In addition to the players on the ice, each team keeps extra players on the bench to rotate into the game when on-ice players become tired. The goalie's padding is heavier than that of other players and includes extra-thick shin pads. The goalie also wears a face guard that is attached to his or her helmet and has a catching glove and a blocker for use in handling and deflecting the puck. Some professional players can shoot the puck between 90-100 miles per hour. Speeds of up to 120 miles per hour have actually been recorded by some of the hardest shooters in hockey.
Many people think that deflections are mere luck.
Actually, players practice deflections by standing off to the side or in front of the net and deflecting shots from that position into another area of the goal. Seldom does a goaltender have sufficient time to react to a deflection since the puck suddenly changes direction off an offensive player s stick. A puck cannot intentionally be kicked in and still count as a goal. However, a puck can be deflected off a skate or a player s body and still count as a goal if no attempt was made to deliberately throw or kick it in. A team is offside when any attacking player crosses the blue line before the puck.