Shinny
Encyclopedia
Shinny is an informal type of hockey
played on ice or the street. There are no formal rules or specific positions, and generally, there are no goaltender
s. The goal areas at each end may be marked by nets, or simply by objects, such as blocks of snow, stones, etc. Bodychecking and lifting or "roofing/reefing/raising the puck" (shooting the puck or ball so it rises above the ice) are often forbidden because the players are not wearing protective equipment. It may also be called pick-up hockey, pond hockey
, street hockey, road hockey, or "outdoor puck". Shinny is a game that all levels of hockey enthusiasts can play because it requires no rink, requires no skills except ability to hold a stick and at the very least to try to touch the puck or ball when it goes by. Shinny may be completely non-competitive and recreational - scoring irrelevant - or competitive and scores kept.
Very often teams are formed with intent to divide the group into approximately equal levels of skills among the players. Players joining after play has started are usually told "which way they are going" (which net they should shoot towards) based upon the score of the game and their skill level. Some games continue for many hours with a variety of players participating for as long as they want.
, was informal enough in its formative years that the pucks and sticks were often makeshift. During the Great Depression, for example, northern boys used tree branches or broomhandles as sticks, a tin can, a piece of wood, and even a frozen road apple
(farm animal dropping) as a puck. Any object about the right size might serve as a puck.
The name is derived from the Scottish
game shinty
and indeed shinny was a common name for one of shinty's many regional variations in Scotland
. Shinny, a primarily Canadian
term, is usually called scrimmage, pick-up hockey, drop-in hockey, pop-in hockey or RAT Hockey in the United States
.
Former Canadian Prime Minister
Jean Chrétien
famously played an impromptu game of shinny on the Rideau Canal
with school children during his time in office.
, Quebec
, and hockey-mad Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, numerous rinks are erected around the metropolis and are maintained by civil servants throughout the winter as long as the weather allows their usage to continue.
", or "Mini-Sticks." (In reference to the size of the sticks used to play.)
Shinny can also mean moonshine
(illegal alcohol). Harper Lee
used this in her book To Kill A Mockingbird
.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
played on ice or the street. There are no formal rules or specific positions, and generally, there are no goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...
s. The goal areas at each end may be marked by nets, or simply by objects, such as blocks of snow, stones, etc. Bodychecking and lifting or "roofing/reefing/raising the puck" (shooting the puck or ball so it rises above the ice) are often forbidden because the players are not wearing protective equipment. It may also be called pick-up hockey, pond hockey
Pond hockey
Pond hockey is a form of ice hockey very similar in its object and appearance to traditional ice hockey, but far simpler and designed to be played on part of a natural frozen body of water...
, street hockey, road hockey, or "outdoor puck". Shinny is a game that all levels of hockey enthusiasts can play because it requires no rink, requires no skills except ability to hold a stick and at the very least to try to touch the puck or ball when it goes by. Shinny may be completely non-competitive and recreational - scoring irrelevant - or competitive and scores kept.
Team formation
There is a common ritual for choosing teams, which has each player "throwing" their hockey stick into a pile at centre ice, or the middle area between two nets. If there are enough people on the rink who are not playing an organized game, one player may approach another player and ask, "Wanna get a game going?", or simply toss his own stick into the middle. Once people follow suit and enough sticks are in the pile, someone divides the pile into two smaller piles, perhaps strategically assigning sticks to one side or another. Players then pick up their own sticks, the teams having been formed. If there are too many players for the size of playing area, three teams may be created, with one team waiting to play the winner.Very often teams are formed with intent to divide the group into approximately equal levels of skills among the players. Players joining after play has started are usually told "which way they are going" (which net they should shoot towards) based upon the score of the game and their skill level. Some games continue for many hours with a variety of players participating for as long as they want.
History and name origin
Shinny, generally believed to be a pre-cursor to ice hockeyIce hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, was informal enough in its formative years that the pucks and sticks were often makeshift. During the Great Depression, for example, northern boys used tree branches or broomhandles as sticks, a tin can, a piece of wood, and even a frozen road apple
Manure
Manure is organic matter used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Manures contribute to the fertility of the soil by adding organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen, that are trapped by bacteria in the soil...
(farm animal dropping) as a puck. Any object about the right size might serve as a puck.
The name is derived from the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
game shinty
Shinty
Shinty is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands, and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread, being once competitively played on a widespread basis in England and other areas in the...
and indeed shinny was a common name for one of shinty's many regional variations in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Shinny, a primarily Canadian
Canadian English
Canadian English is the variety of English spoken in Canada. English is the first language, or "mother tongue", of approximately 24 million Canadians , and more than 28 million are fluent in the language...
term, is usually called scrimmage, pick-up hockey, drop-in hockey, pop-in hockey or RAT Hockey in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Former Canadian Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
famously played an impromptu game of shinny on the Rideau Canal
Rideau Canal
The Rideau Canal , also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its...
with school children during his time in office.
Institutionalized Usage
In some municipalities around the world where the climate permits, part of a city's taxes may go to the formal set-up and maintenance of skating rinks designed specifically for shinny. In some cities, such as MontrealMontreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, and hockey-mad Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, numerous rinks are erected around the metropolis and are maintained by civil servants throughout the winter as long as the weather allows their usage to continue.
Other games called "shinny"
"Shinny" can also refer to a game played on one's knees with sticks about a foot and a half in length. The goals are also a foot and a half in height, and about 2 feet in width. This game is usually played between around six players where there is one goalie, and two shooters. The game is usually played by children, indoors and in small rooms or areas. It is sometimes referred to as "Knee Hockey", "Mini HockeyMini hockey
Mini hockey is an indoor sport which is similar to ice or roller hockey...
", or "Mini-Sticks." (In reference to the size of the sticks used to play.)
Shinny can also mean moonshine
Moonshine
Moonshine is an illegally produced distilled beverage...
(illegal alcohol). Harper Lee
Harper Lee
Nelle Harper Lee is an American author known for her 1960 Pulitzer-Prize-winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird, which deals with the issues of racism that were observed by the author as a child in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama...
used this in her book To Kill A Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee published in 1960. It was instantly successful, winning the Pulitzer Prize, and has become a classic of modern American literature...
.