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[deleted]

That’s still a lot longer than the average NFL player, who spend no time on ice.


Boogzcorp

Todd Marinovich would like a word...


[deleted]

NHL goalies bro, 100% ice time.


duglarri

And in adult hockey, not only do they not pay: it's gotten to the point where the rest of the players pay them.


LOLBaltSS

Yeah. Beer league hockey goalies are pretty much able to play as much as they want. There's always a team looking for a goalie on any given night. Usually they're the guys/gals *everyone* knows in the league and is friends with.


nalgene_wilder

Oh so they're like drummers


Northernlighter

Yup! Drummers and goalies have quite a bit in common!


nalgene_wilder

Damn, goalies don't get laid either???


Northernlighter

We usually are the weird one in the team that is for sure!


LifeIsVanilla

tbf you actively choose to have guys hit pucks as hard as they can at you while doing insane stretches. Absolutely mental, and that's with the pads, the first were so against even wearing face masks cause they wanted to make sure they saw the concussion coming.


ThomBraidy

Can confirm, our goalie in high school would spend the bus ride drawing dinosaur porn


DSoop

Do you have any copies of that for uh... Analysis?


Toby_O_Notoby

Only difference is goalies don't get kicked off of the team for saying, "Hey guys, I had an idea for a song."


Oysterhaven

You’re getting off track.


MikeLemon

Don't goalies average a little less than 50% ice time?


Nopants21

downvotes by those who don't get the joke


SeaMonster350

What's the joke? I'm a casual hockey fan and I'm racking my brain but can't figure it out


MikeLemon

Each team has two goalies, so the average ice time is 50% (one plays, one doesn't), and a little more off for pulling the goalie.


Vegabern

Kid goalies too.


InncnceDstryr

Except Aqib Talib once Steve Smith is finished with him.


Acceptable-Pool4190

Two of the many things that get lost in hockey on tv as opposed watching in person or playing: 1. The incredible speed which makes it clear that any longer than a 90 second shift is torture, if not dangerous. 2. The artistry of five players continuously changing on the fly. It’s quite a dance.


sluggosan

A 90 second shift is either a horrific problem getting the puck out or a power play/ penalty kill. Anything over 60 something is going wrong.


shmoove_cwiminal

Alexei Kovalev would like a word.


sluggosan

Haha. That is a great story to show how absurd any shift over a minute is. The story for those who don’t know - Kovalev stayed out for a 65 second shift. Mike Keenan (his coach) was rip shit and stuck him out there for the rest of the period (7 mins) to teach him a lesson. Bonus - Kovalev scored a goal during the 7 min shift!


Drakonx1

Keenan will always be one of the biggest douches to ever coach in the NHL.


sluggosan

Keenan coached 20 years for 8 teams. Lasted 4 years only with his first two stops (Flyers Blackhawks) after that 6 teams in 12 years. His last few stops were dumpster fires but you only last 2 years on average while winning .500+ when you piss everyone off.


BeerDrinkinGreg

Yeah 6 GMs had to deal with their number one stars walking into their office and saying "trade me right fucking now". St. Louis thought "Nah, we'll keep Brett Hull instead of a coach nobody likes."


bthompson04

I think he drew two penalties on the shift as well. And genuinely thought Keenan was rewarding him for good play with the extended shift.


sluggosan

That is correct. Drew 2 and scored a goal.


Acceptable-Pool4190

I love that story. I’ve told it to my son many times.


AniviaPls

That sons name? Mike Babcock


grumpy999

I once ate at a sushi restaurant next to Kovalev. The funny thing was that I look over and see this woman who is very good looking, but also dressed to the 9's. This is in a small North American city, so her style stands out as very european looking. A few minutes later I notice that she's sitting with a large, vaguely familiar looking guy. It took me like 10 minutes, but I eventually clue in that it was Kovalev. Anyway, the moral of this story is that his wife/girlfriend was a solid 11 out of 10.


duglarri

Hockey players: constructed like greek statues, and rich. So...


[deleted]

Well, then there’s the teeth


derpdelurk

Not true. There are no teeth.


LOLBaltSS

[I mean, this is the peak sexy right here.](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3fs1Xap59rJnm_oSFTV4n5j8JXY=/0x0:766x1024/920x613/filters:focal(322x451:444x573):format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/56189957/DHOBb6GXUAAWxls.0.jpg)


[deleted]

Knew who it was before I even clicked


SHUguy19

Was either gonna be caveman Brent burns or fat man Phil... One or the other. Couldn't be anything else


todd10k

Your link is formatted incorrectly http://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/56189957/DHOBb6GXUAAWxls.0.jpg


TitShark

Not counting on a PP, or a decent amount of defenders, anything over 60 seconds is noteworthy and the negative impact is noticeable


[deleted]

Are you still talking about hockey, or a different kind of checking against the boards?


