Newbie to the Sport of Ice Hockey

[rock55choc]

Growing up in rural central Mississippi, I never really had the chance to be exposed to the game of hockey. Sure I saw the highlights on Sportscenter and occasionally saw games on tv, but that was the extent of my knowledge. This past summer I moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and tonite I attended my second minor league hockey game of the season. The team is the Mississippi Seawolves of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). The games are played in the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum in Gulfport.

My first game was an 8-2 Seawolves rout over the visiting Pensacola Ice Pilots on November 16th and tonite's game ended 4-4 as the Seawolves lost to the Florida Everblades 3-0 in the shootout.

I first went to a game just out of curiousity and to give it a chance and I was blown away by the speed, nonstop action, hits, sounds, fights, and pure display of athletic skill. I do have a few questions and observations that I hope a few of you more seasoned hockey enthusiasts can help answer.

#1 - As I mentioned, tonite's game went into overtime and then to a shootout. Had someone scored in the OT would it have been over under sudden death rules ala the NFL or would you play out the remainder of the 5 minute OT? Also, when I first saw in the shootout that FLA scored after our attempt failed, I thought it would be over. But they kept alternating shots until FLA got up 3-0. So do you play to a minimum of best 3 of 5?

#2 - How does the minor league to NHL system work? I have noticed that after players leave MS, they go play for the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League. Then their NHL team is the Tampa Bay Lightning. So is the ECHL the equivalent of a AA minor baseball team, Norfolk like a AAA and Tampa Bay obviously the major league destination? Is there a league below the ECHL or is that the lowest level? Also, I saw on the Florida Everblades website that they are an affiliate of both the Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers. So I figure a minor league team can have multiple pro parent teams, possibly.

#3 - (And final) This bugged the stew out of me all nite long. The opposing team's goalie wore blantantly red shorts during the game. Why is this such a big deal, you may ask? Well, because the Florida Everblades color scheme is primarily navy blue with green trim. Being the obsessor over logos and details to uniforms that I am, I complained about the red shorts to my fiance at least 5 different times. Why the red shorts? Was a minor league equipment manager having a bad day or was it something else?

I am doing my best to learn all the rules and regulations of the game because I really love watching it live and I want to be a knowledgable fan of the game. If they make a Hockey For Dummies book I need to make the purchase.

Thank you for your time in reading this post. Please feel free to help me with some of my inquiries. Have a GREAT New Year.

[Don]

Growing up in rural central Mississippi, I never really had the chance to be exposed to the game of hockey. Sure I saw the highlights on Sportscenter and occasionally saw games on tv, but that was the extent of my knowledge. This past summer I moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and tonite I attended my second minor league hockey game of the season. The team is the Mississippi Seawolves of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). The games are played in the Mississippi Gulf Coast Coliseum in Gulfport.

My first game was an 8-2 Seawolves rout over the visiting Pensacola Ice Pilots on November 16th and tonite's game ended 4-4 as the Seawolves lost to the Florida Everblades 3-0 in the shootout.

I first went to a game just out of curiousity and to give it a chance and I was blown away by the speed, nonstop action, hits, sounds, fights, and pure display of athletic skill. I do have a few questions and observations that I hope a few of you more seasoned hockey enthusiasts can help answer.

#1 - As I mentioned, tonite's game went into overtime and then to a shootout. Had someone scored in the OT would it have been over under sudden death rules ala the NFL or would you play out the remainder of the 5 minute OT? Also, when I first saw in the shootout that FLA scored after our attempt failed, I thought it would be over. But they kept alternating shots until FLA got up 3-0. So do you play to a minimum of best 3 of 5?

#2 - How does the minor league to NHL system work? I have noticed that after players leave MS, they go play for the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League. Then their NHL team is the Tampa Bay Lightning. So is the ECHL the equivalent of a AA minor baseball team, Norfolk like a AAA and Tampa Bay obviously the major league destination? Is there a league below the ECHL or is that the lowest level? Also, I saw on the Florida Everblades website that they are an affiliate of both the Carolina Hurricanes and the Florida Panthers. So I figure a minor league team can have multiple pro parent teams, possibly.

#3 - (And final) This bugged the stew out of me all nite long. The opposing team's goalie wore blantantly red shorts during the game. Why is this such a big deal, you may ask? Well, because the Florida Everblades color scheme is primarily navy blue with green trim. Being the obsessor over logos and details to uniforms that I am, I complained about the red shorts to my fiance at least 5 different times. Why the red shorts? Was a minor league equipment manager having a bad day or was it something else?

