The Canadians conceptualized and first played ice hockey as a sport. Ice hockey was then played mainly to exhibit the ideas of leadership and to flourish the Canadian tradition. Ice hockey was played during the early years of the 19th century. Today, ice hockey is played in around 20 countries such as the United States, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russian and Slovakia, among others, which mostly hold serious events dedicated to the sport. Ice hockey is also regarded as the most famous "ice sport" worldwide and hence, takes a slot in the seasonal World Olympics.
Being an "ice sport", ice hockey is mostly played in winter-seasoned countries for natural, therefore more reliable, ice cover. However, there has been a tremendous increase in indoor and artificial ice rinks all over the world. Because of this, ice hockey has become a year-round, amateur hobby in key areas in the metropolis. For one, there are host cities for the National Hockey League and other league pros that make use of synthetic ice playing fields.
Ice hockey is played on rectangular rinks with arched corners. These rinks' lengths vary from roughly between 184 and 200 feet. Its width is around 85 to 98 feet. The rink is made up of three periods that are equal in length. For most levels, each of the periods typically runs for up to 20 minutes; youth classification games are often played in 12 to 15 minutes.
A hockey's "ball" is called a puck, which is a rounded small item made from vulcanized rubber. The puck is controlled with the use of hockey stick, a lengthy stick with a curved blade at the lower end. The hockey stick is used for stick handling, passing and shooting the puck and propelling sledges. Hockey players make sure that they are always well padded with the variety of protective hockey equipment, namely, hip, knee, shoulder, shin and elbow pads; lengthy stockings that fit knee pads, thick gloves of the gauntlet type; and team-colored sweaters over some padded shorts in the front part of their bodies.
For women's ice hockey, checking the body is disallowed, while it is permissible in the men's game.
It is interesting to note that around thirty percent of hockey games players do not come from North America. The rules under the International Hockey Federation require each of the team rosters to consist of twenty players at the maximum, plus two goaltenders. In actual games, each side of the hockey rink is crowded six players at all times. The five non-goaltenders are typically composed of three members on the forward lineup and two on the defense part.
Hockey is an exciting, friendly and fast paced sport. Its fan base are ranging between the ages five and ninety-five. Admittedly, when the puck drops, hockey becomes a real blast. By the same token, hockey is just as equally enjoyable for spectators to watch. Present statistics show that women's ice hockey is among the world's fastest and highest growing sports. Particularly, ice hockey's women participants generate a whooping 400 percent over the last decade.
Though the game has been played for such a long time, it seems to be of staying power. With ice hockey's comparatively straightforward rules, players and fans anticipate the game to conquer the sports world for an even longer time.