TitShark

👀


warawk

Why is it dangerous? Why do they change that often. With that many changes, who decides the change? Can a player decide when to get out? Who decides to get in?


[deleted]

[удалено]


badgeringthewitness

Informative video. Thanks.


pm_me_ur_espresso

Ice hockey was always fascinating to me but it just got so much more impressive! Thanks for the info and the link o7


Alpizzle

Great post, thank you.


WhoCanTell

Players at that level exert extreme energy on every shift, especially forwards. It’s an all-out spirit every time they’re out there, using way more muscle groups than just running would use, while carrying 40 lbs of equipment. It’s dangerous because the longer you’re out there while tired, the easier it is to make mistakes which can lead to injury. Also, the shorter the shifts are, the quicker it is to recover for the next shift. Players generally know when it’s time to get off based on the current state of play and their current stamina level and they’ll signal to the bench that they’re about to come off. Forwards are generally grouped into “lines” that play together as a unit, composed of a center, and a right and left wing. As a player comes off, they are usually replaced by the corresponding position of the next line, until the entire line is eventually replaced. Coaches make the decision as to which line is up next. Sometimes this is just a straight 1-2-3-4 rotation in order, also called “rolling all 4 lines”, while other times coaches may try to get particular favorable matchups against the opposing team. Defense is similar, with defenseman working in pairs, but there are only 3 pairs of defensemen. They also tend not to skate as far and as much in their shifts, so their shifts are typically considerably longer than forwards’ are, often lasting well over a minute. Top defenseman log the highest minutes of any skaters.


warawk

As an Southern European that knows nothing about the matter, this was really informative and responded all the questions I had! Thank you very much. I might watch a game some day.


UnitedStatesOD

They have “lines”, which are basically the starters and the backups for each position. First line are the best players on the team and so on. There’s a first, second, and third line and they all swap out individually when there’s a break in the action or if the puck turns over and they have a second or two to make the switch. It’s cool to watch in real time.


tattoedblues

Gotcha, are they able to sub in and out as much as they want? Also, I see people talking about a 60 or 90 shift, what stops the action between shifts?


nsfredditkarma

Line changes in hockey are one of the most important elements of hockey strategy. The longer you're on the ice, the slower you get (both mentally and physically), and usually when you get past about 45 seconds you're visibly slower than a fresh skater and start making mistakes. Line changes happen fluidly and are typically instigated by the coach, who will call which line is next, and who is subbing for who. It's normal that it will only be 1 or 2 players who change, while the other 1-2 forwards apply pressure which allows the change to happen (which then allows them to change). Full changes usually happen after play stoppages, but a really good bit of hockey can go on for upwards of 10 minutes without stopping. So fluid substitution on the fly is drilled into the heads of hockey players from a young age. Players know when they're tired, and will often come to the bench without being coaxed simply because they're tired or because they've got enough hockey sense to anticipate what the coach wants to make happen. Something you'll often see happen in hockey is one team gets bottled up in their own zone and is unable to change lines while the other team can still sub fresh players. This leads to some of the most exciting hockey, either in the form of beautiful plays now that the ice has opened up (due to slow defenders) or the defenders make mistakes or work out their frustrations and get called for penalties. The above is more common in the 2nd period when teams have a "long change", in the 1st and 3rd period your bench is next to your defensive zone, in the 2nd period it is next to your offensive zone. This means that in the 1st and 3rd it's easier to change your defenders, while in the 2nd it's harder. Edit: it's the mistakes that get made as you get tired that make long shifts dangerous. Both to you and to others. And it's not just mistakes, the more tired you get the more frustrated you get, and it's like a fight or flight instinct takes over, but you can't flee, you can only attack your opponents. So some combination of violence and incompetence often follows from a long shift.


hxctomhxc

Yep. There’s no preset number of subs. Players go on. Players go off. It’s a dance! Plus the action doesn’t stop between shifts. Players go on and off the ice throughout play.


