How Long is Halftime in Hockey? … and other silly questions I have been asked over the years

The deeper in love I become with hockey, the more I want to share it with my friends. That means there are many educational sessions to help them understand the intricacies of the game. High-sticking, cross-checking, and tripping penalties are explained. Terms like faceoff, penalty box, and power play are clarified. We even review slang terms like pillows, chiclet, barnburner, duster, yard sale, flamingo, biscuit, sin-bin, and sweater.

After a technology conference for speakers in San Jose, I invited 40 professional speaker colleagues to a Sharks game. When the first fight broke out on the ice and the players hit the glass, my friends were mortified. I explained that checking is legal (usually), and fighting is part of the game, but it was a bit of a shock for the newbies.

Today I received A Kraken fan’s visual guide to hockey and the NHL. ?I sure wish I had this tutorial a few years ago. Please share this with any new hockey fans to get them oriented to this great sport. Kudos to the Seattle Times Staff for publishing it and to those who created it.?Great Job!

When the Vegas Golden Knights became the first major sports franchise in Las Vegas, I enjoyed explaining how an expansion team was formed. Then, I cheered with my new hockey friends as the Knights celebrated their 13 playoff wins en route to the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals - the most for a team during their inaugural postseason run.

I have several jerseys from the teams I have worked with, but my favorite is my Tampa Bay Lightning sweater; from the season we took the team from 4000 season ticket members to 11,000, and the team’s owner, Mr. Jeff Vinik, bought them all sweaters.??

Those were the days that Tod Leiweke was the CEO for the Tampa Bay Lightning. On Tuesday, Tod will watch his first regular-season game as the CEO of the Seattle Kraken. So, let’s go for the top shelf and light the lamp. I am hoping for a great Gongshow and celly!

I will be watching my favorite teams kick off the season and will probably answer some hockey questions, too. And in case you are still wondering, there is no halftime in the game of hockey … there are just two intermissions (15 minutes and 20 seconds or 17 minutes for nationally televised games) between each of the three 20-minute periods.

? Ruby Newell-Legner, Fan Experience Strategist, Staff Training Expert, and Service Consultant

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?About Ruby

Ruby Newell-Legner has inspired new service cultures for 1,692 sports, leisure, and entertainment facilities worldwide. She has helped her clients increase customer satisfaction by 17%, amplify repeat business by19%, and increase revenue by 16% in one year, including 66 professional sports teams and 44 new facilities preparing to open. Discover more at?www.7StarService.com