Ice hockey, often referred to simply as hockey in the United States, Canada, Russia and Sweden, is a team sport played on ice. It is a speedy and physical sport. Ice hockey is most popular in areas that are sufficiently cold for natural, reliable seasonal ice cover, though with the advent of indoor artificial ice rinks it has become a year-round pastime at the amateur level in major metropolitan areas such as cities that host a National Hockey League (NHL) or other professional-league team. It is one of the four major North American professional sports, and is represented by the National Hockey League (NHL) at the highest level, and the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), the highest level of women's ice hockey in the world. It is the official national winter sport of Canada, where the game enjoys immense popularity. Only six of the thirty NHL franchises are based in Canada, but Canadian players outnumber Americans in the league. A sport governing body comes in several forms. ... The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) was founded in 1908 as the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace and is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. ... is the 62nd day of the year (63rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Victoria Skating Rink was a sports arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which opened on December 24, 1862. ... Nickname: Motto: Concordia Salus (well-being through harmony) Coordinates: , Country Province Region Montréal Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government  - Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area [1][2][3]  - City 365. ... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ... This article is about water ice. ... Rockefeller Center ice rink Outdoor ice rink in Ottawa. ... NHL redirects here. ... The term major professional sports league is used to describe the most important and well regarded leagues in the biggest professional sports in a country or region. ... NHL redirects here. ... The National Womens Hockey League (NWHL) is the highest level of womens ice hockey in the world. ... A National Pastime is a sport or game that is consider to be a culturally intrinsic part of a country or nation. ...

While there are 64 total members of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden and the United States have finished in most of the coveted 1st, 2nd and 3rd places at IIHF World Championships. Of the 63 medals awarded in men's competition at the Olympic level from 1920 on, only six did not go to the one of those countries, or a former entity thereof, such as Czechoslovakia or the Soviet Union. Only one of those six medals was above bronze.^[1] Those seven nations have also captured 162 of 177 medals awarded at 59 non-Olympic IIHF World Championships, and all medals since 1954.^[2] Likewise, all nine Olympic and 27 IIHF World Women Championships medals have gone to one of those seven countries.^[3][4] Also deserving of mention is Switzerland, which has won two men's bronze medals at the Olympics and finished third at least seven times at the World Championships. Switzerland also maintains one of the oldest and top-rated ice hockey leagues (the Swiss National League A) outside of the NHL.^[5] The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) was founded in 1908 as the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace and is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. ... The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual event put together by the IIHF, the International Ice Hockey Federation, since 1930. ... The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual event put together by the IIHF, the International Ice Hockey Federation, since 1930. ... The womens World Hockey Championship tournament is also governed by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). ...

History

Dutch burghers playing a game that looks much like ice hockey.

Games between teams hitting an object with curved sticks have been played throughout history; 4000 year-old drawings at the huge tombs in Egypt depict a sport resembling field hockey.^[6] The 1366 Statutes of Kilkenny in Ireland mentions "the plays which men call horlings, with great sticks and a ball upon the ground, from which great evils and maims have arisen", which was forbidden so that men would be fit and able to defend the land.^[7] The 1527 Galway Statutes, also in Ireland, made reference to "the horlinge of the litill balle with hockie stickes or staves."^[8] The etymology of the word hockey is uncertain. It may derive from the Old French word hoquet, shepherd's crook, or from the Middle Dutch word hokkie, meaning shack or doghouse, which in popular use meant goal. Many of these games were developed for fields, though where conditions allowed they were also played on ice. Seventeenth century Dutch paintings show townsfolk playing a hockey-like game on a frozen canal. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1044x645, 118 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1044x645, 118 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A game of field hockey in progress Field hockey is a popular sport for men, women and children in many countries around the world. ... The Statutes of Kilkenny were a notorious series of thirty-five acts passed at Kilkenny in 1367, aimed at curbing the alarming decline of the Hiberno-Norman Lordship of Ireland. ... Etymologies redirects here. ... Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories corresponding roughly to the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from around 1000 to 1300. ... In a draw in a mountainous region, a shepherd guides a flock of about 20 sheep amidst scrub and olive trees. ... Linguistically speaking, Middle Dutch is no more than a collective name for closely related languages or dialects which were spoken and written between about 1150 and 1500 in the present-day Dutch-speaking region. ... Shacks are most often used for storage or have been abandoned. ... First dog Dash, outside of his doghouse during U.S. President Harrisons tenure. ... The puck dents the top of the net and knocks off the water bottle for a goal as the goaltender fails to block the shot A goal in ice hockey provides a team with one point. ... This article deals with the culture of the Netherlands. ... For other uses, see Canal (disambiguation). ...