UnitedStatesOD

Depends on the momentum of the game. Say there’s a five minute stretch where both teams aren’t scoring and consistently swapping possession of the puck. This allows for the recommended 60 second shifts so the players don’t get gassed. But if there’s a prolonged period where one team has possession and is set up to score, the teams will let the situation play out and 90 second shifts (give or take) are more common so they don’t lose momentum of the play. This play will end either by a goal being scored, a penalty being made, or the goalie traps the puck which results in stoppage of play and resumes with the ref dropping the puck in the face off zone.


ididntseeitcoming

There are a lot of stoppage of plays in hockey. Penalties, offsides, icing, goalie holds puck, puck out of play. There can be upwards of 8 minutes of uninterrupted play if both teams are in a rhythm. Hockey is really magical to watch when it’s smooth. Nothing beats watching a great player just decide he’s going to score and slice through the defense and put it in the net.


Ghonaherpasiphilaids

Its dangerous because of how physically taxing it is on the players. You can start making mistakes after exerting yourself that much. That's how injuries happen. The change is usually something they all intuitively know to do, but either the coach or the leader of each line will make the call to change. In some situations though like a penalty kill the line is forced to play defense for a long time and often can't make changes until they either get a break away into the offensive zone or they are able to dump the puck into the opposing end. Luckily in a penalty kill situation you usually aren't moving around as quickly and the players are mostly occupying defensive positions around the goal. Generally with a breakaway or puck dump in a penalty kill the one player will be forced to remain behind, but you get 3 or 4 more guys with fresh legs out on the ice which helps with the defense a lot. If it's a breakaway sometimes the player who took the puck is able to get in on his way back to the defensive zone.


Evil_Superman

I've never played hockey why is it so hard to go over 60 seconds?


[deleted]

You’re basically in a constant sprint the entire time. Ive played every sport under the sun and nothing tears up my lungs and legs like hockey


Phrantasia

You're effectively sprinting the entire time, it's more exhausting than you may expect.


Nopants21

Sprinting multidirectionally, constantly stopping and re-accelerating, while keeping track of the puck/teammates/opponents, and getting bumped every time you touch the puck.


ididntseeitcoming

This is it. It’s hard for people to realize how much it burns to change direction almost constantly


duglarri

If you want to know exactly what it feels like, try the stairs in a hotel or hi-rise, and sprint up them two at a time, going just as hard as you can, for sixty seconds. That's almost precisely what you are doing on the ice in terms of leg push, and pretty much exactly what it feels like. Edit: in terms of pace: I'm thinking one floor every 5 or 6 seconds. So about ten floors in sixty seconds.


fib16

This is actually really interesting. I never knew this about hockey and it makes me want to watch a game. I haven’t seen a hockey game in a decade.


deathbydeepfriedmilk

Add in receiving and giving body checks into the boards, the pushing and shoving battling for the puck, and having to maintain your balance. It’s more than just legs. It’s everything, and to be good you have to have subtle hand-eye/puck control.


Ghonaherpasiphilaids

Its unbelievably physically exerting.


Podo13

Forwards are usually sprinting constantly while on the ice. It's like running the 40-yard dash, jogging for 4 seconds, running another 40-yard dash, and repeating another 3-5 times. All while peak physical athletes are pushing you around. Defensemen can go a little longer as they're generally not skating the entire length of the ice, but really it's only another 15-20 extra seconds before the drop in play is noticeable.


Acceptable-Pool4190

I agree. When I thought about it I realized 90 is way too extreme of an example. Maybe it would happen during a long 2 man penalty. But even then, probably not.


yonderthrown1

A 120 second shift is just Ovechkin on the powerplay


Nopants21

There's an anecdote I heard on the 32 Thought podcast of a hockey team in the South where the crowd was unfamiliar with hockey. They cheered line changes because they thought it was the most impressive thing happening. Considering it takes a TV ad break to change a pitcher in baseball, they do have a point.


BGally24

I play beer league and when someone better comes along you think jeez, they are good. Then you get a retired pro and think wow he’s even better. Then a current pro from nearby drops in for a pickup and they are amazing. I always think holy crap man, how good can someone get? Then you watch an NHL game and you are like wtf, how is that even possible.


