The size of hockey boxes: IIFH, NHL, yard areas

Hockey is one of the favorite sports. Some people like watching professional teams fight, others take sticks and skates and go to the nearest skating rink.

What is a hockey box?

This is a specially equipped place for conducting games and training on hockey. Of course, everyone saw her at least once on TV, someone installed this facility in the yard. But not everyone thought about what the site should consist of, to be safe for players and spectators, and what the size of hockey boxes.

The field must be covered with ice. The layer should be as level as possible, without potholes, cracks, hillocks, pits. Also, there must be rigid and durable boards (made of wood, plywood, fiberglass), it is desirable to have additional fences on top of them. For the convenience of players it is recommended to equip the yard roller with a bench for re-training. Dressing rooms are provided in the ice palaces.

The standard size of hockey boxes. IIFH

In fact, it's not so simple with the sites, since there are 2 organizations with slightly different requirements. The IIHF conducts matches in arenas that correspond to the following parameters:

- length: from 56 to 61 m;

- width: from 26 to 30 m;

- radius of curvature: from 7 to 8.5 m;

- side of the hockey box, height: from 1,17 to 1,22 m.

In addition to the sides, on the ice arenas additional shielding shields are installed, the height of which in the gate area should be at least 1.6 m, and in all others - from 0.8 m. However, the IIFH competitions can be held only on sites with a length of 60-61 m and With a width of 29-30 m. If the box has other dimensions, it can be used to train athletes, hold informal matches, etc. It is believed that the wide platform gives the opportunity to play a combinational game, by increasing the space, the intensity of the power struggle decreases.

The NHL has other requirements

The size of hockey boxes according to the rules of the NHL has slightly different parameters:

- length: 60.96 m;

- width: 25.9 m;

- Radius of curvature: 8.53 m;

- Board height: from 1,02 to 1,22, most often used 1,07 m.

Ice arenas are also equipped with barrier shields.

It is because of the narrower area in the NHL matches that more often there are power tricks, faster game speed, harder and more frequent attacks on the goal. Also, the low board is not able to keep athletes on the site, so often they fly over it.

And what's in the yard?

Of course, the skating rinks next to the house will not exactly correspond to such strict rules. It is not always possible to install such a bulky structure in the yard. Some street arenas have a size of 60x30 or 56x26 m, but most often these are areas near schools, stadiums, sports complexes and other institutions that have a smaller area. In some spacious courtyards you can find a hockey field with a size of 56x26 m, but this is more an exception than the rule.

The most common variants in the near-by territories are small-sized platforms measuring 40x20 or 30x15 m. In both cases there will be a reduced radius of curvature of 5 m. Also, non-professional rinks are equipped with higher sides: from 120 to 125 cm. Additional protective fences are installed above them, if not From fiberglass, then from the mesh-mesh. They can reach a height of 2.8-3 m. This increases the level of safety for both players and spectators: there is no risk that the puck will fly overboard and get into the car or passer-by, and the athletes themselves will not be able to fly off the site.

Regardless of the size of the hockey boxes, the dimensions of the gates remain unchanged. Their parameters are always the same: height - 1.22 m, width - 1.83 m, of course, if it is not a self-made goalkeeper's gate - in this case no one guarantees the conformity of the sizes to the standard.

Basic rules for markup

As in any other game, the field in hockey is divided into zones. A total of 5 lines are applied to the ice. One of them is central, it divides the platform into 2 equal parts. The other two are the goal lines, two more divide the hockey field into 3 identical in size zones: defenses, neutral and attacks. Also on the arena note the place for throwing the puck, the zone of judges and the goalkeeper. Of course, for yard games, a more simple hockey box layout is used. With the dimensions here is somewhat more difficult, since the dimensions of the rollers are non-standard. But if you stick to the basic patterns, then it is possible to do everything right. The gate line is 4 m from the edge of the site at standard dimensions (56-60 m). If the field is smaller, then this distance can be shortened. The rest is divided into 3 equal zones. Also, the central line is held, on it there is a place for throwing the puck. This simplified version is quite suitable for a domestic game. The thickness of the lines is 5 cm.

Beginners can play without markup at all, without thinking about many complexities and nuances of professional hockey, because the most important thing in any leisure and entertainment is to have fun.