Lighthearted, but intriguing question: the majority of hockey players are left-handed (I think), but in society, people are mostly right-handed. Is there a technical advantage in hockey to being left-handed?
You are indeed right about the left-handed/right-handed ratio in hockey. As an indication, among all the skaters who played at least one game in the NHL last season, there were 570 left-handers and 354 right-handers, or a proportion of 38.5% right-handers. That said, in a 2019 article, The Athletic recalled that this situation mainly comes from the fact that players are recommended to hold the stick with the dominant hand at the top. However, there are significant geographical disparities; among major countries, the United States has the highest rate of right-handers (45.7%), ahead of Canada (41.4%) and far ahead of Russia (19.2%). In this same article, a technical director of USA Hockey, Ken Martel, states an “unscientific” hypothesis (in his words): when a family wishing to introduce a child to hockey comes to the store, the clerks, who do not not all know hockey, will ask if the child is generally right-handed or left-handed, and will give a stick to that side.
During a delayed offside, when an attacker is still in the opposing zone, if a player throws and scores, is the goal good?
NHL Rule 83.4 states that a team cannot score during a delayed offside. If the puck enters the net on the sequence you are talking about, the referee will signal a stoppage of play. In other words, offside takes precedence. The goal will also be disallowed even if, between the time the shot is taken and the time the puck enters the net, the offside player leaves the offensive zone. If, however, the team in the defensive zone scores in its own goal during a delayed offside, without contact with players of the attacking team, the goal will be valid.
I notice that more and more baseball players are wearing long socks instead of letting their pants go down to their shoes. Is this for aesthetics or to prevent the pants from hindering the player’s movement?
Your first intuition is correct: it’s purely an aesthetic choice. This trend is not new. If you look at photos of 19th or early 20th century teams, you’ll notice that the pants often stop below the knee, to expose the bottoms. Team names are even inspired by the color of the long stockings worn by players of the time. This is the case of the Boston Red Sox and the Cincinnati Reds, formerly known as the Red Stockings. In 2019, nearly 20% of major league baseball players still wore socks up to the top of the calf, indicated a survey by equipment manufacturer Stance.
Why didn’t Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers get an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty when he threw Matthew Tkachuk’s mouth guard into the stands during the series against the Florida Panthers?
Quite simply because he missed his shot! Although there is no specific rule on a piece of equipment (besides a stick) being thrown onto the ice unless there is an obvious attempt to injure an opponent, the rule book (article 53.5 ) clearly states that a game misconduct will be imposed on any player who intentionally throws “his stick or any piece of equipment” off the playing surface. This applies to a mouth guard, glove, helmet, etc.
Alexis Lafreniere of the New York Rangers scored in his own net during a game against the Florida Panthers. The goal was awarded to the last opposing player who touched the puck. In soccer, the goal would go to Lafrenière. Could you explain the different intricacies in each of these sports?
In hockey as in basketball, there is no confusion: the goal, or the basket, is awarded to the last attacking player to have touched the puck or the ball. Note, however, that the NHL, for several years, has indicated in the match summary that a goal was scored against its side, without this statistic being formally compiled. In soccer, it’s more subtle. If a defending player slightly deflects the trajectory of the ball following a shot that appears to be on target, the goal will be awarded to the attacking player. Conversely, if the unfortunate touch of the defensive player considerably changes the trajectory of the ball, it is he who will inherit an own goal, and this is what will be recorded on the official match sheet. If he had played soccer, in fact, Lafrenière would have scored an own goal, because without his intervention, Carter Verhaeghe’s pass would never have turned into a goal.