| The name hockey comes from the French word | | | | Certainly before every game and sometimes within |
| hocquet which means stick. It's not clear how the | | | | the game itself, if a player is not happy with their |
| game got started but the story goes that British | | | | performance. |
| soldiers stationed in Nova Scotia, Canada were playing | | | | Sticks |
| hockey games of one sort or another. No doubt it was | | | | Up until recently the Olympic hockey sticks were |
| earlier than that when kids played on open ponds with | | | | made by combining a blade of wood into a wooden |
| sticks and some form of puck. | | | | handle by gluing the joints together. The player |
| Olympic hockey has come a long way since it was | | | | wrapped the blade with tape to hold it solid and to |
| included in the Antwerp games back in 1920. | | | | assist in shooting the puck. This was the way most |
| In 1879 rules were set down for an organized game at | | | | sticks were made for many years. The blade had a |
| McGill University in Montreal. It began to spread around | | | | slight bevel on one side or the other for players to |
| the area and by the 1890s it had been picked up by | | | | shoot high or left handed. |
| the US interests. The first known organized hockey | | | | In the 1960s Bobby hull of the Chicago Black Hawks |
| game took place between Johns Hopkins and Yale | | | | was one of the first to put a curve in the blade of the |
| Universities in the winter of 1895. | | | | stick that not only caused the puck to go faster but it |
| The first winter Olympic hockey games took place in | | | | also created a wobble in the flight of the puck. The |
| the 1924 games in Chamonix, France. The first | | | | National Hockey League found it necessary to |
| women's games were held in Nagano, Japan in 1998. | | | | regulate the arc of the curve to standardize it. |
| Women compete in an eight team tournament | | | | In the 1990s composite sticks began to appear. They |
| whereas the men compete in a twelve team series. | | | | are made of different man made materials such as |
| The rules are quite simple for the game. A team may | | | | Kevlar, plastics and fiberglass. The stick shown here |
| not have more than six players on the ice at any one | | | | has holes in the handle to gain even more speed to |
| time, but can have less while players are in the penalty | | | | the shot. |
| box. The on ice team consists of a goalie, two | | | | The puck is made of solid rubber. Before the game |
| defenders, two wingmen and one centre. The goalie | | | | begins the pucks are frozen so that they will be more |
| may be replaced by a skater during a delayed penalty | | | | crisp when being shot from the sticks. |
| ( when the referee or linesman sights an infraction he | | | | The players both professional and Olympic hockey, |
| raises his arm to indicate a penalty is coming. As soon | | | | are very well padded. The helmets are made of hard |
| as the offending team touch the puck the whistle is | | | | plastics. They have face screens or shields. Under |
| blown and the penalty is called) for the offending team | | | | those colorful sweaters the player has shoulder |
| will not be allowed to score during the delay. | | | | protection for the upper body. Elbow pads. Hockey |
| A regular Olympic hockey game consists of three 20 | | | | gloves with plenty of padding. Their hockey pants are |
| minute periods with a 15 minute rest in between. In | | | | all padded and knee pads cover the section from |
| case of a tie at the end of the third period, a five | | | | above the knee to the skates. |
| minute intermission will take place and then a sudden | | | | When the puck is shot by a player the speed may |
| death period of overtime is played. If the game is still | | | | reach over 100 miles per hour and so all that padding is |
| tied after that period, a shoot out takes place to | | | | required. Even still, injuries will occur. |
| determine a winner. The shootout will feature the best | | | | The goalie must be heavily padded but must have |
| 3 out of 5 shots to go in the net. | | | | great flexibility. In this photo you can see the wide pads |
| Skates | | | | he wears as well as the huge catching glove. |
| The players must wear solidly built ice skates. The | | | | The Olympic hockey goalie wears a special protective |
| boots are made of many layers of material with | | | | face mask. Very colorful. This protects the goalie from |
| padding in just the right places. They must cushion the | | | | getting hit not only from the puck but from sticks and |
| foot but not allow it to move inside. Ankle support is | | | | skates which can inflict heavy damage during |
| extremely important as the players who may over | | | | scrambles around the net. |
| 200 pounds must change direction instantly by | | | | The great Hall of Fame star, Johnny Bower, was a |
| throwing their weight into the turns causing tremendous | | | | great goalie for the Toronto Maple Leafs, playing |
| stress on the skates and ankles. | | | | fearlessly without a mask until the ripe old age of 46. |
| The blades must be kept very sharp for good control. | | | | |