The talent of stick handling, shooting, passing, and goaltending entail the use of math. Angle usage and geometry are integral parts of mastering the game. While playing ice hockey, attacks can occur at any time. Team members need to calculate the speed of the attacker, the angle of attack, and their own speed to evaluate the angle through which they can stop the attacker. The following examples prove the importance of math in ice hockey:

1. While planning for a face-off, the referee drops the hockey puck, and the centers reach for the puck at exact time using the knowledge of math. They have to determine how fast to go for the puck, estimate the time it will take the puck to hit the ice, how long it takes the puck to reach the ice and where the puck will land on the ice. This helps them calculate the speed required, when to start moving their sticks, how fast to move their sticks and the time to start moving.

2. In ice hockey, the 6th and 7th teammates are the boards. To know the exact spot on the board to strike the puck, the player needs to use math calculations. A theory in math states that angle of incidence is equal to the angle of reflection. This theory helps a lot in striking the puck to the board and is why the give-and-go with these "teammates" always works.

3. A teammate is chasing the puck into their corner of the attacking zone. They’re just entering the left side of the zone at full speed. When he gets the puck, he has to evaluate the speed and adjust both the speed and direction of the pass to put the puck on the stick when in shooting position. They have to read what the other's doing, factor in his passing ability, and adjust your speed to make sure he's there when the puck arrives.

4. Another application of math is used with skating. To get more edge control, skaters needs to roll their ankles. This relates to the angle rule in Math. To get longer strides, skaters keep their hips low as per the specification of triangle rule in math.

a. The skater who rolls his ankles has more edge control because of the angle of his blades against the ice.

b. The skater who keeps their knees bent controls more ice with their stick because he understands triangles.

c. The skater who keeps their hips low gets longer strides - more triangles!

5. Cross-unders help players skate faster while turning because, during a turn without them, the interior skate has less skating to do than the exterior skate. If the interior skate is fully extended in the usual way, it works against the turn. Instead of taking short strides with the interior skate, we convert the interior skate into a second exterior skate, crossing under and making full strides on it’s outside edge. What keeps them from falling into the circle when you use both skates externally is related to physics.

6. Goaltending and shooting involve lots of math. When the goalie faces an attacker on a breakaway, he needs to come out just enough to “cut off the angles”. This requires a lot of fast math. The entire process requires a three-dimensional application of math and the shooting process also accompanies the math application.

7. A player is playing defense and an opponent with the puck breaks past their partner across the ice. He doesn’t skate right to where he sees the attacker because he won't be there when the other player arrives. He as to assess his teammate’s speed, his speed, his angle of attack, and then calculate an angle on which he can intercept him. Angling is a key ingredient of hockey defense.

Math teaches us about length (1 dimension), area (2 dimensions), and volume (3 dimensions). In the dimensions of hockey, when a brand new hockey player gets the puck on his stick, all he can think about is carrying it toward the other team's goal, and all the other team has to do is stand in his way. He's thinking about the length of the rink, but not the width (its 2nd dimension). After a month of playing, he will be looking for cross-ice passing opportunities. Even the rink has a third dimension if he lofts the puck over an opponent's head.

The above examples illustrate why it is important for hockey players to practice their math lessons to apply in their game.