| Considering the country's love affair with the game | | | | Spectators love to watch the opposing team get |
| most people would be surprised to learn that hockey is | | | | crushed against the boards. Many people wonder |
| not the national sport of Canada. Many people in | | | | what this is teaching young fans. Aggressive play is |
| Canada eat, sleep, and breathe hockey. The roots of | | | | not being tolerated in many leagues whereas others |
| hockey are in Ireland, back when it was called Hurley, | | | | have banned this type contact all together. The NHL |
| but hockey is defiantly a Canadian sport. Due to its | | | | however, has not started anything of this kind. |
| infectious nature, hockey has caught on all over the | | | | These days' parents have become a bit too |
| world. It became very popular throughout Canada, | | | | passionate at little league hockey games. There is an |
| especially the East coast in the 1800s. | | | | increasing number of fights between parents and |
| In 1917, a league was formed to guide the play among | | | | verbal and physical abuse against referees and |
| professional hockey teams. This league, the National | | | | coaches. This has prompted many people to stay |
| Hockey League (NHL) originally consisted of five | | | | away from the sport or putting their children in after |
| teams. But the numbers quickly grew and by the end | | | | school hockey programs. The thought of knowing that |
| of the century there would be 30 teams from all over | | | | the parents care more about who wins than the kids |
| Canada and the USA. For many fans, hockey is | | | | do is frightening. Regardless of this hockey will always |
| serious business. | | | | be a popular game in North America. |
| While the US teams have dominated the hockey | | | | No matter what happens though, hockey will always |
| playoffs, called the Stanley Cup, in recent years, the | | | | be a popular game in North America. Europe enjoys |
| sport still has a bigger following in Canada. Hockey | | | | much success in the hockey world as well. Recent |
| Night in Canada is quite an event in many households | | | | world championships have highlighted little known |
| and sports bars. Several teams in Canada have fallen | | | | places such as Belarus. Anywhere you can find |
| by the wayside in the past several years such as the | | | | frozen ponds in the winter are the perfect place for a |
| Winnipeg Jets and the Quebec Nordiques. This is an | | | | little ice hockey. This isn't always the case though, look |
| unfortunate cause of the high player salaries. | | | | at the Los Angeles Kings! |
| Hockey stars are able to demand high salaries for | | | | Hockey remains one of the favorite games in North |
| their game. In part, this is what leads some of the top | | | | American cities and many fans hope to enjoy hockey |
| players to teams in the US. Some Canadian teams | | | | during the 2004/2005 NHL season. But even without |
| find it challenging to keep their homegrown players | | | | the pros, there are farm teams and minor leagues |
| thanks to high salary demands. This is one of the | | | | teams playing hockey, so hockey fans can still get |
| issues in the 2004 NHL dispute that resulted a curtailed | | | | their hockey fix. If you are curious to see what all the |
| season. | | | | fuss is over, check out a game at your local hockey |
| Hockey is a very violent game and unfortunately, | | | | arena and you'll feel the excitement in the air - and on |
| violence is very common in the little leagues. | | | | the ice. No wonder hockey is so popular! |