European immigrants brought various versions of hockey-like games to North America, such as the Irish sport of hurling, the closely-related Scottish sport of shinty, and versions of field hockey played in England. Where necessary these seem to have been adapted for icy conditions; for example, a colonial Williamsburg newspaper records hockey being played in a snow storm in Virginia. Early paintings show "shinney", an early form of hockey with no standard rules, being played in Nova Scotia. Author Thomas Chandler Haliburton wrote in a book of fiction, about boys from King's College School in Windsor, Nova Scotia, playing "hurley on the ice" when he was a student there around 1800 (Haliburton was born in 1796).^[9] To this day, "Shinny" (derived from Shinty) is a popular Canadian term for an informal type of hockey, either on ice or as street hockey. These early games may have also absorbed the physically aggressive aspects of what the Mi'kmaq Aboriginal First Nation in Nova Scotia called dehuntshigwa'es (lacrosse). For the Cornish sport, see Cornish Hurling. ... This article is about the country. ... // A shinty game in progress Shinty (Scottish Gaelic camanachd or iomain) is a team sport played with sticks and a ball. ... Location in the Commonwealth of Virginia. ... ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (Latin: One defends and the other conquers) Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Regional Municipality Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor Mayann E. Francis Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 11 Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867... Thomas Chandler Haliburton Thomas Chandler Haliburton (December 17, 1796 - August 27, 1865) was one of the first major Canadian authors. ... St. ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (Latin: One defends and the other conquers) Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Regional Municipality Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor Mayann E. Francis Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 11 Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867... Shinny is an informal type of hockey, either on ice or as street hockey. ... Main articles: History of Canada, Timeline of Canadian history Canada has been inhabited by aboriginal peoples (known in Canada as First Nations) for at least 40,000 years. ... Road hockey or street hockey is an informal version of ice hockey (or roller hockey) played in the street, usually by children. ... The Mikmaq The Mikmaq (; (also spelled Míkmaq, Migmaq, Miqmac, or priorly Micmac) are a First Nations or Native American people, indigenous to northeastern New England, Canadas Atlantic Provinces, and the Gaspé Peninsula of Quebec. ... Aboriginal people in Canada are Indigenous Peoples recognized in the Canadian Constitution Act, 1982, sections 25 and 35, respectively, as Indians (First Nations), Métis, and Inuit. ... First Nations is the current title used by Canada to describe the various societies of the indigenous peoples, called Native Americans in the U.S. They have also been known as Indians, Native Canadians, Aboriginal Americans, Amer-Indians, or Aboriginals, and are officially called Indians in the Indian Act, which... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (Latin: One defends and the other conquers) Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Regional Municipality Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor Mayann E. Francis Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 11 Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867... For other uses, see Lacrosse (disambiguation). ...

Ye Gude Olde Days, from Hockey: Canada's Royal Winter Game, 1899.

In 1825 Sir John Franklin wrote that "The game of hockey played on the ice was the morning sport" while on Great Bear Lake during one of his Arctic expeditions. In 1843 a British Army officer in Kingston, Ontario, wrote "Began to skate this year, improved quickly and had great fun at hockey on the ice."^[10] A Boston Evening Gazette article from 1859 makes reference to an early game of hockey on ice occurring in Halifax in that year. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 439 pixelsFull resolution (1473 × 809 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 439 pixelsFull resolution (1473 × 809 pixel, file size: 1. ... For other persons named John Franklin, see John Franklin (disambiguation). ... Great Bear Lake, NWT, Canada Mackenzie River drainage basin showing Great Bear Lakes position in the Western Canadian Arctic Great Bear Lake (Slavey: Sahtu, French: Grand lac de lOurs) is the largest lake in the Northwest Territories of Canada, the fourth largest in North America, and the eight... For the ships, see USS Arctic, SS Arctic, MV Arctic The red line indicates the 10°C isotherm in July, sometimes used to define the Arctic region border Artificially coloured topographical map of the Arctic region The Arctic is the region around the Earths North Pole, opposite the Antarctic... Murney Tower, Kingston The Fort Henry Guard performing an historical demonstration The Prince George Hotel Kingston, Ontario, the first capital[1] of Canada, is located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, where the lake runs into the St. ... This article is about the Canadian province. ...

The first recorded hockey games were played by British soldiers stationed in Kingston and Halifax during the mid 1850s. In the early 1870s, the first known set of ice hockey rules were drawn up by students at Montreal's McGill University. These rules established the number of players per side to 9 and replaced the ball with a square puck.^[10]

Based on Haliburton's writings, there have been claims that modern ice hockey originated in Windsor, Nova Scotia, and was named after an individual, as in 'Colonel Hockey's game'.^[11] Proponents of this theory claim that the surname Hockey exists in the district surrounding Windsor. In 1943, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association declared Kingston the birthplace of hockey, based on a recorded 1886 game played between students of Queen's University and the Royal Military College of Canada. Queens University, generally referred to simply as Queens, is a coeducational, non-sectarian public university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. ... The Royal Military College of Canada (RMC), is the military academy of the Canadian Forces and is a full degree-granting university. ...

The Society for International Hockey Research has had an "origins of hockey" committee studying this debate since 2001 and they defined hockey as: "a game played on an ice rink in which two opposing teams of skaters, using curved sticks, try to drive a small disc, ball or block into or through the opposite goals." The Society for International Hockey Research, a growing network of writers, statisticians, collectors, broadcasters, academics and just plain hockey buffs, was formed in 199l when 17 members attending the Canadian Association of Sports Heritage met in special session at Kingston, Ont. ...

The committee found evidence of stick and ball games played on ice on skates in Europe in the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries, and viewed these activities as being more indicative of a hockey-like game than Haliburton’s reference.

They found no evidence in the Windsor position of a connection from whatever form of hockey might have been played at Long Pond to the game played elsewhere and to modern hockey. The committee viewed as conjecture the assertion that King’s schoolboys introduced the game to Halifax. They noted that the assertion that hockey was not played outside Nova Scotia until 1865 overlooks diary evidence of shinny and hockey being played at Kingston in the 1840s.

The committee concluded that Dr. Vaughan and the Windsor Hockey Heritage Society had not offered credible evidence that Windsor, Nova Scotia, is the birthplace of hockey.

