Hockey
Hockey is any of a family of
sports in which
two teams compete by trying to maneuver a ball, or a hard, round disc called a
puck,
into the opponent's net or goal, using a hockey stick. The dominant version of
hockey in a particular region tends to be known simply as hockey, other
forms being more fully qualified.
Origins
Games like hockey have been played in almost every populated region of the
globe, from
Ancient Greece to
North America. Its basic concept is that of fighting in teams over an
object or ball, using staves, and bringing it back to one's own side of a
field. Often goals were set up to keep the players within a defined area. It
was played both on foot and on horseback, and sometimes both at once, often as
a form of
military training. The mounted form is known as
polo.
Field hockey
Field hockey is played with a ball on gravel or natural grass, or on
sand-based or water-based
artificial turfs, with a small, hard ball. The game is popular among both
males and females in many countries of the world, particularly countries in
Europe,
India,
Pakistan,
Australia,
New
Zealand,
South
Africa and
South
Asia. In the
United States and
Canada it is
played predominantly by women.
The 116-member governing body is the
International Hockey Federation (FIH). Field Hockey has been played at
each
summer Olympic Games since 1908 (except 1924).
Modern field hockey sticks are J-shaped and constructed of a composite of
wood, glass fibre or carbon fibre (or both) and have a curved hook at the
playing end, a flat surface on the playing side and curved surface on the rear
side.
There are 4000-year-old drawings in Egypt of a game resembling field hockey
being played. While modern field hockey appeared in the mid-18th
century in
England, primarily in schools, it was not until the first half of the
19th
century that it became firmly established. The first club was created in
1849 at
Blackheath in south-east
London.
Ice hockey
Ice
hockey is played on ice with a three inch (76.2 mm) diameter vulcanized
rubber disc called a
puck.
There are two teams of skaters consisting of a goaltender, two defence players
and three forwards. The game is played all over North America, Europe and in
many other countries around the world to a greater or lesser extent. It is
played with two teams, while 5 skaters and 1 goalie are allowed on the ice at
a time. In NHL rules, the periods are 20 minutes long. There are three
periods.
The 64-member governing body is the
International Ice Hockey Federation, (IIHF). Ice hockey has been played at
the
Winter Olympics since 1924, and was in the 1920 Summer Olympics.
North America's
National Hockey League is the strongest professional ice hockey league,
drawing top ice hockey players from around the globe. The NHL rules are
slightly different from those used in Olympic hockey.
Ice hockey sticks are long L-shaped sticks made of wood, graphite, or
composites with a blade at the bottom that can lie flat on the playing surface
when the stick is held upright and can curve either way as to help a left- or
right-handed player gain an advantage.
There are early representations and reports of hockey-type games being
played on ice in the
Netherlands, and reports from
Canada from
the beginning of the nineteenth century, but the modern game was initially
organized by students at
McGill University,
Montreal
in 1875 and, by two years later, codified the first set of ice hockey rules
and organized the first teams.
Road hockey
Road Hockey being played in Washington D.C.
Another form of popular hockey is
road
hockey. Many children and teens enjoy this tradition in parking lots,
streets and tennis courts across Canada and the world. Leagues such as the
Stephenville Area Hockey League have been formed to organize players and
hold regular games.
Roller hockey (inline)
Inline Hockey (Roller) is played worldwide on inline skates
Inline hockey is a variation of
roller hockey very similar to
ice
hockey, from which it is derived. Inline hockey is played by two teams,
consisting of four skaters and one goalie, on a dry rink divided into two
halves by a center line, with one net at each end of the rink. The game is
played in four 15-minute periods with a variation of the ice hockey off-side
rule. Icings are also called, but are usually referred to as illegal clearing.
For rink dimensions and an overview of the rules of the game, see IIHF Inline
Rules (official
rules). Some leagues and competitions do not follow the IIHF regulations,
in particular
USA Inline and
Canada Inline.
Roller hockey (Quad)
Roller hockey (Quad) is played worldwide on quad skates.
