To Ice or Not to Ice? That Is Still the Question

The game: Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa. Colorada vs. San Jose.

Why I chose it: Ottawa could (and in my opinion, should) go down and Pittsburgh will go on. If only Ottawa hadn't scored that game-tying goal and Pittsburgh hadn't had a goal disallowed for high sticking, we'd be done now. But then again..Hello! Who the heck is Peter Regin? Looks and sounds like a cutie pie player that I must follow from now on. Check out this tidbit on TSN's web site: In his bio, they state Performance: Regin is hot. I quite agree.

And P.S.: I'm all in for Matt Duchene to win the Calder. My second choice is Tyler Myers.

The rule/let's try this again: Section 4, Playing Rules. Rule 460, Icing the Puck. Ok, I get this part: 460.b, Should a player of a team equal or superior in numerical strength shoot, bat or deflect the puck from his own half of the ice beyond the goal line of the opposing team, play shall be stopped and icing shall be called.

But here's where you lost me: 460.c, A face-off shall take place at the end zone face-off spot of the offending team nearest to where they last touched the puck. So, if they last touched the puck in their own half of the ice, and the face-off puts them in their defending -- not attacking-- zone...how exactly does icing help them? And why then, would you do this?

Yes, I'm a girl, but: Let's be clear. I love hockey because I love the sport. I love the rules (sort of), I hate refs (well, not really), I love beer, and I love spitting and swearing and bench-clearing fights. I was buying coffee the other day at work, and the very lovely manager/server who was taking my money found out that I'm hockey fan and he's like "oh, you're from Chicago, Detroit?..." No. I'm from Arizona. "Oh, you just like Crosby and Malkin." Now, I do love them, but let's be clear. There are hockey fans in Arizona. And I love the sport first and the boys second. And for the record, my favorite Penguin is Max Talbot.

Morals of the story:

The game: Where is Ryan Johansen when I need him? When I was chatting with him at the pizza thingy, he said something about how icing was a scoring opportunity. I thought I understood it, but when I saw this rule for a second time, I still don't get it. How is being trapped in your defensive zone a scoring opportunity? It boggles the mind almost as much as why I think WHL referee Matt Kirk is such a cutie pie. It's just wrong to crush on a ref, I know, but I do. I can't help it.

Life: So, I looked this up online and apparently icing is what players do to avoid playing defense. If this is right, then we do this way too much in life. Let's face it...we spend more time playing defense in life than attacking. We fend off people who tell us our dreams are stupid, we watch while our bosses take credit for our work, and if you're a tall woman you deal with men who don't like it that you can look them in the eye and forget about above it. It's too easy to ice the puck and give up. Most people live lives of loud fears and silent dreams and they give up before they get to the attacking zone in life. They ice the puck and they never know how good it could have been.

The way we should live it is like this Pittsburgh vs. Ottawa game: they are tied at 3 and they are going to a second OT...because nobody is giving up or backing down. Icing is called in hockey and it should be called in life to save us from ourselves. Next time you think about icing the life puck, don't. It's too easy, and it will never lead anywhere but down.

Next up on 4/23: Section 4, Playing Rules. Rule 470, Definition of a Goal.