Michael Cox is an experienced women’s hockey coach who has maintained positions at both the high school and collegiate level. Over the course of his career, Michael Cox has had the opportunity to coach more than a dozen female players who went on to become All-Americans, as well as five women who competed at the Olympic level.
Olympic hockey players enter into the international competition understanding that the Olympic version of the game comes with some marked differences from the version played by the National Hockey League (NHL). Some of the most obvious differences are the physical ones that affect the rink, as Olympic hockey rinks are just over 13 feet wider than those used in the NHL. Additionally, the NHL rink’s trapezoid, where a goalie is permitted to handle the hockey puck behind nets, is absent from Olympic rinks.
Another obvious difference between Olympic and NHL hockey is that fighting is strictly prohibited at the Olympic level. This is true for both intentional fighting and incidental contact. For example, while contact between a player and a high stick in the Olympics can be considered a penalty, the NHL tolerates some incidence of high-sticking during gameplay. Fighting penalties in the NHL are much less severe than those in the Olympics, and the latter competition’s gameplay seems to be much more safety-focused. For instance, a player who loses his or her helmet in the Olympics must immediately retire to the team bench until the play is over; however, in the NHL, a player may continue to pursue a play even after his or her helmet has been removed.
