| History of Hockey: | | | | Christmas trees with hockey and sports ornaments. |
| Throughout history people have played games | | | | Ornaments which help to convey ones love or |
| involving a curved stick and a ball. There are drawings | | | | enthusiasm for a particular theme which in this case |
| and depictions of such events in ancient Egypt, | | | | would be the love of hockey. There are a variety of |
| Greece and in the Middle ages in Europe. There is | | | | sports ornaments and specialty nutcrackers to help |
| even evidence of people playing hockey or stick and | | | | beautify and accent any sports enthusiasts home. |
| ball like games on the ice in sixteenth century Europe. | | | | Playing the Games: |
| And of course as immigrants came to the Americas, | | | | For a regular game of ice hockey it is of course |
| they brought with them many of the games that they | | | | played in an ice rink with a total of six players on each |
| had played in their respective countries, such as hurling | | | | team, five regular players and one goalie. The object is |
| and other hockey like games. | | | | to get the puck, which is made of hard rubber into the |
| Current ice and field hockey owe much to those | | | | opposing teams goal and the team with the highest |
| ancient games. Of the two, field hockey is the | | | | score wins. The players must use their sticks to move |
| forerunner and ice hockey was mainly an altering of | | | | the puck around or to pass the puck from one player |
| the game to fit colder climates and such. The first | | | | to another. A team can be forced to play with only 5 |
| organized ice hockey game is recorded to have taken | | | | players instead of the normal 6 if a player commits a |
| place in Montreal, Canada at an indoor skating rink in | | | | foul and is then placed in a penalty box for a short |
| March of 1875. It wasn't until 1904 that the first | | | | time which is usually about 2 minutes long. |
| professional league for ice hockey was formed in | | | | Field hockey is played on a rectangular field measuring |
| Michigan, United States, called the International | | | | about 100 yards by 60 yards, with eleven players on |
| Professional Hockey League. The league lasted all of | | | | each team. Again the idea is the same to get the small |
| four years, folding in 1907. For field hockey, the first | | | | hard ball, not a puck, into the other team's goal to |
| international game took place between Ireland and | | | | score, to do this you must use your stick and |
| Wales, with a high score of 3 to 0, Ireland winning. | | | | teamwork. There is a defined semi-circle area around |
| In 1908 field hockey made its debut at the summer | | | | each goal that is called the shooting circle or arc. The |
| Olympics, it was dropped in 1924 but by the following | | | | team which has the ball is called the attackers, while |
| Olympics in 1928 it was back. Ice hockey started at | | | | the team that doesn't have the ball is called the |
| the winter Olympics in 1924 and has been played there | | | | defenders. A game or match has two umpires to |
| since, but it wasn't until 1960 that the U.S. won their first | | | | officiate, usually they split up the field down the middle |
| gold medal in ice hockey. | | | | and each takes care of their half of the field. The |
| Hockey Ornaments: | | | | game has two periods each being 35 minutes long, |
| Many hockey fans enjoy decorating their homes and | | | | with the half time break being about five minutes. |