The committee offered no opinion on the birth date or birthplace of hockey, but took note of a game at Montreal’s Victoria Skating Rink on March 3, 1875. This is the earliest eyewitness account known to the committee of a specific game of hockey in a specific place at a specific time, and with a recorded score, between two identified teams. is the 62nd day of the year (63rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

According to the Society for International Hockey Research, the word puck is derived from the Scottish and Gaelic word "puc" or the Irish word "poc", meaning to poke, punch or deliver a blow. This definition is explained in a book published in 1910 entitled "English as we Speak it in Ireland" by P.W. Joyce. It defines the word puck as "… The blow given by a hurler to the ball with his caman or hurley is always called a puck".

Foundation of modern hockey

Ice hockey at McGill University, Montreal, 1901.

The foundation of the modern game centres on Montreal. On March 3, 1875 the first organized indoor game was played at Montreal's Victoria Skating Rink by James George Aylwin Creighton and several McGill University students. In 1877, several McGill students, including Creighton, Henry Joseph, Richard F. Smith, W.F. Robertson, and W.L. Murray codified seven ice hockey rules. The first ice hockey club, McGill University Hockey Club, was founded in 1877^[12] followed by the Montreal Victorias, organized in 1881.^[13] The game became so popular that the first "world championship" of ice hockey was featured in Montreal's annual Winter Carnival in 1883 and the McGill team captured the "Carnival Cup".^[14] In 1886, the teams which competed at the Winter Carnival would organize the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada(AHAC) league. Image File history File links McGill_Hockey_1901. ... Image File history File links McGill_Hockey_1901. ... Nickname: Motto: Concordia Salus (well-being through harmony) Coordinates: , Country Province Region Montréal Founded 1642 Established 1832 Government  - Mayor Gérald Tremblay Area [1][2][3]  - City 365. ... McGill University is a public co-educational research university located in Montréal, Québec, Canada. ... Montreal Victorias was an hockey team which played first in 1883 at the Montreal Winter Carnival. ... This article is part of the Evolution of the NHL series. ...

In Europe, it is believed that in 1885 the Oxford University Ice Hockey Club was formed to play the first Ice Hockey Varsity Match against traditional rival Cambridge in St. Moritz, Switzerland, although this is undocumented. This match was won by the Oxford Dark Blues, 6-0.^[15][16] The first photographs and team lists date from 1895.^[17] This continues to be the oldest hockey rivalry in history. League: BUIHA Founded: 1885 Home Ice: Oxpens Road Capacity: 1,025 Ice Size: 184 x 85 feet City: Oxford, United Kingdom Colours: Dark blue and white Captain: Grégoire Webber Head Coach: unknown Ownership: University sports club Oxford University Ice Hockey Club, sometimes known as Oxford Blues, claims to be... The Ice Hockey Varsity Match is a longstanding competition between the Cambridge and Oxford University Ice Hockey Clubs. ... League: [[None]] Founded: 1885 Home Ice: None Capacity: N/A Ice Size: N/A City: Cambridge, United Kingdom Colours: Light blue and white Captain: unknown Head Coach: unknown Ownership: University sports club Cambridge University Ice Hockey Club is one of the oldest ice hockey teams in the world. ...

The original Stanley Cup, in the Hockey Hall of Fame vault.

In 1888, the new Governor General of Canada, Lord Stanley of Preston, whose sons and daughter became hockey enthusiasts, attended the Montreal Winter Carnival tournament and was impressed with the hockey spectacle. In 1892, recognizing that there was no recognition for the best team in all of Canada, (various leagues had championship trophies) he purchased a decorative bowl for use as a trophy. The Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, which later became more famously known as the Stanley Cup, was first awarded in 1893 to the Montreal HC, champions of the AHAC. It continues to be awarded today to the National Hockey League's championship team.^[18] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 1322 KB) Summary Original Stanley Cup in the bank vault at the Hockey Hall of Fame. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 1322 KB) Summary Original Stanley Cup in the bank vault at the Hockey Hall of Fame. ... The Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (French: ) is the championship trophy of the National Hockey League (NHL), the major professional ice hockey league in Canada and the United States. ... Hockey Hall of Fame logo The Hockey Hall of Fame, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is dedicated to the history of ice hockey with exhibits featuring memorabilia and NHL trophies (including the Stanley Cup) along with interactive activities. ... The Governor General of Canada (French (feminine): Gouverneure générale du Canada, or (masculine): Gouverneur général du Canada) is the vice-regal representative in Canada of the Canadian monarch, who is the head of state. ... The 16th Earl of Derby Frederick Arthur Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby, KG, GCB, GCVO, PC (15 January 1841 – 14 June 1908), known as Frederick Stanley until 1886 and as The Lord Stanley of Preston between 1886 and 1893, was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom who served... The Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (French: ) is the championship trophy of the National Hockey League (NHL), the major professional ice hockey league in Canada and the United States. ... This article is part of the Evolution of the NHL series. ... The Montreal Hockey Club as the first Stanley Cup champions The Montreal Hockey Club was a senior-level mens amateur ice hockey club, organized in 1884. ... NHL can also be an abbreviation for National Historic Landmark or Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. ...

