Ice Hockey – Overview
Ice Hockey, also termed as the fastest physical game on the planet, is mostly played in Canada, North America and Europe by modifying a sport called Hurley. But it is believed to have originated in the east coast, Nova Scotia in the early 18th century and then has mainly influenced the west as a winter sport.
Ice Hockey is a game played on an ice-coated surface with skates on the feet, played in between two teams with sticks to hit the puck and score goals against the other team. This game has gained incredible acceptance from the people and is also being played at an international level in the Olympics since 1920’s.
Objective
The primary objective of Ice Hockey is to shoot a puck through the ice-coated playing surface known as rink and strike it into the opponent’s goalpost with a hockey stick. A team with six players including the goaltender, scores a point by hitting the puck in to the goalpost. The team scoring more number of goals at the end of the game is the winner.
During the game, the puck is passed from player to player on the rink and the opponent team tries to prevent passing of the puck and the opponent goaltender blocks at the goalposts from hitting the goals.
Team Size
Ice Hockey is played between two teams having six players each. The team is divided into five skaters and one goaltender. The skaters have three forward players and two defensemen positioned on the field, and are free to move on the rink. The goaltender has restricted access on the field and only has partial control on striking the puck.
The number of substitutions in this sport is unlimited and can be substituted at any point of time during the play except when the opponent team ices the puck or if the player is penalized. It is played in both men’s and women’s category.