What You Need To Know About Hockey

Hockey is a popular game played all over the world.six players. The players are divided into one center,
The exact date of its origin is not known. One belief istwo forwards, two defenders and one goaltender or
that it originated from the English game of field hockey.goalie. The game is played with wooden or metal
When the English came to North America, theysticks around 152 cm in length. A hard rubber disc
realized that ice is faster than grass and startedcalled a puck is used to score goals. The players wear
playing on ice covered ponds. Today, the termpadded clothing and gloves to protect themselves. The
"hockey" in the US is synonymous with ice hockey.team scoring the most goals wins.
The term "hockey" is derived from the French wordThe National Hockey League was formed in 1917,
'hoquet' meaning 'shepherds crook' which is similar inmade up of teams from the United States and
shape to a hockey stick.Canada. In the early years, almost all hockey players
Modern ice hockey was played for the first time in thewere from Canada, but more recently, there has been
United States in 1893. The game became very popularan upsurge in players from the United States and
and in a very short time spread to Great Britain andEuropean countries, who have started participating in
other European countries. It is now played in around 30the game. The Stanley Cup, held annually, is the most
countries and mostly in North America, Scandinaviafamous competition for ice hockey.
and Russia. It is also the national game of Canada.Interest in ice hockey is on the rise in schools, colleges
Ice hockey is played on natural or artificial ice on anand universities. More and more youngsters have
oval shaped rink of 61 m by 25.5 m .Two goal nets,started playing the game. The live telecast of almost all
each measuring 1.22 m high and 1.83 m wide arethe professional league matches played in United
placed at both ends of the rink. Each team consists ofStates proves the popularity of the game, as well.