Roller hockey (Quad) Roller Hockey is the overarching name for a roller
sport that has existed long before inline skates were invented. Roller hockey
has been played in sixty countries worldwide and so has many names worldwide.
Sometimes the sport is called Quad Hockey, Hóquei em Patins, International
Style Ball hockey, Rink hockey and Hardball hockey depending on the part of
the world it is played. Roller Hockey was a demonstration rollersport in the
1992 Barcelona summer Olympics.
Other forms of hockey
Other games derived from hockey or its predecessors include the following:
- Ball hockey is played in a gym using sticks and a ball
- Air
hockey is played indoors with a puck on an air-cushion table. - Bandy is
played with a ball on a
football-sized ice arena, typically outdoors. It is in many ways field
hockey played on ice.
Broomball is played on an ice hockey rink, but with a ball instead of a
puck and a "broom" (actually a stick with a small plastic implement on the
end) in place of the ice hockey stick. Instead of using skates, special
shoes are used that have very soft rubbery soles to maximize grip while
running around.- Bubble hockey is played in a plastic sealed table with the 'players'
being moved by the use of pushing and turning rods.
Floorball, or floor hockey, is a form of hockey played in a gymnasium
using a plastic puck or hollow ball, and plastic sticks. It is played in
sport halls.
Foot hockey is played using a bald tennis ball or rolled up pair of
socks and using only the feet. It is popular at elementary schools in the
winter.- Gym hockey is a form of ice hockey played in a gymnasium. It uses a
plastic puck and plastic sticks. - Hurling
and Camogie
are Irish
games bearing some resemblance to - and notable differences from - hockey.
Indoor field hockey is an indoor variation of field hockey.
Inline hockey, played ideally in an indoor rink (plastic surface) or
outdoor cement rink with a plastic puck. Using inline roller skates, and is
often played by ice hockey players for training purposes when ice is not
available.
Mini hockey (or knee hockey) is a form of hockey which is played in
basements of houses. Players get down on their knees, using a miniature
plastic stick, usually about 15 inches (38 cm) long and a small blue ball or
a soft, fabric covered mini puck. They shoot into miniature goals as well.
This is popular throughout North America, though it has not yet made the
jump to Europe.- Polo is a
form of hockey played mounted on horseback.
PowerHockey is a form of hockey for persons requiring the use of an
electric (power) wheelchair in daily life. PowerHockey is a competitive
sports opportunity for the physically disabled.
Ringette is an ice hockey variant that was designed for female players;
it uses a straight stick and a rubber ring in place of a puck. Note:
Ringette distances itself from hockey as it has its own set of rules and is
closely related to a mix of lacrosse and basketball.
Rinkball is a Scandinavian team sport, played in an ice hockey rink with
a ball.
Road hockey is a version of ice hockey played (most typically) on
residential streets with or without inline skates, on bare pavement. Games
are usually informal with no referee and no set teams. Because the game is
played in the middle of the road, it can be interrupted by traffic, at which
point someone will yell "car" and players move to the side of the road to
allow the vehicle to pass.
Roller hockey is a category which includes two rollersports: One is
played on inline skates
Inline hockey and the other is played on quad skates
Roller hockey (Quad).- Shinny
is an informal version of ice hockey. - Shinty
is a
Scottish Highlands game
Skater hockey is a variant of inline hockey, played with a ball.
Sledge hockey is a form of ice hockey played by the disabled. The
players sit on sleds, and push themselves up and down the ice with picks on
the butt end of their shortened hockey sticks. The game is played with many
of the same rules as regular ice hockey.- Spongee
is a cross between ice hockey and broomball and is most popular in
Manitoba, Canada. A stick and puck are used as in hockey (the puck is a
softer version called a "sponge puck"), and the same soft-soled shoes used
in broomball are worn. The rules are basically the same as ice hockey, but
one variation has an extra player on the ice called a "rover".
Table hockey is played indoors with a table-top game.
Underwater hockey is played on the bottom of a swimming pool.- Nok
Hockey A table-top version of hockey played with no defense and a small
block in front of the goal.
