Pond hockey

Pond hockey is a form of ice hockey very similar in its object and appearance to traditional ice hockey, but far simpler and designed to be played on part of a natural frozen body of water. The rink is 50% longer than a standard NHL-specification rink, and has no "boards" or "glass" surrounding it to add to the convenience of setting up and removing the rink (usually only a barrier of snow keeps the puck in play). In addition, because there are no protective barriers behind the goal to contain high errant shots, the top of the goal is far lower, in fact only slightly taller than the width of a puck, and the goalie therefore does not require the specialized equipment that traditional ice hockey goalies must have. Because of these differences, pond hockey places more emphasis on skating and puckhandling ability and less on shooting and checking. Non-competitive pond hockey is often played with no proper goals (shoes are often used instead), rinks of almost any size and no boards at all (even snow barriers).There exists a World Pond Hockey Championship for players to aspire to.

The term "pond hockey" is also often used, especially in Canada, as a synonym to Shinny. In this context it is meant to describe any form of disorganized ice hockey that is played outdoors, typically on a naturally frozen body of water.

History

Organized outdoor hockey has been played many years before indoor rinks were popularized. Pond hockey or shinny has its origins in early Navajo Native American culture. The story of shinny came from a Navajo story where a stranger challenged a Navajo god to a game of shinny in order to free navajo slaves. Free men and slaves lined up and an agreement was made, the terms of which was as follows. If the the Navajo god won the free men would become slaves, but if the slaves won the slaves would be free. Then a bird came to the stranger and said, that if he were to hit the ball lightly the bird would take the ball across the line (commonly known as a goal). The god went first and hit the ball as hard as he could. It did not make it to the line, so the stranger went next and hit the ball lightly. The bird then took the ball and flew across the line. The slaves were then free men and hopped across the line to greet their relatives. Shinny was not just a part of Navajo culture it was part of many Indian stories. Some stories say that the stick or bat represented the clubs used by war gods. Shinny was also used to praise gods, and people would play in honor of a certain god. The Cherokees used it as training for war and called it “little brother of war”. It was also played for celebratory purposes for example the Makahs of Canada who played to celebrate catching a whale which was the main source of food for the tribe in the winter. Shinny was played by almost all tribes, women were also allowed to play, sometimes they would even play with or against men of the tribe. Most of the time the game was played with one stick or bat to hit the ball across the line however, the Makahs were the only tribe to use two bats. The bats are made from wood, they were thin with a curve and wider part at the end to hit the ball. During the game the players would use their feet to move the ball forward but they could never use their hands. The ball was made out of different kinds of things. Some balls were made from a knot in a tree, some were made of whale bone, others where made of buffalo hair covered with the skin of a buck. The balls were pretty much made by any materials the Indians could find. These balls were also colored with interesting patterns. It is said that some tribes in North Dakota could not accept losing and would kill anyone who beat them. The distance of the goals is unknown, however it is guessed that they were anywhere from 200 to convert|1400|yd. They were usually as big as the land could suffice for, they also corresponded to the number of players. It is also said that the Hopi Indian had fields as long as eight miles (13 km) with the goals reaching as far as two villages. During play both teams were even, with up to five-hundred players on each team. Hockey was originally played on a field but was then adapted to play on ice.

Game

Pond hockey is just like indoor ice hockey but is played outdoors and most of the time on a lake or pond. Pond hockey in tournaments is played four on four but when playing casually there are no set number of players on a team. There are no goalies in pond hockey, the goals can range anywhere from being regular hockey nets to people's tennis shoes. Since pond hockey started the popularity has soared, official pond hockey tournaments are found across the globe. Pond hockey tournaments have entwined the concept of youth pick-up- hockey into a serious art form. The rink can range from any size or shape, they typically resemble a regular indoor ice hockey rink. Some pond hockey rinks use boards, however in most the surrounding snow makes a good substitute. In some of the more prominent pond hockey tournaments official ice hockey boards are used. One rink for example, the rink from the U.S. Pond Hockey Championship is set up into convert|155|ft|m|sing=on long ovals. [ [http://wcco.com/sports/pond.hockey.nokomis.2.628511.html wcco.com - Rinks Go Up For Pond Hockey Championships ] ]

