Power play (sport)
Encyclopedia
"Power play" is a sporting term used in various games.
- In ice hockeyIce hockeyIce 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...
, a team is said to be on a power play when at least one opposing player is serving a penaltyPenalty (ice hockey)A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,...
, and the team has a numerical advantage on the ice (whenever both teams have the same number of penalties being served, there is no power play). Up to two players per side may serve in the penalty boxPenalty boxThe penalty box is the area in ice hockey, rugby league, rugby union and some other sports where a player sits to serve the time of a given penalty, for an offense not severe enough to merit outright expulsion from the contest...
, giving a team up to a possible 5-on-3 power play. If a goaltender commits a foul, another player who was on the ice at the time of the penalty serves. A power play resulting from a simple minor penalty ends if the attacking team scores. If the penalty is instead a double minor, a goal scored kills half of the penalty, thus taking 2 goals to end the power play. If a player is given a major penalty (five minute duration) a power play occurs, however if the team on the power play scores, the penalty is not ended. Major penalties only end when five minutes have elapsed or the game has ended. If a team is still on a power play at the end a regulation period, or at the end of a playoff overtime period, the power play will continue into the following period. Misconducts do not result in power plays. If a team scores that is taking the penalty, it is called a short-handed goal. If a power play ends without the shorthanded team having been scored against, the shorthanded team is said to have killed the penalty. If a team scores on the power play, the team is said to have converted the power play (that is, converted the opportunity into a goal). During a power play, the shorthanded team may launch the puck to the opposite end of the rink, and play will continue: icing is not called. - In lacrosseLacrosseLacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, a similar type of penalty situation exists, though the duration of the penalty is only 30 seconds for minor infractions and one minute for major ones, as well as 3 minute penalties for certain equipment infractions. Depending on the infraction, the penalty may "release" early if a goal is scored by either team, or may be "non-releasable," meaning the full duration must be served. The term extra man is used more frequently than powerplay. In box lacrosseBox lacrosseBox lacrosse, also known as indoor lacrosse and sometimes shortened to boxla, LAX or simply box, is an indoor version of lacrosse played mostly in North America. The game originated in Canada, where it is the most popular version of the game played in contrast to the traditional field lacrosse game...
, a powerplay is very similar to ice hockey. This situation is also often called an "extra man offense" (EMO) or "man up", or "man down", depending on the team penalized. - In water poloWater poloWater polo is a team water sport. The playing team consists of six field players and one goalkeeper. The winner of the game is the team that scores more goals. Game play involves swimming, treading water , players passing the ball while being defended by opponents, and scoring by throwing into a...
. a shorter version of the ice hockey or lacrosse penalty situation exists as well. It is referred to as "man up" or "man down". - In indoor soccerIndoor soccerIndoor soccer or arena soccer, or six-a-side football in the United Kingdom, is a game derived from association football adapted for play in an indoor arena such as a turf-covered hockey arena or skating rink. The most important difference in play is that the indoor field is surrounded by a wall...
, in the forms usually played in the United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, there exists a powerplay situation similar to ice hockey. - In indoor football, the 1988 proposed World Indoor Football LeagueWorld Indoor Football LeagueThis article is about the proposed league that was to begin in 1988, for the 2007 indoor football league, see World Indoor Football League The World Indoor Football League was an indoor football league that was to begin in 1988 to compete with the Arena Football League, which was playing its second...
had intended to establish a perpetual power play, in which the offense would always have one man more on the field than the defense. - In fastnet (netballNetballNetball is a ball sport played between two teams of seven players. Its development, derived from early versions of basketball, began in England in the 1890s. By 1960 international playing rules had been standardised for the game, and the International Federation of Netball and Women's Basketball ...
), when a team uses it in a quarter, all goals scored by that team are worth twice as normal. This means that if a shooter (Goal Shooter or Goal Attack) scores a goal outside the goal circle, the goal is worth 4 goals instead of 2. It is also possible for both teams to use their powerplay in the same quarter. - For cricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
see powerplay (cricket)Powerplay (cricket)A Powerplay is a rule introduced in 1991 concerning fielding restrictions in One Day International cricket.The Powerplay was intended to add to the excitement in ODI cricket. In a Powerplay fielding restrictions are applied on the fielding team, only 2 or 3 players are allowed outside the 30 yard...