Primarily celebrated in regions that are known for their cold weather (Canada, the United States, Russia, Norway, Sweden, and Scandinavia, for instance) hockey is a sport which can take a lot out of a player, physically. A full 22 people are necessary for each team and each game, though only 6 will be in play. Twenty minute periods that number in three comprise the game, while there are additional twenty minute overtime periods, until a goal is scored. Ending game periods, when they are tied, are broken this way, which is important because late ties are not permitted in the NHL.

Having changed a lot since its origins in Europe, hockey is a sport which has grown to include many regulations, and is nothing like the sport that it was back when the referee was in the audience instead of on the field. Today both of the two referees are on the ice, skating along with the players. Behavior of the league between the past and today are two different animals, and the regulations are more organized, even adding a penalty box. What this translates to is punishing players who go against the prescribed league rules by kicking them off the ice and forcing them to sit out any action for a period.

If you are a player who has problems getting called out too often in a game, you will likely find yourself getting penalty shots, to the detriment of your team, as those are points which go to the other team. The game has really taken a turn in the years with players becoming really aggressive to the point that they’re actually fighting on the ice which says a lot about how the first real hockey players played – they had up to 30 people per team which is less than the number on today’s NHL teams. Hostility on the ice is not limited simply to members on opposite teams as team members on the same teams will have similar confrontations, and it is not unheard of for the referee to wind up in the middle of a brawl, either. Frequently, the referee is put in this situation because they have to break up confrontations that are best classified as either fist fights or assault with a weapon, when there are sticks or helmets involved. That some hockey fights have caused the breaking of the rink side protective glass gives a good indication of how intense the brawling can be in the game.

Fighting on the ice that exists in present day hockey has been known to result in many injuries, cuts and bruises foremost amongst them. Something as simple as an unfair taunt from a rival player, or a call that a player didn’t agree with, could spark the fight. Most players are usually sent to the locker room to cool their tempers off so they aren’t so riled up to fight. Hockey is such a high-energy game that anyone can get angry very quickly. Although tempers can be difficult to contain, fighting referees are another ballgame entirely.