Okay, so today I decided to finally figure out the whole MIAA hockey rules thing. I’ve been watching my nephew play for a while, and honestly, I was always a little lost with some of the calls. Time to fix that!
First, I googled “MIAA hockey rules.” Sounds simple enough, right? Well, the internet is a big place. I found a bunch of stuff, some of it helpful, some of it… not so much.
I skimmed through a few websites, mostly official-looking MIAA stuff, and some local high school athletic pages. I quickly realized I needed the actual rulebook, not just articles about the rules. It is boring!
Digging into the Details
I finally found a PDF of the official rulebook. It was…dense. Seriously, who writes these things? It’s like they want to confuse you.
- I started with the basics: icing, offsides, penalties – the stuff I thought I kinda knew. Turns out, I had some of it wrong! Icing, in particular, is more complicated than I realized.
- Then I moved on to the stuff that always puzzled me, like the rules around checking and contact. There are specific rules for body checking, and when and where it’s allowed.
- I spent a good chunk of time trying to understand the different types of penalties. Minor, major, misconduct… It’s a whole system!
- I even tried to learn about tie-breakers for playoffs, but my brain started to hurt, so I’ll save that for another day.
Honestly, it was a bit of a slog. The rules are so detailed, and there are so many little exceptions and variations. But I persevered! I took notes, highlighted key sections, and re-read the confusing parts until they started to make (some) sense.
I’m definitely not an expert now, but I feel way more confident. I actually understand why the ref blew the whistle a few times, and even explained to myself I got it!
Next time I’m at a game, I’ll be able to follow along much better. And maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to explain a rule or two to someone else. Or at least not look completely clueless when someone asks me a question. Baby steps, right?
