Well, let me tell ya ’bout this cross check penalty thing, you know, in that ice game, hockey they call it. I ain’t no expert, but I seen enough games to know when somethin’ ain’t right.
What’s a cross check anyway? It’s like this, see? You got your stick, and instead of usin’ it on the puck, you go and shove it into another fella’s back. Right in the back, hard-like. Not the kinda thing you do if you’re playin’ nice, you know? It ain’t like bumpin’ shoulders, no sir. This here is usin’ your stick like a weapon, and that ain’t how the game’s supposed to be played.
- It’s like using a stick as a big ol’ shove, not for the puck but for another player.
- Not just a little tap, mind you, but a real push in the back.
- Definitely not playing fair, that’s for sure.
Now, when they do this cross checkin’, they get a penalty. And not just any penalty, sometimes it’s a real whopper.
Sometimes, it’s just a two-minute penalty. That means you sit your behind in that little box for two minutes, and your team’s gotta play with one less fella on the ice. That ain’t good, ’cause it makes it easier for the other team to score. Two minutes can feel like a lifetime when you’re watchin’ your team struggle, let me tell ya.
But if you go and do a real bad cross check, like you really try to hurt someone, well, then you get a major penalty. That’s five minutes in the box, and that’s a long time to be short-handed. Five minutes is like, forever in hockey time. Your team’s gotta work extra hard, and it can really mess things up for ’em. It gives the other team a big advantage, and sometimes that’s all they need to win the game.
And then there’s the worst of ’em all, the match penalty. You do somethin’ real nasty, like you really try to hurt somebody bad, and they throw you outta the game. That’s right, you’re done for the day. And it ain’t just that, you might even get suspended, meaning you can’t play in the next few games neither. They don’t take kindly to that kinda rough stuff, no sir. They wanna keep the game clean and safe for everyone.
I seen it happen once, this fella, he cross-checked another guy so hard, the guy went down and didn’t get up for a long time. Scary stuff, it was. They threw the fella outta the game, and he got suspended for, I dunno, maybe five or six games? Served him right, I say. There’s no place for that kinda violence in hockey.
So, yeah, cross-checking. It ain’t somethin’ you wanna see in a hockey game. It’s dangerous and it ain’t fair. Them referees, they gotta keep an eye out for it and call it when they see it. It’s all about keepin’ the game safe and makin’ sure everyone gets a fair shake. You wanna play hockey, you play fair. That’s what I always say.
And listen here, if you go hittin’ a fella above the shoulders with that cross check, well, that’s even worse. They call that a “high stick cross-check” and that’s real dangerous. That’s gonna get you a major penalty for sure, and maybe even that match penalty I was talkin’ about. You gotta keep your stick down, that’s what they teach ya from day one. It ain’t hard to understand, is it?
Now, some folks might say, “Oh, it’s just part of the game, it’s a physical sport.” And yeah, it is physical, but there’s a difference between bein’ physical and bein’ dirty. Cross-checkin’ someone on purpose, tryin’ to hurt ‘em, that ain’t part of the game. That’s just plain wrong. And the penalties are there to make sure folks don’t go around doin’ that kinda stuff.
So, next time you’re watchin’ a hockey game, keep an eye out for them cross-checks. You’ll see it, and you’ll know it ain’t right. And you’ll understand why them referees blow that whistle and send them fellas to the penalty box. It’s all about keepin’ the game fair and safe, and that’s somethin’ we can all agree on, I reckon.
In short, cross-checking penalties are there to keep players safe and the game fair. Whether it’s two minutes, five minutes, or a game ejection, it’s all about making sure players don’t use their sticks as weapons. And that’s important, ’cause nobody wants to see anyone get seriously hurt out there on the ice.
So, remember what I told ya, keep your stick down, play fair, and don’t go cross-checkin’ nobody. It ain’t worth the penalty, and it sure ain’t worth hurtin’ another person. And that, my friends, is all I gotta say about cross-checkin’ penalties.
