Hockey |
Hockey is a game in which two opposing teams attempt to drive a ball, puck, or other small object through the goal of the opponent by means of sticks that are curved or hooked at one end. The two main forms of the game are ice hockey, played indoors or outdoors, and field hockey, generally played outdoors. Forms of hockey Perhaps one of the earliest stick-and-ball games, were known by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, Romans, and Arabs. Similar sports were played in the Middle Ages (from about the 5th century to about the 15th century) by Europeans and in pre-Columbian times (before the 16th century) by Native South Americans. A related sport, hurling, is known to have been played during the 1st millennium BC in Ireland. The name hockey, thought to have been adapted by the English from the French hoquet ("shepherd's crook"), was first given to the sport in the 18th century but was not in common usage until the 19th century. Ice Hockey Ice hockey is probably a descendant of bandy, a sport that developed in England in the late 18th century but is now played only in the Baltic countries, Sweden, and Russia and the other successor states of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). Modern ice hockey was devised in either 1853 or 1860 by British soldiers stationed in Canada. Rules were set by students at McGill University in Montréal, Québec, in 1879, and several amateur clubs and leagues were established in Canada by the late 1880s. The game is believed to have been first played in the United States in 1893. By the beginning of the 20th century the sport had spread to Great Britain and other parts of Europe. Today, ice hockey is played in some 30 countries, principally in North America, Scandinavia, and Russia. It is the national sport of Canada. An extremely rough, action-packed game, ice hockey is considered one of the fastest of all sports. It is played on natural or artificial ice, on an oval rink with a standard size of 61 m (200 ft) by 25.5 m (85 ft). The rink is enclosed by a board wall about 1.22 m (about 4 ft) high. Two goal nets, each 1.22 m (4 ft) high and 1.83 m (6 ft) wide, are situated not more than 4.57 m (15 ft) from each end of the rink. The playing area is divided into three equal-sized zones by two blue lines. A red centerline also divides the rink. The zone nearest a team's goal is called the defense zone, the central zone is called the neutral zone, and the zone nearest the opponent's goal is called the attacking zone. The rink has five face-off circles, each with a radius of 4.6 m (15 ft), one located at center ice and two in each team's defense zone. Each team skates, or uses, no more than six players at a time, usually one center, two forwards, two defensemen, and one goaltender, or goalie. Each player carries a metal or wooden stick (generally of ash or elm) with a shaft no longer than 152 cm (60 in) and with a blade no wider than 7.6 cm (3 in) and no longer than 32 cm (12.6 in). Players wear protective pads under their clothing and thick gloves on their hands; helmets are optional in professional hockey. Goaltenders are allowed heavier and wider sticks and wear additional protective equipment, including face masks. Ice hockey skates differ from those used for other kinds of ice skating. The blade is thinner and shorter, with a plain, pointed end, and the boot is lower and thicker. A goal is scored when the puck, a vulcanized rubber disk 2.5 cm (1 in) thick and 7.6 cm (3 in) in diameter, is driven into the opponent's goal. A player who scores three goals in one game is said to have scored a "hat trick." Play begins with a face-off, when the referee drops the puck between the opposing centers. Teams attempt to score through a combination of passing and shooting the puck with their sticks. If a player precedes the puck into the attacking zone, the play is ruled offside, and a face-off is held near the spot where the misplay occurred. When the puck is shot from behind the center line (the defender's blue line in college hockey) to a point beyond the opponent's goal line, it is called "icing," and the puck is returned for a face-off near the offender's goal. The principal means of defense is "checking": An offensive player is bumped or knocked by a defensive player so that control of the puck is lost. Substitutions of players are frequent during play. The game is divided into three 20-minute periods, with a change of goals at the end of each. Under international rules, if the score is tied after three periods, a 10-minute overtime is played, during which the game ends immediately after a goal is scored. If the game is tied after the overtime period, it ends in a tie. In National Hockey League (NHL) games, a five-minute overtime period follows a game that is tied at the conclusion of regulation play. The first team to score during the overtime session, called sudden death overtime, wins the game; if no team scores within this five-minute period, the game ends in a tie. During the Stanley Cup championship playoffs, games are continued in 20-minute periods until one team scores a deciding goal. Penalties are assessed for holding, tripping, slashing with the stick, unnecessary roughness, and fighting. The offending player is sent to a penalty box for two minutes for a minor infraction and five minutes for a major one. Teams may not substitute for their penalized players during the penalty, except during a misconduct penalty, which is usually ten minutes for arguing or bad sportsmanship. No team can be at more than a two-player disadvantage at a time. A team with a one- or two-player advantage is said to have the power play. Under international rules, as administered by the International Ice Hockey Federation (founded 1908), the game is controlled by two referees. In