Is it wrong to do this?

[thefelixculpa 0]

I am strictly an inline player and have always been playing in rec leagues. Lately i've started playing open hockeys at a local sportcourt rink with guys who play PIHA or for pretty good ice teams b/c I am looking to start playing at a higher level. My most recent open hockey had a little altercation for something that I did not feel was wrong.

I always play forward, so when the other team is advancing the puck into my zone and I am backchecking, I can usually catch up to the guy. In this instance, I skated up behind the guy and used my reach to swing my stick with my left hand from behind him to his front, whacking his stick and making him lose the puck. I was doing this a lot that night and at one point after I knocked his stick and he lost the puck he yanks my stick out of my hand, drops it to the ground and glares at me.

Is what I was doing considerred a slash? I wasn't hitting anything but his stick. Maybe he was just pissed that I was going that hardcore and possibly knicking his gear for just an open hockey? I was just caught off guard and I figure these guys probably know more about what is right and wrong than I do.

[Jason Harris 31]

From the way you described, yes, it's a slash. It's not often called by a ref, but a slash nonetheless.

[blues_91 0]

Open hockey is usually pretty laid back, and most people don't expect you to try that hard to check them. Atleast for me, open hockey is just an excuse to practice dangles and breakaways.

[Jason 65]

True. People seem to trip when you play hard defense at a drop-in session. I'm the same as blues. I usually go to practice things that I might not use often in a game.

[ramensandwich 1]

hmm well if you hit the top of his stick it's a slash and that's a no-no.

you have to hit the underside of his stick. that's legal.

[Aussie Joe 0]

Sounds like the reaction I get off some guys who think they rule the rink. It can be abit suprising when someone you consider lower than you in all skill sets takes the puck off you. Some guys take it personally.

Its hard to tell but, if you are breaking the rules or not. Maybe ask the guy... "Dude, Im sorry about that slash before I didn't mean it" etc, might draw the guy out to what you did wrong. His response might be "oh thats cool man I just hate it when people hack my hands" or possibly "Oh thats cool, I really hate it when ppl hack my GF oh I mean my Stealth". ;)

TJH baby, "thats just hockey"

[Spreedizzle 1]

According to the new standard of play....a slash is any movement with the stick, hitting of the opponent or his stick without a direct attempt to play AT the puck. Reading into the rules....I have been a USA Hockey certified ref for 6 years, and have been adapting to the to both playing and calling by the new standard. That being said....I call any movement by the stick over the opponents body or upper 2/3rds of the stick a slash. Blatantly swinging your stick at your opponents is a slash, unless your movement is towards the puck and you inadvertently contact the stick.

[mrusse01 0]

I'd say depends where you are 'slashing' him...if you are throwing your blade along the ground in a poke checking motion, then no I don't see anything wrong with that, although in pick up I may be slightly pissed if someone was repeatedly backchecking me that hard, but I certainly wouldn't say/do anything about it. If you want to play that hard it's fine by me, I usually will ratchet up my intensity to match players who are going a bit harder.

If you are swinging your stick from behind the player and catching any part of his stick other than the blade, then yeah, that is a slash and won't play well in pick up hockey.

[thefelixculpa 0]

Thanks for the feedback

just to clear it up a little, I don't swing my stick in an up/down motion. Its more of a side sweeping motion, it'll come from my left, hit his stick and knock it toward the right. I don't hit it up high, I obviously try to hit it as close to the puck as I can get..usually pretty close to the blade.

The dudes where I play open hockey do play pretty hard though, so at the time I didn't feel like I was out of line for trying to play hard D. I was just trying harder b/c I usually play with lesser competition.

[Spreedizzle 1]

Thanks for the feedback

just to clear it up a little, I don't swing my stick in an up/down motion. Its more of a side sweeping motion, it'll come from my left, hit his stick and knock it toward the right. I don't hit it up high, I obviously try to hit it as close to the puck as I can get..usually pretty close to the blade.

The dudes where I play open hockey do play pretty hard though, so at the time I didn't feel like I was out of line for trying to play hard D. I was just trying harder b/c I usually play with lesser competition.

If you are swinging low and towards the puck and contacting either the lower 1/3rd of the stick or the puck first and not the body.....then it would not be called as a slash and you should be in the clear. Just like any pickup hockey though....be courteous and kind of scale your level down to the more inexperienced players on the ice. I never go 100% at the guys that are newer to the sport in drop ins, but my teammates or otherwise....IT'S ON!!!

:P

[thefelixculpa 0]

Thanks for the feedback

just to clear it up a little, I don't swing my stick in an up/down motion. Its more of a side sweeping motion, it'll come from my left, hit his stick and knock it toward the right. I don't hit it up high, I obviously try to hit it as close to the puck as I can get..usually pretty close to the blade.

The dudes where I play open hockey do play pretty hard though, so at the time I didn't feel like I was out of line for trying to play hard D. I was just trying harder b/c I usually play with lesser competition.

If you are swinging low and towards the puck and contacting either the lower 1/3rd of the stick or the puck first and not the body.....then it would not be called as a slash and you should be in the clear. Just like any pickup hockey though....be courteous and kind of scale your level down to the more inexperienced players on the ice. I never go 100% at the guys that are newer to the sport in drop ins, but my teammates or otherwise....IT'S ON!!!

:P

I agree to take it easy on the lesser experience, but in this situation I am the lesser experienced and was just trying to up my tempo of play to keep up with these guys.