Ice Hockey Betting: Understanding Ice Hockey

 Originally from Canada, Ice hockey is a game most common in North America and across Europe but the opposite is true for Africa. But this shouldn’t stop you from understanding the game, enjoying it, and even placing a couple of bets on it to win some cash.

Ice Hockey Simple Rules Explained 

 Also known as the fastest game on Earth, no game beats ice hockey when it comes to more physical speed, energy and some kind of violent instigated excitement amongst the players.

Ice hockey is played in areas with winters like Canada, the USA, and Eastern Europe and it is between two rival teams.

The ice rink is separated into 3 zones being marked by both red and blue lines. The blue lines divide the ice rink into 3 zones. The central zone is also known as the neutral zone, the ending zone which a team is trying to score to can also be known as the offensive zone and lastly, the end zone where a team’s goal net is located is known as the defending zone. 

The teams are made up of 6 players: the goalie and 5 outfield player with 2 defenders and 3 forwards

For a team to win, they need to shoot the puck (a small ball like object) in to the goal of the rival team. This can be done from any position on the ice rink and the team that scores the most goals wins the match. 

The players are always on skates and use the hockey sticks to shoot the puck into the goal.

Each of the ice hockey teams are made up of 6 vigorous players who play at once but the team should be made up to 20 people with each team having a goalkeeper (or goalie), 3 forwards and 2 defenders.

Just like any other game, there penalties to look out for, and with ice hockey, it’s not any different with two major penalties served by the referees. The penalties are only given in case of a big fight amongst players or something very violent instigated on the ice

A minor penalty of 2 minutes for a player to sit in the penalty box is charged in case of tripping, roughing up the opponent, delaying the game, charging towards the opponent and other minor faults while the major penalties of 5 minutes are charged to a player who has caused intentional visible harm to another player.

Usually, an ice hockey match takes an hour with three 20 minute periods. And the game starts with a face-off between rival teammates to grab the puck on the center zone.

With Ice hockey, there are no ties instead in case of a tie, the game is given overtime of several minutes for the teams to unmatch their opponents.

Most Common Ice Hockey Leagues to Bet on

The most popular league in Ice hockey is the National Hockey League of North America (NHL). However, there are other leagues that are common enough for you to watch keenly and these are:

The World Championships

This league is held annually and it consists of 16 top national teams from around the world and it’s only a men's event without women participants. 

The Winter Olympics 

With the Olympics being held every 4 years, the winter Olympics is one of the best and most highly anticipated events in Ice hockey. Professional players from all leagues are to participate in the winter Olympics.

National Hockey League 

This is probably the biggest professional league in the world. Held in North America with up to 30 teams from both Canada and the United States. Some of the teams to look out for are the Montreal Canadians, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Boston Bruins, the New York Rangers The Toronto Maple Leafs and so many other teams.

What is the Difference Between Hockey and Ice Hockey?

There is no difference between hockey and ice hockey. Hockey is a term used most commonly used in the US to refer to ice hockey.

But you should not confuse it with a game known as hockey in the UK or in Africa that is mostly played by girls on a grass field using wooden sticks to get a small ball to a goal post. Which is not any different to ice hockey play rules.

Best Online Bookmaker for ice hockey betting in Africa?

The best bookmaker to look out for if you have decided to place bets on Ice hockey is Champion Bet Uganda, Champion Bet Ghana and champion Bet Ethiopia  

Champion Bet offers you the best competitive odds in the game across the most famous leagues like NHL, World championships and even winter Olympics.