" In the NHL knowledge is as important as muscle."

Checking is a very essential aspect in the game of hockey. To some people it may seem like total non-sense but, it seperates the man from the puck. Although you can hit people it doesn't mean everytime you do it will be legal. If you catch someone up high or in the face you could be called for a hit to the head. If he gets a serious injury you could get a 5 minute major penalty and have to serve 5 minutes in the sin bin. That is probably the best thing that could happen. The worst thing that could happen is he is seriously injured and you get kicked out of the game. Then the National Hockey League Officials get together and discuss the problem. If they say it was a clean hit, your free to go. If not you can get suspended anywhere from just one game Almost up to twenty.

Checking can also be the end of someones career. During a game Steve Moore a member of the Coloraso Avalalanche was hit in the back of the head by Todd Bertuzzi of the Vancouver Canucks. Two things happened to Todd Bertuzzi that day. He was suspended for a few games and he ended Steve Moore's career. Steve Moore ended up with a fractured neck but never got around to suiting back up. In todays world there are many contact sports such as Football or Rugby and even if a Baseball game goes wrong some kind of contact is made. Hockey is the fastest game on ice. The more speed you get and the more contact you make the harder the hit will be. It's physics really.

The basic procedure to make a hit is to bend your knees, center your gravity, and lean in to them with your shoulder. Its simple if you think about it but when you translate it in to a real game its pretty hard. You have to angle and time it right so you can make contact. When you go for it people can make you look sillly. If you miss, everybody will think you are a bender. About 1 out of 3 times that happens. The person dangles around you and leaves you looking and feeling like an idiot.

The point of checking is to seperate the man from the puck and gain control of the biscuit. When you hit you want to make sure you stay on your feet because if you fall and he falls then the puck is just laying there which hopefully someone on your team will come and pick it up. If you fall and he is still on his feet. Then you pray that he doesn't go down and score on your tender.

Take a look at this crazy video!!!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2W3Qm1YTFc