I am doing my best to learn all the rules and regulations of the game because I really love watching it live and I want to be a knowledgable fan of the game. If they make a Hockey For Dummies book I need to make the purchase.

Thank you for your time in reading this post. Please feel free to help me with some of my inquiries. Have a GREAT New Year.

First of all, welcome to the wonderful game of hockey. I can answer your questions for you. #1 OT in hockey is sudden death. thats the best part of OT, especially in the playoffs. im not sure how it works in the ECHL cuz we lost our team here years ago but in the playoffs there is no shootout (at least in the NHL) they just keep going through OT's if it doesnt end in the first OT.

#2: ECHL is the lowest league in most cases. Not every team has an ECHL team. and yes, affiliations can be shared because not all ECHL teams carry NHL caliber prospects. most of the NHL caliber prospects play in the AHL, and if they have a logjam at say goalie then the lower rung goalie would play in the ECHL.

#3: if he had red pants, its probably because those were his own pads. the ECHL isnt the most well funded league cause of the low attendance draws and such. either that or he came from another team recently and didnt get new pads in in time to break them in and such. or he could be very superstitious about his equipment. it happens alot like in the NHL when goalies get traded they still use their former teams pads until they get new equipment in and break them in to game shape.

i hope i answered your questions to your liking. the ECHL is a very fan friendly league, low ticket prices, lots of hard hitting action, mostly because those guys really want to get to the NHL and will do anything to show a scout something to get themselves noticed. theres alot more fights in the ECHL than in the NHL because of that reason. have fun and dont hesitate to ask questions!

[HedleyLamarr]

1. Overtime sessions are sudden death. If a goal is scored in OT, the game is over. As far as the shootout is concerned, it's 5 skaters a piece. Whomever scores more goals in the shootout wins, so it'll last at least three skaters long. If they're still tied through 5 skaters, the shootout keeps going until one team scores and the other doesn't.

2. You're right about the ECHL: it's two levels down from the NHL. I don't think there are leagues lower than the ECHL, but I'm not that up to speed on all the lower leagues of hockey.

3. Goalies are strange folks. After all, they are wanting to face 100-mph pucks without moving. Maybe the red shorts are his lucky shorts or something.....

[The_Admiral]

2. You're right about the ECHL: it's two levels down from the NHL. I don't think there are leagues lower than the ECHL, but I'm not that up to speed on all the lower leagues of hockey.

There was the old UHL, but I don't think it acted as a third-tier minor league affiliate for NHL teams.

[CJR]

2. You're right about the ECHL: it's two levels down from the NHL. I don't think there are leagues lower than the ECHL, but I'm not that up to speed on all the lower leagues of hockey.

There was the old UHL, but I don't think it acted as a third-tier minor league affiliate for NHL teams.

Some of the U/IHL teams do have NHL affiliates. Port Huron and Flint are both affiliated with Detroit. Muskegon has an AHL affliation with Grand Rapids. Not sure about anything else.

[Geoff]

^ That's all the IHL has. The only reason the Red Wings affiliated with the IHL teams is their ECHL team was Toledo and they are currently sitting out waiting on a new arena.

As far as r55c, I am sorry you are a She Wolves (of Sea Puppies, pick your insult) fan. I am a Pensacola Ice Pilot fan and if you go to more Ice Pilots-Sea Wolves games and you'll see how intense the rivalry is.

As far as the league, it hasn't been the East Coast Hockey League since May 19, 2003. When they officially accepted the old WCHL teams as Expansion members when the WCHL went defunct.

Peters (Florida's goalie) is under contract to the Carolina Hurricanes and he wear Carolina Hurricanes shorts. This is also why heis pads are white, grey, and red. We have pretty much the same deal with our goalie (who is currently with our AHL affiliate Rockford). Our team color are blue and gold but his pads and shorts are black with red and white trim.

As far as affiliations and player call ups: players under contract to Norfolk and Tampa may flux between Norfolk and Mississippi. But, players who are under contract to Mississippi can be offered a PTO (Professional Try-Out) or a standard contract from any AHL team and can then have the possibility of playing against former teammates. Now even though they would be signed to another team, they would not be assigned to that teams ECHL affiliate because Mississippi holds the rights to the player.