By 1893, there were almost a hundred teams in Montreal alone, and leagues throughout Canada. Winnipeg hockey players had incorporated cricket pads to better protect the goaltender's legs. They also introduced the "scoop" shot, later known as the wrist shot. Motto: Template:Unhide = Unum Cum Virtute Multorum (One With the Strength of Many) Location City Information Established: 1738 (Fort Rouge), 1873 (City of Winnipeg) Area: 465. ... This article is about the sport. ... This article is about the goaltender in ice hockey. ...

Ottawa Hockey Club "Silver Seven", the Champion of the Stanley Cup in 1905

1893 also saw the first ice hockey matches in the U.S., at Yale University and Johns Hopkins University.^[19] The U.S. Amateur Hockey League was founded in New York City in 1896, and the first professional team, the Portage Lakers was formed in 1903 in Houghton, Michigan (although there had been individual professionals in Canada before this). Image File history File linksMetadata Silver7. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Silver7. ... The Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (French: ) is the championship trophy of the National Hockey League (NHL), the major professional ice hockey league in Canada and the United States. ... Yale redirects here. ... The Johns Hopkins University, founded in 1876, is a private institution of higher learning located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... Location of Houghton, Michigan Country United States State Michigan County Houghton County Area  - City  4. ...

The five sons of Lord Stanley were instrumental in bringing ice hockey to Europe, beating a court team (which included both the future Edward VII and George V) at Buckingham Palace in 1895. By 1903 a five-team league had been founded. The Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace was founded in 1908 to govern international competitions, and the first European championships were won by Great Britain in 1910. In the mid-20th century, the Ligue became the International Ice Hockey Federation.^[20] Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death on 6 May 1910. ... George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was the first British monarch belonging to the House of Windsor, which he created from the British branch of the German House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. ... Buckingham Palace and the Victoria Memorial. ... The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) was founded in 1908 as the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace and is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. ...

The professional era

Ice hockey in Europe; Oxford University vs. Switzerland, 1922. Future Canadian Prime Minister Lester Pearson is at right front.

Main article: Professional ice hockey

Professional ice hockey has existed since before World War I. From the first professional ice hockey league based out of Houghton, Michigan in the United States, it quickly grew into Canada and in many other countries, including Switzerland, Ukraine, Great Britain and Austria. Image File history File links Ice_hockey_1922. ... Image File history File links Ice_hockey_1922. ... The Right Honourable Lester Bowles Mike Pearson (April 23, 1897 - December 27, 1972) was the fourteenth Prime Minister of Canada from April 22, 1963, to April 20, 1968, and also a 1957 Nobel Laureate. ... Professional ice hockey has existed since after World War I. From the first professional ice hockey league based out of Michigan in the United States, it quickly grew into Canada and to many other countries, as diverse as Switzerland, Ukraine, Great Britain or Austria. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Location of Houghton, Michigan Country United States State Michigan County Houghton County Area  - City  4. ...

Equipment

Main article: Ice hockey equipment

Since hockey is a full contact sport and body checks are allowed, ice hockey tends to be a very dangerous game and people tend to get injured alote . Protective equipment is highly recommended and is enforced in all competitive situations. This usually includes a helmet, shoulder pads, elbow pads, mouth guard, protective gloves, heavily padded shorts, a 'jock' athletic protector, shin pads, chest protector and a neck guard.Which are usually very expensive. A set of full hockey equipment. ...

Game

While the general characteristics of the game are the same wherever it is played, the exact rules depend on the particular code of play being used. The two most important codes are those of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF)^[21] and of the North American National Hockey League (NHL).^[22] The majority of ice hockey around the world is played under the umbrella of three organizations, Hockey Canada, USA Hockey, and the International Ice Hockey Federation, each with their own set of rules. ... The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) was founded in 1908 as the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace and is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. ... NHL redirects here. ...

Typical layout of an ice hockey rink surface

Ice hockey is played on a hockey rink. During normal play, there are six players per side on the ice at any time, each of whom is on ice skates. There are five players and one goaltender per side. The objective of the game is to score goals by shooting a hard vulcanized rubber disc, the puck, into the opponent's goal net, which is placed at the opposite end of the rink. The players may control the puck using a long stick with a blade that is commonly curved at one end. Image File history File links Icehockeylayout. ... Image File history File links Icehockeylayout. ... hi everybody A hockey rink is an ice rink specifically designed for the game of ice hockey. ... Ice skates are boots with blades attached to the bottom, used to propel oneself across a sheet of ice. ... This article is about the goaltender in ice hockey. ... The puck dents the top of the net and knocks off the water bottle for a goal as the goaltender fails to block the shot A goal in ice hockey provides a team with one point. ... Vulcanization refers to a specific curing process of rubber involving high heat and the addition of sulfur. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Two standard hockey pucks. ... Field hockey stick Girl with a field hockey stick In climatology, the Hockey Stick graph is a nickname for a rising temperature reconstruction. ...

A player is said to shoot left if he holds his stick with the left hand on the bottom and the right hand on top, and is said to be right shot if he holds the stick with the right hand at the bottom and left hand on top. Most right-handed players (that is, in general, players who write, eat, and throw with their right hand) shoot left and most left-handed players shoot right. This is because the bottom hand delivers most of the power while the top hand is responsible for control and stickhandling. Having the dominant hand at the top of the stick allows the player to have greater control and reach when wielding the stick one-handed, although many players prefer to shoot with their dominant hand. Goalies usually hold their stick with their dominant hand on top and their less-dominant hand is used for catching and is placed on the stick below the other hand only when stickhandling the puck. A person who is right-handed is more dextrous with their right hand than with their left hand: they will write with their right hand, and probably also use this hand for tasks such as personal care, cooking, and so on. ... People who are left-handed are more dextrous with their left hand than with their right hand: they will probably also use their left hand for tasks such as personal care, cooking, and so on. ...

