Play the Game Tonight

Oh yeah, here are the answers to The Puckhead Quiz I posted a few days ago.

1. How many players can a team put on the ice at one time?
Six: one center, two wings, two defensemen, and a goalie (usually, but but see #8 and #11, below).

2. How much playing time is there in a hockey game, and how is it divided?
A hockey game is 60 minutes long, divided into three 20-minute periods.

3. How much does a hockey puck weigh (within 1 ounce or 25 grams)?
As Joe used to say at the Weber State games, a hockey puck is "made of six ounces of vulcanized rubber, frozen before the game, and can cause serious bodily harm." So keep your eyes on the ice.

4. Define the following hockey slang terms:
a. Sin bin: The penalty box.
b. Five hole: The area between a goalie's legs, through which one might shoot to score a goal.
c. Twig: A hockey stick.
d. Put the biscuit in the basket: To score a goal.

5. If a player scores three goals in a game, what is this feat called?
A hat trick.

6. How many teams currently make up the National Hockey League?
The NHL curently has thirty teams.
6a. How many of those teams are based in Canada?
Six: the Vancouver Canucks, the Edmonton Oilers, the Calgary Flames, the Ottawa Senators, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Montreal Canadiens.

7. Name at least three of the NHL's Original Six teams.
The Original Six are the Boston Bruins, the Chicago Blackhawks, the Detroit Red Wings, the Montreal Canadiens, the New York Rangers, and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

8. What are the three general categories of penalties, and how do they differ?

• Minor penalties are the type most frequently called. A player assessed a minor goes into the penalty box, and his team must play shorthanded for two minutes or until the other team scores, whichever comes first.
  
• Major penalties are assessed for especially serious infractions, such as those causing injury. The offending player goes into the penalty box, and his team must play shorthanded for five minutes, regardless of how many times the other team scores.
  
• Misconduct penalties are most frequently given for fighting. The player in question is ejected, and one of his teammates must sit in the penalty box for ten minutes. His team does not have to play shorthanded, but the player in the box is unavailable for substitutions for the duration of the penalty.
  

9. More than half the players in the NHL come from Canada. What country produces the next highest number of NHL players?
The United States

10. Which of the following is not a penalty in hockey: back checking, fighting, cross checking, or charging?
Back checking is a strategy used to try to prevent attacking players from being able to receive a pass near the goal or to get off a shot.

11. Can a team play without a goalie?
Although it is risky (for reasons one hopes would be obvious), a team is allowed to play without a goaltender. Near the end of a close game, a team that is trailing by only a goal or two will sometimes 'pull the goalie' to get an extra offensive player on the ice.

12. What is the name of the trophy given to the winner of the NHL playoffs? Which team won that trophy for the 2003-2004 season? The trophy, one of the most storied in sports, is called the Stanley Cup. It was won by the Tampa Bay Lightning last season.

Bonus question: What is the name of the minor league hockey team in Macon, Georgia?
The team is called the Macon Whoopee. In their first couple of years of play, the logo on their sweaters was a fig leaf.