Hockey

Hockey

Miracle on Ice The date is February 22, 1980. The location is Lake Placid, New York, at the Winter Olympic Games. The U. S. national hockey team faces the Soviet Union national team, which has won gold in six of the last seven Olympic Games. Everyone thinks the Soviet team will win. The U. S. team is ahead 4-3 with only ten minutes left in the game. As television newsman Al Michaels counts down the last seconds on the clock, he says, “ Do you believe in miracles? YES! " Team USA beats the Soviets and then beats Finland to win Olympic gold. The energy of these types of exciting wins, the speed of the game, and the talent of its players are what make hockey a thrilling global sport.

Playing to Win The National Hockey League (NHL) began in 1917 with five Canadian teams. It now has thirty teams, with about one-fourth based in Canada. Hockey is the sixth most popular team sport in North America. Teams in the NHL compete for a chance to win the highest award in men's hockey--the Stanley Cup. Women have their own leagues. Since 2007, Canada has had the Canadian Women's Hockey League. The United States formed the National Women's Hockey League in 2015.

Hockey Around the Globe Hockey is played in over seventy countries. As of 2013, there were over a million and a half hockey players around the world. Canada and the United States have by far the most hockey players. Hockey is usually played indoors so the ice can stay frozen all year long. However, in cold parts of the world, it can also be played outdoors on frozen ponds and lakes. Men's hockey has been part of the Olympic Winter Games since 1924. Women's hockey was added in 1998.

The Dawn of Hockey Modern hockey is played on ice with a hard rubber puck, but the game didn't start out that way. Long ago, the sport was played with a ball, which was dangerous because the ball was hard to control on ice. The first hockey rules were created in eastern Canada. On March 3, 1875, the first hockey game with a puck was played in the city of Montreal. Hockey soon became popular across Canada. The game later spread south into the United States.

Playing the Game Hockey is a fast and exciting team sport played on a smooth ice rink with a rubber puck and a long, thin stick. Players use their sticks to stickhandle (control), pass, and shoot the puck. Imagine doing that while skating at 20 miles per hour (32 kmph) or more! Players score goals by getting the puck into the other team's net. The team with more goals at the end of the game wins. Each team is always trying to gain control of the puck so they can score goals. The team that has the puck is on offense, and the other team is on defense.