Point (ice hockey)
Encyclopedia
Point in ice hockey
has three official meanings:
The term is also used as follows:
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
has three official meanings:
- A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one. The Art Ross TrophyArt Ross TrophyThe Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League player who leads the league in scoring points at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the NHL by former player, general manager, and head coach Art Ross. The trophy has been awarded 61 times to 25 players since its inception...
is awarded to the National Hockey LeagueNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
player who leads the league in scoring points at the end of the regular season.
The term is also used as follows:
- When a team is in the offensive zone, the area near the blue line and the boards is referred to as "the pointThe point (ice hockey)In ice hockey, a player in the opponent's end zone at the junction of the blue line with the boards is said to be at the point. Usually the players at the two points are the defensemen, and the name is taken from the former names of the defense positions, point and cover point...
". When a team is on the power play, the defensemen usually take up positions at the point. The name is taken from the former names of the defense positions, point and cover point. It has similar meanings in basketball (point guardPoint guardPoint guard , also called the play maker or "the ball-handler", is one of the standard positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position – essentially, he is expected to run the team's offense by controlling the ball and making sure that...
) and in the military, as in "to take the point" or "to take point" (to lead a group).
- Another meaning for point is in terms of standings (or rankings). When a team gets a win, the team earns two points in the standings, when a team ties, they earn one point. In the NHL, there are no ties as a result of many rule changes after the 2004-2005 NHL lockout. However, a rule that was instituted in the 1999–2000 season makes it so that when a team loses in overtime, they shall earn one point for making it to overtime. This rule includes shootouts, which were instituted after the lockout. The top teams in the standings are the teams that make the post-season. In the NHL, it is the top eight teams from each conference that make it, with the top three being their division leaders.
External links
- NHL Rulebook, Rule #78 - Goals and Assists