Face-off

A face-off is the method used to begin and restart play after goals in some sports using sticks, primarily ice hockey, bandy, floorball, broomball, rinkball, and lacrosse.During a face-off, two teams line up in opposition to each other, and the opposing players attempt to gain control of the puck or ball after it is dropped or otherwise placed between their sticks by an official.[2] Generally, the goal of the player taking the face-off is to draw the puck backward, toward teammates; however, they will, occasionally attempt to shoot the puck forward, past the other team, usually to kill time when shorthanded although shooting directly at the net is also possible—scoring a goal directly from a face-off, while rare, is not unheard of.[8] Floorball is a type of floor hockey with five players and a goalkeeper in each team, it's played indoors with a tennis sized ball.[9] In the field lacrosse face-off, two players face each other at the X in the middle of the field, in a crouching position with the ball placed on the ground on the center line between the heads of their sticks, set four inches (10 cm) apart, parallel to the midline but the ends pointing in opposite directions.Two other players from each team must wait behind wing lines,[9] 20 yards from the faceoff spot on opposite sides of the field until the whistle.[10] Any player except the goalkeeper, due to the much larger head on his stick, can face off; in practice face-offs are usually taken by midfielders.[10] Once possession is established, or the loose ball crosses either restraining line, the faceoff is considered to have ended and all players are allowed to leave their zones.Players facing off who deliberately handle or touch the ball in an attempt to gain possession, or use their open hand to hold the opposing face-off player's stick, receive a three-minute unreleasable penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct in addition to possession being awarded to the other team.The two players taking the draw stand at the center of the field, and hold their sticks together at waist level while the referee places the ball between the heads, which face each other.A dropped-ball (if contested) is a method used in association football[14] whereby an official will drop the ball rather than releasing it into the air.X-League Indoor Football nonetheless adopted a modified version opening scramble (using the name "X-Dash") when it began play in 2014, but tweaked to avoid the injuries so that each player chased after their own ball.[15] The coin toss remains the method of choice for determining possession at the beginning of an American football game.
Bo Horvat and Evgeni Malkin lineup for a face-off during a National Hockey League game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Vancouver Canucks in November 2015
Two men wearing helmets, short-sleeved jerseys, shorts and gloves, one in a maroon and orange color scheme and the other in blue and white, kneel and crouch on grass as a man wearing a black and white vertically-striped long-sleeved shirt and long black pants with a black cap leans from behind them and places a small ball between the mesh heads of two sticks they hold on the ground between them.
Two lacrosse players set for a face-off as the referee places the ball on the ground between the heads of their sticks.
Two women, slightly hunched forward to each other, one in a black sleeveless top and short skirt and the other in a white version of the same clothing, stand in the middle of an artificial turf field with markings for gridiron football, while a third woman wearing a vertically black and white striped shirt stands just behind them with one hand between them, seen from some distance and above
Players preparing for a draw in a college women's lacrosse game
Two female field hockey players prepare to start or resume the match with a bully-off in the centre of the pitch .
A shinty match begins with a throw-up in the centre of the shinty pitch .
Face Off (disambiguation)Bo HorvatEvgeni MalkinNational Hockey LeaguePittsburgh PenguinsVancouver Canucksice hockeyfloorballbroomballrinkballlacrosseofficialHarvard CrimsonBrown Bearscentresshorthandedvisiting team2015–16 seasonOffsideAmateur Hockey Association of Canadabandy pitchBandy Playing RulesFederation of International Bandyfloor hockeyfield lacrosseovertimesticksgoalkeepermidfielderstechnical foulwhistleout of boundsunsportsmanlike conductcollege lacrossewomen's lacrossefield hockeyjump ballbasketballball-upAustralian rules footballshintydropped-ballAmerican football"opening scramble"X-League Indoor FootballThe coin tossStaringWeigh-inNational Collegiate Athletic AssociationHistoryLeaguesEquipmentCooperallsGoaltending equipmentBlockerTrapperT-BladesHelmetJerseySkate guardGoaltenderDefencemanCentreForwardTwo-wayWingerCaptainEnforcerGrinderAwarded goalBoardingBreakawayChargingClippingCross-checkingDelay of gameHalifaxHolding the stickHookingOfficialsPenaltyPenalty shotRoughingShort-handedTrippingTuck ruleButterfly styleOne timerSaucer passSnap shotWrist shotCollegeFantasyPower‎Rink bandyShinnySledgeSpecialUnderwaterAnalyticsBackcheckCheckingCyclingDump'n'ChaseExtra attackerForecheckLeft wing lockLoafingNeutral zone trapScreenTorpedo system200-foot gameAssistDivingEmpty net goalFive-holeFull strengthGordie Howe hat trickHigh-stickingMichigan goalScoring chanceScramble styleShot on goalSkatemillSlapshotCeremonial first puckHockeytownPlayoff beardPuck bunnyThree starsTowel PowerArenas by capacityOutdoor gamesGames with highest attendanceFenwickShot qualityBroadcastingFightingNicknamesIn popular cultureViolence