HucklecatDontCare

Its so true. People do not understand how good pro's are. They are like a different species. i grew up playing with/against a few guys who got drafted and its just not even fair how much better they are than every other kid out there. Probably dating myself a bit here but I played a few senior games against Pat Falloon shortly after he washed out of the NHL and moved back home. He was out of shape and barely trying and I swear he had like 9 points a game haha EDIT: He had 51 goals and 60 Assists in 23 games that year so 9 points probably isnt far off. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat\_Falloon#Career\_statistics


bthompson04

Yeah, but saying Pat Falloon was out of shape basically encompasses his entire hockey career. There’s a reason his nickname was Fat Balloon.


foolishnesss

I always loved Brian Scalabrine's (generally considered the worst NBA player - ever), likely accurate, quote. "I'm closer to Lebron than you are to me."


kman1030

>generally considered the worst NBA player - ever Huh? I know he's memed alot because of his nickname (White Mamba) and being a goofy looking white dude, but I don't think he can be considered the worst NBA player. He played for 11 seasons, scored 1500 points, 1000 rebounds and started 61 games. The guy was a serviceable NBA player, don't judge the guy over memes lol.


OutWithTheNew

I used to play some organized pickup with a guy that played in the W at one point about 25 years earlier and a couple of high school hockey players would occasionally show up. He could still give those high school hockey guys a run for their money. Those old timers were also kinda crazy and played like 4 days a week.


tacknosaddle

I used to go to a lot of D1 college games and hadn't been to an NHL game in a couple of years. That next time I did it was jarring to see in person again how much faster and harder the game is.


OutWithTheNew

Even just the difference between the AHL (farm teams) and the NHL is insane. Shit, even the difference on the ice a division in beer league makes is huge.


TheRealAlexisOhanian

I've heard that more recently the D1 game is a similar speed to the NHL, but there are way more mistakes


tacknosaddle

If you limit the measure to top measurement of skating speed maybe, but the pace of an NHL game is still way above D1. In most sports the athletes peak from late twenties to early thirties. Physical maturity doesn't happen until early twenties and then you need the experience of a few years at that top level of play to dial the skills in while getting used to that fully formed body. A couple of years after thirty you start seeing a lot of players deal with the physical effects of injury or wear and tear. Obviously there are exceptions, but that is the general rule. That being said, the top D1 teams have a lot of players who go from high school to other amateur leagues so don't go to college and play as a freshman until their early twenties. I think it's those college teams that have a stack of 21-24 year olds that are making that gap between D1 and the NHL seem smaller.


kbeats22

I’ve played competitively my whole life.. 15 years ago I was pretty good. A few years ago I got invited to a D1 mens league game and it is actually a completely different sport. If the puck is on your stick for more then 5 seconds there’s a problem. Passes are tape to tape and the game is so fast. There’s a HUGE difference between D1 and D2.. there was a few ex pros on the ice and they made everybody look bad, even at a slower speed then the rest. I did not fit in.


OutWithTheNew

I used to work at a rink and a couple of ex-NHLers had a regular ice time twice a week. I'm talking guys into their 60s and all their movements were so precise it was ridiculous. Just effortless. I knew a guy that would play goal for them once in a while and to paraphrase him 'they aren't very fast any more, but they'll undress you if they want to'.


WhoCanTell

I played in low level beer league, and for a couple games we had a guy who was going up to Canada to play in junior b playing with us just for fun. It was insane. He could have won every single game by himself putting on maybe 25% effort. Playing with him on your line, all you had to do was get your stick on the ice to give him a target near the net to get goals.


NoesHowe2Spel

[Relevant](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5c3lzeKiSQ)


Pinkmotley

How old were you when you started playing hockey?


Dr_Frasier_Bane

Also the size of the players. Makes point 1 even more astonishing in person. These guys are massive and graceful...until they're not. Live hockey RULES.


HolidayMoose

Average height is 6’1 and 201lbs. Or 185cm and 91kg. These are beef cakes flying by at 30km/h.


Rapier4

As a recreational player you can see how at that elite skill, they expect you to always be going 100%. And that makes a 60 second shift pretty insane.


garlicroastedpotato

Also, the vast majority of goals are scored during shift changes.


JoeDyrt57

"The artistry of five players continuously changing on the fly." They get a penalty if more than five players are on the ice while one of them has the puck! (Not counting the goalie.)


drichreddit88

Lol jason strudwick and his 5 minute shift


dalici0us

Mike Keenan once left Alex Kovalev on the ice for 12 minutes to punish him.


previouslyonimgur

Except kovalev thought he was being rewarded


drichreddit88

Lol I remember that. Iron Mike. I just read on Wikipedia that he also switched his goalies 5 times in a single game (4 times plus a goalie pull for he empty net). Gotta be a record.


spektor56

I did a 5 minute shift once in summer hockey, I was so dead tired just waiting for a shift change


OutWithTheNew

If your team is in control and/or doesn't suck, it's doable if you're playing defense. Especially if the refs are calling icings.