Players may also redirect the puck with any part of their bodies, subject to certain restrictions. Players can angle their feet so the puck can redirect into the net, but there can be no kicking motion. Players may not intentionally bat the puck into the net with their hands.

Hockey is an "offside" game, meaning that forward passes are allowed, unlike in rugby. Before the 1930s hockey was an onside game, meaning that only backward passes were allowed. The period of the onside game was the golden age of stick-handling, which was of prime importance in moving the game forward. With the arrival of offside rules, the forward pass transformed hockey into a truly team sport, where individual heroics diminished in importance relative to team play, which could now be coordinated over the entire surface of the ice as opposed to merely rearward players.^[23]

The five players other than the goaltender are typically divided into three forwards and two defencemen. The forward positions consist of a centre and two wingers: a left wing and a right wing. Forwards often play together as units or lines, with the same three forwards always playing together. The defencemen usually stay together as a pair, but may change less frequently than the forwards. A substitution of an entire unit at once is called a line change. Teams typically employ alternate sets of forward lines and defensive pairings when shorthanded or on a power play. Substitutions are permitted at any time during the course of the game, although during a stoppage of play the home team is permitted the final change. When players are substituted during play, it is called changing on the fly. A new NHL rule added in the 2005-2006 season prevents a team from changing their line after they ice the puck. Forward is a hockey player position on the ice whose responsibility is primarily offense. ... Centre or center in ice hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play is the middle of the ice, away from the side boards. ... Winger in hockey is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. ... Defence (defense in the U.S.A.) in hockey is a player position with a primary responsibility to prevent the opposing team from scoring goals. ... In ice hockey, shorthanded refers to having fewer skaters on the ice during play, as a result of a penalty. ... A Powerplay is a new rule concerning fielding restrictions in one-day international (ODI) cricket. ... Example A is not icing; Example B is icing. ...

The boards surrounding the ice help keep the puck in play & they can also be used as tools to play the puck. The referees, linesmen and the outsides of the goal are "in play" and do not cause a stoppage of the game when the puck or players are influenced (by either bouncing or colliding) into them. Play can be stopped if the goal is knocked out of position. Play often proceeds for minutes without interruption. When play is stopped, it is restarted with a faceoff. Two players "face" each other and an official drops the puck to the ice, where the two players attempt to gain control of the puck. A closeup of an official about to drop the puck A typical faceoff at centre ice A faceoff is the method used to begin play in ice hockey. ...

There are three major rules of play in ice hockey that limit the movement of the puck: offsides, icing, and the puck going out of play. The puck goes "out of play" when ever it goes past the perimeter of the ice rink (onto the player benches, over the "glass", or onto the protective netting above the glass) and a stoppage of play should be called by the officials. It also does not matter if the puck comes back onto to the ice surface from those areas as the puck is considered dead once it leaves the perimeter of the rink. For other uses, see Offside. ... Example A is not icing; Example B is icing. ...

Under IIHF rules, each team may carry a maximum of 20 players and two goaltenders on their roster. NHL rules restrict the total number of players per game to 18 plus two goaltenders.

Penalties

Main article: Penalty (ice hockey)

Altercations often occur near the goal after a stoppage of play, since defensive players are extremely concerned with protecting their goaltender. All rulebooks call for penalties if an offensive player interferes with a goaltender's ability to defend the goal.

For most penalties, the offending player is sent to the penalty box and his team has to play without him and with one less skater for a short amount of time. Most penalties last for two minutes unless a major penalty has been assessed. The team that has taken the penalty is said to be playing shorthanded while the other team is on the power play. A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. ... Download high resolution version (711x664, 63 KB)Hockey fight File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (711x664, 63 KB)Hockey fight File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... This article is about the goaltender in ice hockey. ... The penalty boxes in this ice hockey game are shown here. ... In ice hockey, shorthanded refers to having fewer skaters on the ice during play, as a result of a penalty. ... Power play or powerplay may refer to: In gaming: PC PowerPlay, a PC games magazine published in Australia PowerPlay (technology), a defunct standard for networked video gaming headed by Valve Software and Cisco Systems Powerplay Cruiser, a joystick released in the early 1990s In sports: Powerplay, a sporting term used...

A two-minute minor penalty is often called for lesser infractions such as tripping, elbowing, roughing, high-sticking, too many players on the ice, illegal equipment, charging (leaping into an opponent or body-checking him after taking more than two strides), holding, interference, delay of game, hooking, or cross-checking. In the 2005-06 NHL season, a minor is also assessed for diving, where a player embellishes a hook or trip. More egregious fouls of this type may be penalized by a four-minute double-minor penalty, particularly those which (inadvertently) cause injury to the victimized player. These penalties end either when the time runs out or the other team scores on the power play. In the case of a goal scored during the first two minutes of a double-minor, the penalty clock is set down to two minutes upon a score (effectively expiring the first minor). Five-minute major penalties are called for especially violent instances of most minor infractions that result in intentional injury to an opponent, as well as for fighting. Major penalties are always served in full; they do not terminate on a goal scored by the other team. The foul of 'boarding', defined as "check[ing] an opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to be thrown violently in the boards" by the NHL Rulebook is penalized either by a minor or major penalty at the discretion of the referee, based on the violence of the hit. A minor or major penalty for "Boarding" is also often assessed when a player checks an opponent from behind and into the boards.