Equipment

Because pond hockey discourages hard physical contact, the equipment involved is basic. Helmets are not mandatory, but recently the trend has been to wear a helmet for apparent safety reasons, also shin pads have evolved into popular use. Most pond hockey enthusiasts also decide to wear gloves, because of the temperature and because gloves provide safety from unintentional slashing from hockey sticks, or skates. Other equipment involved corresponds directly to basic ice hockey equipment such as a hockey stick, skates, and a hockey puck. Many times the goals are hand-made by the players clothing or shoes. However, in a classic game of pick-up pond hockey the nets are usually make shift

Tactics

The most important tactic to possess in pond hockey is good hand-eye coordination. Passing also becomes important, because incomplete passes can result in losing pucks in the surrounding snow. Most of the game consists of open ice puck handling, therefore this is another reason why hand eye coordination is crucial. Speed is also an important ingredient that makes a good pond hockey player. There are no goalies in pond hockey which almost guarantee's goals on break away streaks. To be a skilled pond hockey player one does not necessarily need to have a good shot, because the goal is barely taller than the height of the puck the player just has to be accurate in guiding the puck close to goal. In pond hockey, a good player does not specialize in offense or defense. Teamwork becomes important, because the lack of a goalie everyone has to work together to make sure the other team does not get an easy goal. Playing intelligently becomes key, because if a player makes a bad pass or slips over an opponent, the opponent will have an easy attempt at a goal.

Rules

The Rules of pond hockey differ in every type of setting. The dependent factors are what kind of pond hockey enthusiasts are involved and at which location the game is played. If there are hockey nets or just a pair of shoes apart from each other the rules change. There is never checking in pond hockey because most players don't wear pads or helmets they just wear clothes, hats and gloves to keep them warm. In tournaments there are strict rules but in pick-up games there aren't many rules. There are many ways to pick teams including numbering off, sticks in the middle and captains. Sticks in the middle is a concept in which everyone throws there sticks in a pile on the ground and one person closes there eyes and separates the sticks for even teams. Another way of picking teams, captains, is where two captains switch off choosing players until everyone is picked. All of these ways are fair because everyone has an equal chance to be on either team. This makes the games a lot closer and a lot more fun.

Pond hockey tournaments

There are many Pond hockey tournaments in the United States and Canada. Two of the more prominent ones are the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships and the World Pond Hockey Championships. The U.S. Pond Hockey Championship has been played on Lake Calhoun and Lake Nokomis, both of which are located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. There are a total of 116 teams that compete in the tournament and each team has four players on it. Twenty-four sheets of ice are utilized for the event, also the sheets of ice have short boards, unlike the long ones used in pro hockey. [ [http://www.uspondhockey.com/ Welcome to the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships ] ] The World Pond Hockey Championship is played in Plaster Rock, New Brunswick. At the World Pond Hockey Championships there are twenty-two sheets of ice for games to be played on. Both tournaments have set their own rules in dealing with officials, penalties, equipment, and scoring. There is no skill level bias in these tournaments, everyone is eligible to sign up, however due to popular demand signing up early becomes very essential. In the past couple of years the popularity of these tournaments have highly outweighed there expectations. The tournaments have been covered by many news stations they have also been headlines on many newspapers. Spectators from all abroad stand in freezing conditions to watch these games. The tournaments may have rules but are still purposed for enjoyment. Most of the time alcoholic beverages are served at the tournament site. Tournaments like the World Pond Hockey Championships and the U.S. Pond Hockey Championships have brought back the popularity of pond hockey, and have enlarged the pond hockey audience. [http://www.lexisnexis.com.webapps.d.umn.edu:2048/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?risb=21_T3200282991&format=GNBFI&sort=BOOLEAN&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T3200282994&cisb=22_T3200282993&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=6742&docNo=1]

Pond hockey in popular culture

Films

Pond hockey has been seen played in many movies including Mystery Alaska, The Mighty Ducks and the 2008 documentary film Pond Hockey. In Mystery Alaska the whole movie is centered around pond hockey. In The Mighty Ducks it is just featured in certain scenes and flashbacks. In Pond Hockey it is the subject of the entire film, which celebrates the importance of the outdoor game.

External links

* [http://www.uspondhockey.com/ U.S. Pond Hockey Championships]
* [http://www.pondhockeymovie.com/ Pond Hockey Movie]
* [http://ryanhellyer.net/2007/07/25/action-photography-on-the-manorburn-dam/ Pond hockey in New Zealand]
* [http://www.monctonpondhockey.ca/ Eastern Canadian Pond Hockey Championships]

Notes

References

Anderson,Madelyn Klein(2000)."North American Indian Games".Franklin Watts.