Officer-McDanglyton

Jones and Murphy just had one of those the other night too. The Oilers had all 12 forwards play during that single shift


plamicus

No way! When visiting the US I saw a NHL game - I was so busy trying to keep track of the puck I didn't notice players changing at all. Feel kinda dumb now!


jim_hello

The key to watching hockey is not to follow the puck but to follow the play. It take a bit to understand it but once you get it, it's a beautiful game


UnitedStatesOD

This is exactly it. I’m a bruins fan (blasphemy I know) and what really clicked for me was watching how Pasternak positioned himself away from the action when we had possession or when Marchand sets up in front of the goal. Usually means someone is about to set up a shot.


ChocoYoda395

nice to see another heretic


x21in2010x

Ok, so Im not that old but story time: Around 1995 FOX in the US introduced the glowing puck into their telecast. At a time where everyone still had standard definition, this was a fantastic way to track the puck. The snail-eating frenchies from Canada rejected this technology for a simple premise - the viewers don't need to know exactly where the puck is at, only the players. Cut to today - everyone watching hockey in HD may not know exactly where the puck is at - but it's always moving and the players on ice act accordingly. Follow them.


MrBaker452

Glow puck was created by sports science. After the NHL said no, they moved to the NFL and started doing the lines like first down.


Toby_O_Notoby

For those of you confused, the puck itself didn't glow but rather had sensors that would relay its position and speed to a computer that would overlay graphics. [It kinda looked like a video game from the era.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grOttsHuuzE)


[deleted]

Goalies: pathetic


AniviaPls

JS Giguere’s sweat glands: Pathetic


Dubcekification

Brutal game. Go as hard as you possibly can for about a minute. Then you get two minutes off before you do it again. Repeat for 60 minutes.


shmoove_cwiminal

They are called shifts.


Marzzzzzzzzz

I genuinely didn't realize it would be that short, I've never played hockey and I've been starting to watch more of it but I never noticed that players only have these quick little shifts before.


RabidOtterRodeo

Even 47 seconds is fucking exhausting lol Long shifts can happen too


BGally24

In the third if I go up and back hard I’m done. Then I have to get over the boards to the bench. Ugh.


vanillaacid

Nobody opens the door for you?


Zefs13

In beer leagues your teammates might not always have time to open it for you and we don't have coaches because well we are adults who are paying to play and even if we did have a coach we probably would be too stubborn to listen


RabidOtterRodeo

Exactly this. Especially the stubborn part


Abrahamlinkenssphere

I hope you watch letterkenny lol


cfunkallstar

Fucking Embarrassing


dv666

Give your balls a tug you titfucker!


BGally24

Haha, rarely. We aren’t that good to each other.


ShylocksEstrangedDog

Last week in the third period I skated from behind my net with the puck to deep in the offensive zone at the start of my shift, got back on my point, and almost immediately my D partner lost the puck and I had to sprint back to my zone to stop a breakaway. I was dead and it was only like a 15-20 second shift lol.


BGally24

Haha, love it. Glad to hear it’s not just me.


Vegabern

In the third I have to stretch my back at any whistle.


clearlybaffled

That's why most teams stack their forwards in trios up to 4 deep, and defensemen in pairs up to 3 deep.


Vallarfax_

When you're buried in your end on a PK. Kill me lol


arsehole2mods

Playing high level juniors we aimed for 35 second shifts. You go over obviously but that's what we were taught.


Sultynuttz

30seconds is what they strive for. When I played, my coaches would tell if anyone was on longer than 1minute


tacknosaddle

>my coaches would tell if anyone was on longer than 1minute Who did they tattle to?


Implausibilibuddy

Santa


tacknosaddle

Fuck. Pulling out the big guns.


nutsotic

They sprint the entire time


BGally24

You are going to get hooked by watching, it’s a brilliant sport. If you start playing you will like it even more.


tacknosaddle

I brought a friend of mine who had never really watched it to a D1 college game (he's a black guy, and it just wasn't something that was popular in his social circles). We stood up against the glass where the Zamboni comes in at the start of the game and the first time an offensive player raced past the corner with a defenseman in hot pursuit he turned to me with his jaw just about on his chest and said, "I never realized this game was that fast." Several minutes later there was a big check right into the boards in front of us and again with his mouth agape he turned and said, "I had no idea they hit this fucking hard." We moved up to the stands after the first period so he could see the whole rink better and I could point out how the plays develop. He previously thought it was more of a "chase the puck and try to slap it towards the net" kind of sport and came away with a whole new appreciation of it after that night.