Some varieties of penalties do not always require the offending team to play a man short. Five-minute major penalties in the NHL usually result from fighting. In the case of two players being assessed five-minute fighting majors, they both serve five minutes without their team incurring a loss of player (both teams still have a full complement of players on the ice). This differs with two players from opposing sides getting minor penalties, at the same time or at any intersecting moment, resulting from more common infractions. In that case, both teams will have only four skating players (not counting the goaltender) until one or both penalties expire (if one expires before the other, the opposing team gets a power play for the remainder); this applies regardless of current pending penalties, though in the NHL, a team always has at least three skaters on the ice. Ten-minute misconduct penalties are served in full by the penalized player, but his team may immediately substitute another player on the ice unless a minor or major penalty is assessed in conjunction with the misconduct (a two-and-ten or five-and-ten). In that case, the team designates another player to serve the minor or major; both players go to the penalty box, but only the designee may not be replaced, and he is released upon the expiration of the two or five minutes, at which point the ten-minute misconduct begins. In addition, game misconducts are assessed for deliberate intent to inflict severe injury on an opponent (at the officials' discretion), or for a major penalty for a stick infraction or repeated major penalties. The offending player is ejected from the game and must immediately leave the playing surface (he does not sit in the penalty box); meanwhile, if a minor or major is assessed in addition, a designated player must serve out that segment of the penalty in the box (similar to the above-mentioned "two-and-ten").

A player who is tripped, or illegally obstructed in some way, by an opponent on a breakaway – when there are no defenders except the goaltender between him and the opponent's goal – is awarded a penalty shot, an attempt to score without opposition from any defenders except the goaltender. A penalty shot is also awarded for a defender other than the goaltender covering the puck in the goal crease, a goaltender intentionally displacing his own goal posts during a breakaway in order to avoid a goal, a defender intentionally displacing his own goal posts when there is less than two minutes to play in regulation time or at any point during overtime, or a player or coach intentionally throwing a stick or other object at the puck or the puck carrier and the throwing action disrupts a shot or pass play. A breakaway is a situation in ice hockey in which a player with the puck has no defending players, except for the goaltender, between himself and the opposing goal, leaving him free to skate in and shoot at will (assuming he can skate faster than the defenders trying to catch... In ice hockey, a penalty shot is a type of penalty awarded when a team loses a clear scoring opportunity because of a foul committed by an opposing player. ...

An ice hockey referee is responsible for assessing most penalties during a game.

Officials also stop play for puck movement violations, such as using one's hands to pass the puck in the offensive end, but no players are penalized for these offences. The sole exceptions are deliberately falling on or gathering the puck to the body, carrying the puck in the hand, and shooting the puck out of play in one's defensive zone (all penalized two minutes for delay of game). American Hockey League referee Dean Morton, 2004, by Rick Dikeman File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... American Hockey League referee Dean Morton, 2004, by Rick Dikeman File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

A new penalty in the NHL applies to the goalies. The goalies now are unable to play the puck in the "corners" of the rink near their own net. This will result in a two-minute penalty against the goalie's team. The area immediately behind the net is the only area behind the net in which the goalie can play the puck.

An additional rule that is not a penalty in the new NHL is the two line offside passes. There are no more two-line offside pass whistles blown. Now players are able to pass to teammates who are more than the blue and centre ice red line away.

The NHL has taken steps to speed the game of hockey up and create a game of finesse, by retreating from the past where illegal hits, fights, and "clutching and grabbing" among players was commonplace. Rules are now much more strictly enforced resulting in more infractions being penalized which in turn provides more protection to the players and allows for more goals to be scored.

There are many infractions for which a player may be assessed a penalty. The governing body for United States amateur hockey has implemented many new rules to reduce the number stick-on-body occurrences, as well as other detrimental and illegal facets of the game ("Zero Tolerance"). A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. ...

In men's hockey, but not in women's, a player may use his hip or shoulder to hit another player if the player has the puck or is the last to have touched it. This use of the hip and shoulder is called body checking. Not all physical contact is legal — in particular, hits from behind and most types of forceful stick-on-body contact are illegal. Checking in ice hockey is the act of physically keeping an opposing player in check. ...

Fights

Main article: Fighting in ice hockey

This article is about condoned fighting in ice hockey. ...

Officials

Main article: Official (ice hockey)

A typical game of ice hockey has two to four officials on the ice, charged with enforcing the rules of the game. There are typically two linesmen who are responsible only for calling offside and icing violations, and one or two referees, who call goals and all other penalties. Linesmen can, however, report to the referee(s) that a penalty more severe than a two-minute minor penalty should be assessed against an offending player, or when a too many men on the ice infraction occurs. On-ice officials are assisted by off-ice officials who act as goal judges, time keepers, and official scorers. American Hockey League referee Dean Morton In ice hockey, an official is a person who has some responsibility in enforcing the rules or maintaining the order of the game. ... American Hockey League referee Dean Morton In ice hockey, an official is a person who has some responsibility in enforcing the rules or maintaining the order of the game. ... Example A is not icing; Example B is icing. ...