Here's what most people consider to be the run down of Minor League with the best at the top of each section:

Major:

NHL

Minor:

AAA:

AHL

AA:

ECHL

CHL

IHL

A:

SPHL

MAHL

[rock55choc]

Thanks to each and all of you who have answered this post so far. I am learning alot and it is fun and fascinating to learn about the game of ice hockey. A special thanks goes out to Geoff for giving me a concrete answer on the question about the red shorts. Thanks again.

[IronChefShark]

the only thing you need to know:

stick injury wont hurt you

[no97]

Thanks to each and all of you who have answered this post so far. I am learning alot and it is fun and fascinating to learn about the game of ice hockey. A special thanks goes out to Geoff for giving me a concrete answer on the question about the red shorts. Thanks again.

Also, they aren't "shorts," they are either "hockey pants," or "breezers." Call them shorts in Minnesota, and you'll be laughed right out of the rink, as shorts are something you wear in the summer...

Moose

[Bigboy1083]

Thanks to each and all of you who have answered this post so far. I am learning alot and it is fun and fascinating to learn about the game of ice hockey. A special thanks goes out to Geoff for giving me a concrete answer on the question about the red shorts. Thanks again.

Also, they aren't "shorts," they are either "hockey pants," or "breezers." Call them shorts in Minnesota, and you'll be laughed right out of the rink, as shorts are something you wear in the summer...

Moose

I thought that these were "hockey pants."

[rock55choc]

I have one more question that I originally intended to include in my first post but forgot to do so. There was one player from the visiting team last nite that really seemed to have a penchant for penalties and picking a fight. Right off the top of my head I know of 5 times throughout the game that he was sent to the penalty box, or what the Seawolves as announcer liked to call "the Crescent Cooler". Upon further research on this goon from the Florida Everblades, #17 Brad Herauf, I found out he lead the ECHL in penalty minutes in the 05-06 season. So, I am asking if there is a set number of times you can be sent to the penalty box before being out of the game, ala fouling out in the NBA?

[HedleyLamarr]

I believe you're allowed 3 fighting penalties a game before you get a game misconduct.

As far as minor penalties (those that are 2-minute infractions) are concerned, there is no max per game.

Also, you will soon that hockey has the most delicious infraction in all of sports......icing!

[Don]

in the NHL its 2 fighting majors i believe thanks to the instigator rule.

[jkrdevil]

in the NHL its 2 fighting majors i believe thanks to the instigator rule.

No it's three. David Clarkson for the Devils earlier this year had 2 fighting majors in a game and was not given a game misconduct.

[CityOfWalrus]

Thanks to each and all of you who have answered this post so far. I am learning alot and it is fun and fascinating to learn about the game of ice hockey. A special thanks goes out to Geoff for giving me a concrete answer on the question about the red shorts. Thanks again.

Also, they aren't "shorts," they are either "hockey pants," or "breezers." Call them shorts in Minnesota, and you'll be laughed right out of the rink, as shorts are something you wear in the summer...

Moose

I thought that these were "hockey pants."

i believe the official word on those are "embarassment" actually.

[spyboy1]

i believe the official word on those are "embarassment" actually.

Funny, I always liked the aesthetics of the Cooperalls. If you think about it, isn't it kind of odd that the players wear "shorts" for a winter sport played on ice?

[CJR]

in the NHL its 2 fighting majors i believe thanks to the instigator rule.

No it's three. David Calrkson for the Devils earlier this year had 2 fighting majors in a game and was not given a game misconduct.

As did Aaron Downey of the Red Wings in a game at Columbus. The second one was a great fight, though.

[nwtrailtrekker]

hm...i was in your position about a year or two ago, but going to local games really helped me learn the game of hockey, and now i can really get into it and understand what is going on,

and yes, its MUCH more exciting than a 2-1 score would lead one to believe.

[Sport]

in the NHL its 2 fighting majors i believe thanks to the instigator rule.

No it's three. David Calrkson for the Devils earlier this year had 2 fighting majors in a game and was not given a game misconduct.

As did Aaron Downey of the Red Wings in a game at Columbus. The second one was a great fight, though.

yeah, I was there. jared Boll is becoming quite the fighter.

[Sport]

in the NHL its 2 fighting majors i believe thanks to the instigator rule.

No it's three. David Calrkson for the Devils earlier this year had 2 fighting majors in a game and was not given a game misconduct.

As did Aaron Downey of the Red Wings in a game at Columbus. The second one was a great fight, though.

yeah, I was there. jared Boll is becoming quite the fighter.