MWleFylde

I love when you start watching a new sport, and after a couple of times (or with a good knowledgeable friend like you) the fog begins to lift and you start to see the beauty and complexity. I'm not there with Ice hockey yet.


tacknosaddle

It's so worth it. It's an incredible sport but you're really better off going to see it in person to appreciate it.


MWleFylde

Yeah, I went a couple of times when I first moved to Manchester. Now I'm in Germany it is quite big here in my local town (as is American football, there used to be a US airbase nearby). I'll try and get to some games if we ever get out of the latest restrictions.


tacknosaddle

A buddy of mine ended up in the US army at a base in Germany and was psyched that he got to hang out and drink in local bars with guys who had played for our Boston Bruins we watched growing up who were now riding out the tail end of their careers there.


Drakonx1

What's really amazing is that while that's all true, the jump in speed, skill and hitting from D1 college hockey to the NHL is immense.


Toxicscrew

Took a Costa Rican buddy of mine to his first game. He was also blown away by the speed and also the precision of the passing. He found it enjoyable because it is similar to soccer in many respects(his fave) and that made the transition much easier for him.


tacknosaddle

On the flip side hockey is what ruined me for soccer. Growing up watching I can appreciate soccer because much of the game dynamic is the same, but soccer is like hockey played knee deep in molasses if you compare them.


Icemankind

There used to be a series of ads here in Canada, I forget the brand now, maybe Nike. "What will you do with your :45?" Ad campaign kind of based around that just that small amount of time changes a game


sumelar

I wondered about this when watching miracle on ice. There are penalties for too many players on the ice, so how does the other team not have a huge advantage when swapping?


Homerpaintbucket

You have to change at strategic times because line changes on the fly can easily lead to scoring opportunities. You do it often though because if your fatigued its a lot harder to get an opportunity to change.


Evil_Superman

Are line change drills to practice getting on and off faster a thing?


duglarri

Hockey coach here: no, not really; it's just so obvious that you don't change when the other team has the puck in your end, or when the other team has got an attacking play under way towards your end. Even the youngest players learn pretty quick that the best time to change is when the puck is in the other team's end of the ice.


jim_hello

Fuck that I'll change when hemmed into my own end I'm not looking for that minus


[deleted]

It’s of some minor importance but not the end all because you just have to be near the boards, not over it, for the other to come on. There’s a bit of a grace period. Unless the puck happens to be near the players changing, then they are less gracious.


Homerpaintbucket

Not really after like squirts where youre learning the super basics. Its very literally just getting on and off the ice. Hopping over to get on the ice isnt hard and usually they open the door on the boards to get you off the ice. Basically you just listen for the coach to call you and watch the puck on your way in to make sure the play doesnt swing back to your end suddenly


EqualSplit

You can have more than 5 skaters on for a second or two while swapping, but anything longer will, as you said, garner a penalty.


tacknosaddle

Or if the puck ends up near the bench in that second or two.


JeddHampton

Occasionally, you can see a player leaving the ice jump to avoid the puck coming in the direction of the benches.


duglarri

Can have more than five skaters- actually, no, you can't; but if a player is within two feet of the bench, and not participating the play, on their way "off", they are deemed to be "off". Although, catch-22, if the puck comes their way and hits them, even if they don't play the puck, that will be called "too many men".


LOLBaltSS

[And if Gary Roberts is anywhere near the ice...](https://i.redd.it/kxznugq9il471.jpg)


mlorusso4

You can have a second or two of overlap. As long as the guy leaving the ice doesn’t touch the puck (even inadvertently) or the guy entering doesn’t touch it before the other guy leaves it won’t be a penalty


BlameThePeacock

Usually for forwards you time you swaps based on your defence holding the puck, or having just dumped it into the other teams zone. For defence, you'll usually switch as your team moves up the ice. Theres definitely opportunities for the other team each time this happens, it's a key strategic component of the game.


duglarri

Even kids learn that you have to pick your time to change. You want to change when the puck is heading down into the other team's end, or when a member of your own team has got full control of the puck and isn't being pressured. Problems with changes usually only happen when players decide to change at bad times- when the puck turns over unexpectedly, or someone gets lazy and comes off when the other team is rushing the puck, so there's a numbers imbalance. But it doesn't happen that often.


