Hockey during the Summer Olympics takes place on a synthetic turf field called a pitch (not an ice rink) and is played with a ball (not a puck). The game was originally played on real grass, but this started to change in the 1970's. Today top level games are played on water-based synthetic turf because the ball rolls faster and smoother. Players use sticks to hit the ball, but the end that hits the ball is curved more than a ice hockey stick. (The word hockey is derived from the French word hocquet, which translates to shepherd's crook.) Hockey pitches are rectangular with goals at the long ends. Goals have a half circle called the shooting circle in front of them. Players may only shoot on their opponent's goal from the shooting circle. London is putting their own flare on the game by having a blue pitch instead of the usual green. A match is composed of two 35 minute halves. One umpire watches over each half of the pitch, and they work together for play at the middle.
Two gold medals will be awarded for Hockey (1 Men's and 1 Women's). 192 men and 192 women are entered in teams. There are 11 players on a team and 5 substitutes. This year 12 Men's teams and 12 Women's teams are participating. Each country may be represented by 1 Men's and 1 Women's team. Men's Hockey made its first Olympic appearance in 1908, while Women's Hockey was added in 1980.
For each event, the teams will divide into 2 groups of 6 for a preliminary round. All the teams in a pool will play each other. Three points is awarded for a win and 1 point for a draw. The top 2 teams from each pool will move on to a semi-final knockout round. The winners of this round play for Olympic gold. The remaining teams from the preliminary round play each other for final ranking. If there is a tie during the knockout round, 2 additional 7 ½ minute periods may be played. A goal scored during the extra time periods is called the golden goal because the first goal scored wins. If the game is still tied after the extra 15 minutes, a shoot-out (5 players per side) takes place. A sudden death shoot-out follows if the teams are tied after the regular shoot-out.
Umpires play penalty cards for repeated offenses. A green card means a 2 minute suspension, while a yellow cards means at least a 5 minute suspension. The red card is the most severe penalty and results in the expulsion of the player from the game and an advantage for their opponent. Penalty corners may be awarded for certain fouls, usually involving problems within the shooting circle. If this happens 1 player pushes the ball from the back line to teammates waiting around the shooting circle. Five defenders are waiting to defend the possible shot on goal. Sometimes a penalty stroke is awarded and 1 player is allowed to take a shot from the penalty circle with only a goalie to defend.
The cache is bigger than a micro-sized bison tube and smaller than a plastic container. Please use stealth when finding and re-hiding the cache. Please bring your own pen. Why this spot for hockey... the Mrs. kept calling it field hockey, so we placed it somewhere near a field. (That's not a hint, just a comment.)
FTF - Gold medal - $1 gold coin- A little rain never stops jonnytarr! Congrats on the gold!!!
STF - Silver medal - 25 cent silver coin- gvsu4msu earns a Silver!!
TTF - Bronze medal - 1 cent bronze coin- Hucks Hill claims the Bronze!