Hockey. Math at the Rink

36 Pages·2013·1.301 MB·English

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M a t h a t t h e r i n k
by toM robinson
Published by The Child’s World®
1980 Lookout Drive • Mankato, MN 56003-1705
800-599-READ • www.childsworld.com

Acknowledgments
The Child’s World®: Mary Berendes, Publishing Director
The Design Lab: Design and production
Red Line Editorial: Editorial direction

Photographs ©: Shutterstock Images, Cover, Title, 29; Elise
Amendola/AP Images, 4-5; Anthony Nesmith/AP Images,
6–7; Scott Prokop/Shutterstock Images, 8–9; Jerry S.
Mendoza/AP Images, 10–11; Mark J. Terrill/AP Images,
12–13; Josh Holmberg/AP Images, 14, 22–23; Reinhold
Matay/AP Images, 17; Chris Szagola/AP Images,
18; Bettmann/Corbis/AP Images, 21; Patrick Tuohy/
Shutterstock Images, 24; AP Images, 27

Copyright © 2013 by The Child’s World®
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be
reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means
without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 9781614734109
LCCN 2012946505

About tHe AutHor
Printed in the United States of America
Mankato, MN
November, 2012 tom robinson is the
PA02144
author of 33 books,
including 25 about
sports. the susquehanna,
Pennsylvania, native
is an award-winning
sportswriter and
former newspaper
sports editor.
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MAtH on tHe rink . . . . . . . . . . 4
tHe bAsics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
the rink 6
standings 8
Penalty time 10
taking shifts 12
skAters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
the Perfect statistic 14
Goals 16
assists 18
Points 20
GoAlies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
statistics 22
Career Path 26
Go fiGure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
GlossAry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
leArn More . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
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atlanta thrashers
goalie kari Lehtonen
(32) makes a save
on a shot by boston
bruins’ brad boyes
(26) during a shootout MAtH on tHe rink
on March 21, 2006.
All losses are not equal in hockey. Teams at
least get some reward for being tied when
time runs out. In the National Hockey League
(NHL), tie games go to overtime. Sometimes a
shootout happens if the game is still tied after
overtime. Teams receive a point in the league
standings for losing in overtime or a shootout.
Math helps us understand and enjoy
hockey. The sport has its own statistic. It is
the plus/minus rating. Goal and assist totals
are tracked for scorers. An average or
percentage tells how well goalies perform.
There are many interesting and fun
ways to look at the numbers. Use your math
skills as you take a look at hockey. You’ll be
surprised at how much they are needed!
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tHe bAsics
the rink
The Boston Bruins moved to a new home in
1995. At the same time they lost a home-
ice edge. When the TD Garden opened,
the old Boston Garden closed. The Boston
Garden was built when the NHL did not
have standard rink sizes. It was a smaller
rink. The surface was 191 feet long by 83
feet wide. Teams had to adjust to the rink’s
smaller space when they came to Boston.
All NHL rinks are now 200 feet long
and 85 feet wide. There are other sizes,
though, in other levels of hockey. Larger
rinks are used for international play. They t
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are 200 feet by 98 feet.
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All hockey rinks include a red line at

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center ice. They also have two blue lines.
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Each team has an offensive zone. It goes
from the blue line to the end of the rink.
There is also a neutral zone. The neutral
zone is the center-ice area between the
blue lines. It includes the red line. It is 85
feet by 50 feet in the NHL.
Find the perimeter and area of the
neutral zone. Perimeter is the distance
around an object. Area is the amount of
surface space of a shape.

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the neutral zone has four sides. Multiply the length
times two and the width times two. then add them
together to figure the perimeter of the neutral zone.
2 x 85 = 170
2 x 50 = 100
170 + 100 = 270 feet
the perimeter of the neutral zone is 270 feet.
What is the area of the neutral zone? To find the
area, multiply the length times the width.
85 x 50 = 4,250 square feet
the area of the neutral zone is 4,250 square feet.
85 feet
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standings
Winning the most games is not the only
way to come out on top in an NHL
season. Losing the right way also helps.
Hockey has its own way of figuring out
standings. Football, basketball, baseball,
and most other sports rank teams by wins
and winning percentage. While there are
ties in college hockey as well as some
lower levels, there are none in the NHL.
The NHL gives two points for a win and
one for an overtime or shootout loss.
The 2011–12 nHL Pacific Division standings were:
Team Wins Losses oT Losses ToTaL PoinTs
Phoenix Coyotes 42 27 13 97
san Jose sharks 43 29 10 96
Los angeles Kings 40 27 15 95
Dallas stars 42 35 5 89
anaheim Ducks 34 36 12 80
Phoenix Coyotes and Los angeles kings
players line up on the ice during the
national anthem before a game on
March 20, 2008 in Phoenix, arizona.
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