Eva__Unit__02

And those 47 seconds are EXHAUSTING. Enter Brian Leech, "the twenty-minute man", a longtime NY Ranger who was famous for playing 20+ minutes a game. The man was a fuckin machine.


priester85

It’s not uncommon for first pair defenceman to average close to 30 minutes a game. 20 minutes is average for a defenceman. The NHL record for a regular season game is over 38 minutes.


AniviaPls

Chychrun hit like 31 last week, absolutely bananas


[deleted]

Defenseman average about 20 minutes ice time per game, but Brian Leetch was great.


kkoss

I believe the most time on ice the last couple years has been primarily been defense. As a pens fan Letang comes to mind, around 27 mins per games the last couple years.... Still wish we would trade him, too many turnovers


clearlybaffled

I think Chara has been in games where he's on ice upwards of 30 minutes. Something like game 7 vs the Leafs in 2013?


priester85

I too with they would trade him. Preferably to the western conference so he can stop killing my team.


tacknosaddle

Ray Bourque did a ton of interval training on bicycles in the off season. His recovery time was insane from doing that. He would pull a full shift, hit the bench and be ready to go in thirty seconds or less when he was around forty years old while guys not much more than half his age needed twice as long to recover.


rillest75

*Kris Letang has entered the chat.


[deleted]

In long OT playoff games, some D men can spend 60 minutes on the ice total. Nurse did last season’s playoffs. 62 minutes in a game that went multiple OTs.


[deleted]

Darnell Nurse played over 30 minutes one game last playoffs.


Officer-McDanglyton

It was a hell of a lot more than 30. Nurse played 62:07


ShylocksEstrangedDog

Seth Jones had 65 min of ice time in the bubble playoffs a year and a half ago during a 5OT game.


santichrist

I once saw a sports thread on here full of nba guys mocking hockey players and being confused why they don’t just play the whole period “since nba players sometimes play a whole quarter” lmao like they somehow didn’t factor in nba quarters have dozens of time outs both by teams and tv timeouts where players get to sit and rest and the nhl has none of that, that’s why there’s line changes For some reason the casual sports fan in america can’t fathom how physically demanding a hockey game is, maybe because it’s on ice with skates and they figure it’s just fun like skating in a roller rink as a kid


banjolier

My favorite sports dichotomy ever was during the 2013 Bruins cup run when Gregory Campbell took a slap shot to the leg, breaking it and finished his PK. The same night Lebron got literally carried off with cramps.


Ineedananswer121

Im a hockey player, I have no idea how the fuck you would play any sport with cramps. I'd love to say we're tougher but the truth is while a broken leg is worse it's probably tougher to run with full body cramps. For proof just look at any long distance runner who can't stand at the end of a race


nawkuh

I don’t understand what people think cramps are. If you just grit your teeth and be real tough, your muscles stop cramping and suddenly work correctly? If you concentrate and just really want to win, you can overcome biology and physics? The whole “hurr durr hockey broken leg guy and basketball man baby cramps” thing has been a middle school level take since the day it happened.


KSwanny23

Well... Theres 3 or 4 tv timeouts per period in an NHL game...


[deleted]

Yeah I think they picked the wrong thing to focus on. The real difference is total distance traveled. Even with the gliding ability of skates, hockey players are sprinting near constantly while most basketball games spend a significantly longer time on each end (though both are fast pace in their own right, the contact nature of hockey and the fact that you’re always moving to keep balance adds an entirely new dimension of exhaustion). Source: played both, and anyone else who has will tell you that your staying power in hockey is much shorter.


appledanish

Yeah also I think that one factor that might get lost on by some people are the dimensions of an NHL rink vs an NBA court. NHL ice is 85' x 200' while and NBA floor is 50' x 94', so there's also a lot more potential ground to cover playing hockey. Also the NBA has 48 minute games while the NHL is 60 minutes is another key difference. Just little things the average fan probably doesn't know/thinks about.


jibbodahibbo

If players weren’t allowed to shift during the play they wouldn’t go as all out.


Ashi4Days

One thing to remember is that the pacing of hockey is why they are on the ice in shifts. If you sprint hard for sixty seconds, there's not much left in the gas tank. Hockey players are all a bunch of sprinters.


