Hockey is one of the toughest winter sports. For some violations of the rules in the game, a bullet can be assigned. What is it, and what reasons lead to its appointment during the game?
Hockey, like football, is enjoyed by a lot of people around the world. But if football players can play everywhere, then hockey needs special ice rinks.
The essence of the game of hockey is that players must throw as many pucks with clubs as possible into the opponent's goal. At the same time, the rules are regularly violated, and the judge punishes the culprits with penalty time on the penalty box. But in some cases, the referee will order a bullet.
What is bullet
A bullet is a free throw. When it is performed, all hockey players leave the court, except for the goalkeeper and the kicker. The puck is placed in the center of the playing field. The attacking hockey player runs up, picks up the puck and rushes with it to the goal, which is protected by the goalkeeper. During the movement, the attacking player must not stop or lose the puck, otherwise the bullet will be considered completed. The goalkeeper can drive out of the goal to meet the kicker at any distance. At the same time, the attacker must make only one throw without finishing. After a goal has been scored, a goal is awarded and the referee points to the center of the court.
What is a bullet for?
Shootouts, like any other free throws or kicks, may be awarded during a match for fouls. If a player goes one-on-one with the goalkeeper and is fouled at the same time, this is considered a last resort foul and a bullet is awarded for him. A similar throw can be awarded for deliberately moving the gate at the end of the match or during overtime.
If the batter hits the bullet, then his team gets another advantage. The opponent's hockey player who violated the rules is sent to the penalty bench. But if this did not happen, then the game continues in equal compositions.
In addition to shootouts assigned during the game, there are also post-match shots. They have to be punched in the event that the teams drew after three periods of regular time plus additional overtime. In this case, the teams break through three bullets. Whoever scored more won. If, after three throws, there is a draw again, then the shootouts are punched before the first miss.
Shootout history
For the first time, the bullet appeared in the United States. During the games of the Pacific Hockey Association in 1921, one of its founders and president, Frank Patrick, was greatly outraged by the fact that a player was only removed from the court for a foul of the last hope. That's when he came up with free throws. That same season, there was a historic moment for all hockey. On December 12, Tom Dunderdale became the first hockey player in history to score this free throw. Then the bullet was included in the main rules of hockey.
How hockey players perform shootouts
There are no restrictions on the execution of shootouts. Therefore, the players try to come up with something new every time they execute these throws. Some hockey players accelerate and deliver a powerful shot at goal without getting close to the goalkeeper. Others, on the contrary, try to circle the goalkeeper and send the puck into an empty net.
In this case, there are original cases of penalty shootouts. For example, some hockey players, while moving towards the goal with the puck, try to put it on the end of the stick and throw it powerfully under the crossbar. Also, a very interesting and popular way to implement a shootout is the so-called "spin-o-frame" technique. During it, the hockey player makes a 360-degree turn in front of the goalkeeper and destructively throws the puck into the corner of the goal.
Recognized shootout masters devote a lot of time to this in training and hone their shots. Pavel Datsyuk stands out among Russian hockey players now. He acts on the court according to the situation and goalkeepers often do not know what to expect from him. Datsyuk's favorite technique when performing a shootout is a sharp change in the direction of movement to the goal, which is accompanied by constant turns with the puck to the right and left. Also among the Russian shootout masters striker Nikita Gusev stands out. He always realizes his throws clearly and confidently.
The longest post-match shootout in ice hockey history includes 42 shots. This happened in the German Championship.
Learning to understand how to do shootouts well and develop the ability to do it right requires a versatile stick and excellent skating skills. Therefore, you need to start playing hockey from childhood. The child quickly grasps everything on the fly and with age can become a good hockey player. Sport helps to develop various children's abilities without affecting human health.