Officials are selected by the league for which they work. Amateur hockey leagues use guidelines established by national organizing bodies as a basis for choosing their officiating staffs. In North America, the national organizing bodies Hockey Canada and USA Hockey approve officials according to their experience level as well as their ability to pass rules knowledge and skating ability tests. Hockey Canada has officiating levels I through VI. USA Hockey has officiating levels 1 through 4. Hockey Canada is the official national governing body of ice hockey in Canada and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. ... USA Hockey is recognized as the governing body for amateur ice hockey in the United States and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. ...

Tactics

Winning the faceoff can be the key to some strategies. A game between Saginaw and Plymouth's Ontario Hockey League teams.

An important defensive tactic is checking – attempting to take the puck from an opponent or to remove the opponent from play. Forechecking is checking in the other team's zone; backchecking is checking while the other team is advancing down the ice toward one's own goal. These terms usually are applied to checking by forwards. Stick checking, sweep checking, and poke checking are legal uses of the stick to obtain possession of the puck. Body checking is using one's shoulder or hip to strike an opponent who has the puck or who is the last to have touched it (within a short period of time after possession; usually less than three seconds). Often the term checking is used to refer to body checking, with its true definition generally only propagated among fans of the game. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1262x840, 254 KB) Summary Faceoff at the opening game of the OHL 2005 - 2006 hockey season at Wendler Arena of the Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan on September 21, 2005. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1262x840, 254 KB) Summary Faceoff at the opening game of the OHL 2005 - 2006 hockey season at Wendler Arena of the Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan on September 21, 2005. ... A closeup of an official about to drop the puck A typical faceoff at centre ice A faceoff is the method used to begin play in ice hockey. ... Saginaw is the name of several places in the United States of America: Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw, Texas This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Plymouth is a city in Wayne County of the U.S. state of Michigan. ... OHL All-Star Game 2006 Opening Face Off. ... Checking in ice hockey is the act of physically keeping an opposing player in check. ...

Offensive tactics include improving a team's position on the ice by advancing the puck out of one's zone towards the opponent's zone, progressively by gaining lines, first your own blue line, then the red line and finally the opponent's blue line. NHL rules instated for the 2006 season redefined icing to make the two-line pass legal; a player may pass the puck from behind his own blue line, past both that blue line and the centre red line, to a player in front of the opponents' blue line. In fact, an errant pass that would normally result in an icing call is negated if the player for whom the pass was intended gains possession of the puck before it crosses the opponents' goal line; thus a "three-line pass" can be attempted with a fast forward as long as an offsides is not committed. Offensive tactics are designed ultimately to score a goal by taking a shot. When a player purposely directs the puck towards the opponent's goal, he or she is said to shoot the puck. Example A is not icing; Example B is icing. ... For other uses, see Offside. ... For other uses, see Offside. ... A shot in ice hockey is an attempt by a player to score a goal by striking the puck with his stick in the direction of the net. ...

Peter Bondra of the Atlanta Thrashers shoots the puck and scores behind Roberto Luongo of the Florida Panthers

A deflection is a shot which redirects a shot or a pass towards the goal from another player, by allowing the puck to strike the stick and carom towards the goal. A one-timer is a shot which is struck directly off a pass, without receiving the pass and shooting in two separate actions. A deke (short for decoy) is a feint with the body and/or stick to fool a defender or the goalie. Headmanning the puck, also known as cherry-picking or breaking out, is the tactic of rapidly passing to the player farthest down the ice. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 491 pixel Image in higher resolution (1024 × 628 pixel, file size: 417 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Ice hockey Peter... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 491 pixel Image in higher resolution (1024 × 628 pixel, file size: 417 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Ice hockey Peter... Peter Bondra (Born February 7, 1968 in Lutsk, Ukraine, U.S.S.R.) is a former Slovak professional ice-hockey player who is currently the general manager of the Slovak national team. ... The Thrashers take the puck into the offensive zone against the St. ... A shot in ice hockey is an attempt by a player to score a goal by striking the puck with his stick in the direction of the net. ... Roberto Luongo (born April 4, 1979, in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender with the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League. ... For the animal species by this name, see Florida Panther. ...

A team that is losing by one or two goals in the last few minutes of play will often elect to pull the goalie; that is, removing the goaltender and replacing him or her with an extra attacker on the ice in the hope of gaining enough advantage to score a goal. However, it is an act of desperation, as it sometimes leads to the opposing team extending their lead by scoring a goal in the empty net. An extra attacker in ice hockey is a forward or, less commonly, a defenceman who has been substituted in place of the goaltender. ...

A delayed penalty call occurs when a penalty offense is committed by the team that does not have possession of the puck. In this circumstance the team with possession of the puck is allowed to complete the play; that is, play continues until a goal is scored, the puck is shot, stopped and controlled by the opposing goalie, a player on the opposing team gains control of the puck, or the team in possession commits an infraction or penalty of their own. Because the team on which the penalty was called cannot control the puck without stopping play, it is impossible for them to score a goal, however, it is possible for controlling team to mishandle the puck into their own net. In these cases the team in possession of the puck can pull the goalie for an extra attacker without fear of being scored on. If a delayed penalty is signaled and the team in possession scores, the penalty is still assessed to the offending player, but not served.

