Canada), and the game remains, at its core, fast, simple, and really quite violent… making it one of the most exciting ones to watch.
A standard game consists of three 20-minute periods; if the two teams are tied at the end of the game in the regular season, they have a short overtime period, and if nobody scores, a shootout. During play-offs (it’s already sounding complicated, but stick with me), the overtime is sudden death, where they play until someone scores. Sudden-death overtime is also used in the Olympic medal matches.
Both teams have six players on the ice at once: a goalie, three forwards, and two defensemen, and they can substitute players at any time during play. Changes happen constantly; players typically change every 45-90 seconds. It usually occurs in a line change, so they switch off in groups. Scoring is self-explanatory: to get a goal, you get the puck in the net! YIPPEE! But I think it might be harder than it looks… play is started and restarted by face-offs; the referee drops the puck between two players, and they battle for it.
There are only three main rules to know: offside, icing, and penalties.
- Offside: Players can’t enter the attacking zone (opponents’ end) before the puck does, if they do, play stops and a face-off happens outside the zone.
- Icing: Teams cannot shoot the puck from the centre line to the goal line without it being touched.
- Penalties: When a player breaks a rule (usually as a result of a fight on the ice) they get sent to the penalty box. The penalties tend to last between 2-5 minutes, depending on the infraction, and it means the other team gets a Power Play. This is when one team has more players on the ice, and it ends when they score, or if the penalty time runs out.
That covers the basics of the game, and it’s most commonly played in the NHL. You can watch it in the UK on NHL.tv or select games for free on ITV! The NHL is made up of teams from both Canada and America, and they compete for the Stanley Cup, which is arguably the most iconic trophy in North American sports. But getting to compete for it is a journey in itself, so here is a quick rundown!
There are 32 teams in the NHL, and they are split into two conferences: East and West. Then, each conference is divided into two divisions. The Eastern Conference has Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions, and the Western Conference has Central and Pacific divisions. Each division has eight teams.
The regular season is between October and April. This is where the teams play 82 games: 41 at home, and 41 away. They earn two points for a win, one point for an overtime/shoot-out loss, and no points for a regulation loss. The teams are ranked by points within their divisions, and the aim is to place high enough to make the play-offs.
The play-offs happen after the regular season, and the winner takes the Stanley Cup. The play-offs are a 16-team tournament, made up of the top three teams from each division, and then two wildcard teams from each conference. The wildcard goes to the remaining two best teams in the conference. The play-offs are structured as a tournament bracket, eastern conference on one side and western on the other. There are four rounds, and each round follows the best-of-seven format, so you have to win four games to go to the next round. Round three is the conference finals. These decide the winners of the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference, and it’s these two teams who play in the Stanley Cup final.
The Stanley Cup final also works as a best-of-seven format. They play until one team has won four games, alternating between the two home arenas. It’s a lot of hockey, but it’s pretty exciting – especially the play-off matches! Lifting the Stanley Cup is a pretty insane moment for players and fans – as seen in many edits of Heated Rivalry!
While you can’t root for the fictional teams in Heated Rivalry, the alternative to the Montreal Voyageurs is the Montreal Canadiens, and the Boston Raiders equivalent would be the Boston Bruins. Or, you could root for the Vancouver Canucks, who are at the bottom of the league and number one in my heart… study abroad loyalties!
Regardless, hockey is an incredibly fun sport to watch, even if it’s not Shane or Ilya on the ice.
Editor: Eva Taper-Boyd