the NHL, the game is controlled by a referee and two linesmen. The major professional league is the NHL of North America. The NHL formed in November 1917 in Montréal from the National Hockey Association, which was established in 1909. The NHL comprises teams from the United States and Canada, and for years almost all players came from Canada. In recent years, however, more players have come from Europe and the United States, although the majority are still from Canada. The teams compete for the Stanley Cup, awarded annually from 1893 to 1912 for amateur competition and since 1912 for professional play. The cup was first presented by Sir Frederick Arthur, 1st baron Stanley of Preston, governor-general of Canada. The NHL also awards the Ross Trophy to its leading scorer, the Hart Trophy to its most valuable player, the James Norris Memorial Trophy to its best defenseman, the Vezina Trophy to its leading goaltender, the Calder Memorial Trophy to its best rookie, the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship, the Conn Smythe Trophy for the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup playoffs, and, since 1967, the Lester Patrick Trophy for service to the sport in the United States. The World Hockey Association was a rival league from 1971 to 1979. Amateur ice hockey has made dramatic progress since World War II (1939-1945). The chief amateur trophy in Canada is the Allan Cup, first awarded in 1908. From 1920-when ice hockey was added to the Olympic Games-to the late 1980s, competition was dominated by Canada, the USSR (to 1992), Czechoslovakia (to 1993), Sweden, and the United States. The Hockey Hall of Fame was established in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1961, and as of 1990 it had honored 275 players and contributors to the game. Among the celebrated players in ice hockey history are Maurice Richard, a brilliant forward for the Montréal Canadiens; Gordie Howe, a forward who played mostly with the Detroit Red Wings and set NHL records for career goals, assists, and points; Terry Sawchuk, a goaltender with a record 103 shutouts, mostly with the Red Wings (a shutout occurs when a goalie has allowed no goals to be scored in a game); Bobby Hull, a crafty skater who scored 604 NHL goals, mostly with the Chicago Blackhawks; Bobby Orr, an innovative defenseman, playing chiefly with the Boston Bruins; Vladislav Tretiak, a brilliant Russian goaltender and the first non-North American to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (1989); and Wayne Gretzky, who as a center with the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings set many scoring records. Field Hockey Field hockey, a noncontact sport played only on the amateur level, was formalized in England in 1876. The game has since become popular throughout Europe and in India (where it is the national sport), Pakistan, New Zealand, and parts of South America, Asia, and Africa. In the United States, field hockey is played almost exclusively by women. The game is played outdoors on a grassy field 92 m (100 yd) long and between 50 and 55 m (55 and 60 yd) wide, divided into four 23-m (25-yd) zones. A goal at the center of each goal line is 3.66 m (4 yd) wide. Goalposts 2.13 m (7 ft) high are joined at the top by a crossbar. A net is attached to the crossbar, the goalposts, and the ground behind the goal. The ball, with a circumference of about 23 cm (about 9.25 in), has a cork center wound with twine and a seamless white leather cover; it weighs not more than 163 g (5.75 oz). Each player carries a wooden stick about 91 cm (about 36 in) long that weighs between 340 and 652 g (12 and 23 oz) for women and up to 794 g (28 oz) for men. The stick is curved at one end and flattened on the left side (the striking side). Players normally wear shirts and shorts, or skirts, and mouth and shin guards. Goalkeepers also wear protective pads, face guards, and gloves. Officials include two umpires and sometimes two timekeepers and two scorekeepers. Each team is composed of 11 players, usually 5 forwards, 2 fullbacks, 3 halfbacks, and 1 goalkeeper, but the formation may be changed by the team captain. The game is divided into two halves of 35 minutes each, with a change of goals at the end of the first half. The ball is put in play in midfield through a procedure called a bully. One player from each team taps the ground and the opponent's stick three times before hitting the ball. A point is scored when a player hits the ball into the opponent's net from the striking circle, a zone in front of the goal that is roughly a semicircle with a radius of 15 m (16 yd), flattened at the top by a 3.66-m (4-yd) line parallel to the goal line. Games ended in a tie are left undecided. Teams breaking the rules are penalized through free hits and penalty strokes awarded to the opposing team. The first women's hockey club was founded in London in 1887, and the International Federation of Women's Hockey Associations was established in 1927. International women's tournaments were first organized in the mid-1970s. In 1974 a Women's World Cup match was held in France, and in 1975 a women's world championship was held in Scotland. Women's field hockey became part of the Olympic Games in 1980. Men's field hockey became an Olympic sport in 1908. India has dominated Olympic competition since 1928, but Pakistan, New Zealand, Australia, and the Netherlands have made strong showings since 1960. International field hockey, controlled by the International Federation of Hockey (founded 1924), also includes competition for the World Cup, the European Cup, and the Manning Cup (between Australia and New Zealand); the East Africa championships; and tournaments held as part of the Asian Games and Pan-American Games.
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