Although it is officially prohibited in the rules, at the professional level in North America fights are sometimes used to affect morale of the teams, with aggressors hoping to demoralize the opposing players while exciting their own, as well as settling personal scores. Both players in an altercation receive five-minute major penalties for fighting. The player deemed to be the "instigator" of an NHL fight, if one is determined to exist, is penalized an additional two minutes for instigating, plus a ten-minute misconduct penalty. If there is no instigator, both players stay in the penalty box for five minutes, and neither team loses skaters. They point to less extreme on-ice violence during the era before the rule was introduced. Toronto Maple Leafs owner Conn Smythe famously observed that "If you can't beat 'em in the alley you can't beat 'em on the ice."^[24] A large fight in a hockey game Fighting in ice hockey is an extremely controversial aspect of ice hockey. ... For other uses, see Toronto Maple Leafs (disambiguation). ... Constantine Falkland Kerry Smythe (b. ...

A fight during the game between the Ottawa Senators and the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Neutral zone trap:
The trap is designed to isolate the puck carrier in the neutral zone preventing him from entering the offensive zone. In youth hockey development of the neutral zone trap often begins with the left wing lock. In this tactic the left wing plays in the normal position of the left defence men while in the offensive zone. The left defenceman then moves to the centre. The centre and right wing chase the puck. When the opposing team gains control of the puck, the defencemen and the left wing pull out and set a two man trap along the boards. The left or right wing available, backs up the trap while the centre and right wing pursuit and try to get in front of the play further blocking the offensive attack. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 598 pixel Image in higher resolution (1280 × 957 pixel, file size: 276 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Ice hockey Metadata... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 598 pixel Image in higher resolution (1280 × 957 pixel, file size: 276 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Ice hockey Metadata... For other uses, see Ottawa Senators (disambiguation). ... The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). ... The Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (French: ) is the championship trophy of the National Hockey League (NHL), the major professional ice hockey league in Canada and the United States. ...

Periods and overtime

A game consists of three periods of twenty minutes each, the clock running only when the puck is in play. The teams change ends for the second period, again for the third period, and again at the start of each overtime played. Recreational leagues and children's leagues often play shorter games, generally with three shorter periods of play.

Various procedures are used if a game is tied. In tournament play, as well as in the NHL playoffs, North Americans favour sudden death overtime, in which the teams continue to play 20 minute periods until a goal is scored. Up until the 1999-2000 season regular season NHL games were settled with a single 5 minute sudden death period with 5 players (plus a goalie) per side, with the winner awarded 2 points in the standings and the loser 0 points. In the event of a tie (if the OT was scoreless), each team was awarded 1 point. From 1999-2000 until 2003-04 the National Hockey League decided ties by playing a single five-minute sudden death overtime period with each team having 4 players (plus a goalie) per side to "open-up" the game. In the event of a tie, each team would still receive 1 point in the standings but in the event of a victory the winning team would be awarded 2 points in the standings and the losing team 1 point. The only exception to this rule is if a team opts to pull their goalie in exchange for an extra skater during overtime and is subsequently scored upon (an 'Empty Net' goal), in which case the losing team receives no points for the overtime loss. International play and several North American professional leagues, including the NHL (in the regular season), now use an overtime period followed by a penalty shootout. If the score remains tied after an extra overtime period, the subsequent shootout consists of three players from each team taking penalty shots. After these six total shots, the team with the most goals is awarded the victory. If the score is still tied, the shootout then proceeds to a sudden death (actually sudden victory) format. Regardless of the number of goals scored during the shootout by either team, the final score recorded will award the winning team one more goal than the score at the end of regulation time. In the NHL if a game is decided by a shootout the winning team is awarded 2 points in the standings and the losing team is awarded 1. Ties no longer occur in the NHL. Overtime, in ice hockey, is a method of determining the winner and loser of ice hockey matches should a game be tied after regulation. ... NHL redirects here. ... Overtime, in ice hockey, is a method of determining the winner and loser of ice hockey matches should a game be tied after regulation. ... In ice hockey, a penalty shot is a type of penalty awarded when a team loses a clear scoring opportunity because of a foul committed by an opposing player. ... NHL can also be an abbreviation for National Historic Landmark or Non-Hodgkins lymphoma. ...

Women's ice hockey

Women playing hockey at Rideau Hall circa 1890 (earliest known image of women's hockey)

Image File history File links Image of women playing hockey, Isobel Stanley, daughter of Lord Stanley, is seen wearing white (Source: Proud past, bright future : one hundred years of Canadian womens hockey Brian McFarlane -- Toronto : Stoddart, 1994. ... Image File history File links Image of women playing hockey, Isobel Stanley, daughter of Lord Stanley, is seen wearing white (Source: Proud past, bright future : one hundred years of Canadian womens hockey Brian McFarlane -- Toronto : Stoddart, 1994. ... Rideau Hall is the official residence of the Governor General of Canada, and is the place of residence of the Monarch of Canada when visiting Ottawa. ...

History of women's ice hockey

Lord Stanley of Preston's daughter, Lady Isobel Stanley, was a pioneer in the women's game and is one of the first females to be photographed using puck and stick (around 1890) on the natural ice rink at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. By the early 1900s, women's teams were common throughout most of the Canadian provinces, the long skirts they were still required to wear giving them a goal-tending advantage. On March 8, 1899, the first account appeared in the Ottawa Evening Journal newspaper of a game played between two women's teams of four per side at the Rideau Skating Rink in Ottawa.^[25] On February 11, 1891, one of the earliest newspaper accounts of a seven-a-side game between women appeared in the Ottawa Citizen.^[26] McGill University's women's hockey team debuted in 1894.^[27] Isobel Stanley (b. ... Rideau Hall is the official residence of the Governor General of Canada, and is the place of residence of the Monarch of Canada when visiting Ottawa. ... is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 12-day-slo