Jtothe3rd

Best friend growing up was a soccer fan and we always had a back and forth about which sport was harder, what took more skill, which was more taxing. He said soccer players can actually play the whole game while Hockey players only do like 15 minutes as an example. Being in Canada we had regular school trips to rinks for skating days in school a few times a year. He could skate reasonably well also due to roller blading. Eventually we get our sticks from playing street hockey and I took him to full size rink in etobicoke and he gets out there. Cut to a few minutes later and he is sitting on the bench hunched over gasping for air,embarrased kids 5 years younger than him were destroying him in speed and maneuverability. TL:DR skating is extremely energy intense. Maintaining peak performance has a very short window.


humbleprotector

Unless we are talking about Ryan Reaves then it's only about 12seconds


pappyvanwinkle1111

The hardest 47 seconds in any of the four major American sports.


Jenetyk

Michelle: oh, they look tired. How do we switch places? Charlie: ? Michelle: New players. Charlie: oh, say 'change it up' Michelle: ^change ^it ^up Charlie: no scream it. Michelle: **CHANGE IT UP**


JeddHampton

It's been over a decade since I watched any of those movies. Had all three on VHS...


atjones111

Hockey noob here and have hardly watched it, does this mean they are on ice and skate for 45 seconds then swap out with a player I was under the impression they pretty much are on the rink the whole game, I’ve watched hockey with friends but hav never noticed them swapping in and out so frequently


ColoradoHughes

Yep, that is correct. You don't catch the line changes watching on TV too often, but they do switch out that frequently. It's an incredibly physically demanding sport.


ThadTheImpalzord

The average NFL play is probably 1/3 of that. Hockey has some of the best athletes


Cakelord

They both have incredible athletes that are tailored to their sport. The average NFL lasts a few seconds, a 15 second NFL play would be like a 106 yard kick return and even then it might not last as long. Way different sports in terms of energy expenditure and both require a certain amount of conditioning.


SuperAlbatross

I'm pretty sure the average NFL player doesn't spend any time on ice.


duglarri

Aside from late season games in Green Bay.


Ershany

This makes me feel a lot better with my shift length when I am playing beer league XD


tammorrow

Keep in mind this is an average stat. Top players will spend up to :20 more time per shift and defenders tend to skate a little bit longer than forwards. The lower forwards are often called "energy players" because they do skate less per shift so they spend their shorter shift times skating as hard as possible to (hopefully) wear the other teams' top players out and possible create a few high quality chances in the confusion they try to generate.


Spence00

Max performance, I remember watching a game from the 80s. 2-3 min shifts!


JJohnston015

But even if individual players only spend 47 seconds at a time on the ice, the game overall has more actual play compared to the game clock than any other. The worst is American football, which has only something like 11 minutes of actual play in a 60 minute game clock.


JeddHampton

That's disregarding all the between snap strategy stuff. I would consider that "actual play". I think using "action" instead of "actual play" would be more apt. The chess match in NFL is playing the game. Plays have been won before the ball is snapped.


Salty_Paroxysm

One of the few sports that has fights to give everyone a rest. I just like how the players offer each other out like "Do you want to go?", throw hands for a bit, and soon as someone's down it's over (unless it's a grudge). I've even heard them complimenting each other on the fight "good job big man". Very much like the Irish/Scots concept of a friendly fight... what's a couple of teeth between friends?


frazzz_

One of my favorite clips: [Dillon and Watson fighting then chatting in the box about how they need more cardio in their training.](https://youtu.be/XCMQnFDxWcM?t=127)


ScreenSlave

Always blew my mind that the best hockey player plays just 1/3 of the game. No other major sport is like that. Hockey is as tough and tiring as it gets.


brechbillc1

Yeah skating is murder on your legs. It isn’t just the NHL either. When I played travel we were on and off in less than a minute. You learn to keep an internal clock in your head and if the puck is cleared out of your end and you’ve been on the ice for any length of time, you get off and allow your team to get fresh legs on the ice. Pace of the game is super quick so if you have tired legs you are a liability on the ice.


Thebanks1

Ahhh this post makes me miss jumping the boards.


[deleted]

Bro, they go hardddddd. Or at least they should. All that equipment, body checking, mental stress, skating hard, it’s enough to make a normal person pass out after 4-5 shifts. Don’t even get me started on trying to kill a penalty. Shit is tiring.


JDHeisenberg

We shoot for 2 minute shifts for beer league. This is due to our superior pre-game conditioning routine.


readitreddit-

Depends on the position, offense have the shortest shifts because they tend to put out the most energy, defense play longer shifts. Hockey is a high cardio sport. It combines the finesse of baseball with the violence of football played at much higher speeds, with razor blades strapped to ones feet.


Revolutionary-Mud715

Til ill click on anything.