Ice hockey is a sport played between two teams on an ice skating rink.
Players use ice hockey sticks to control, move, and shoot a puck into the opponent’s goal.
Hockey pucks are made from hardened rubber.
Teams are generally made up of six players.
The modern form of ice hockey played today was developed in Canada.
The first indoor ice hockey game of note occurred in Montreal, Canada, in 1895.
Professional ice hockey usually features three periods of play, each twenty minutes long.
Ice hockey is a full contact sport that requires protective gear such as padding, gloves, mouth guards and helmets.
Players can reach speeds of 30 mph (48 kph) on their ice skates. Hockey pucks can reach speeds of over 100 mph (160 kph).
The Stanley Cup is awarded to the winners of the National Hockey League (NHL), the world’s most popular ice hockey league.
In December 2010, Michigan State and the University of Michigan played a game of ice hockey in front of a record 104,173 fans.
Ice hockey is popular in countries such as Canada, the United States, Finland, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.
Ice hockey is played in the Winter Olympics.
Famous ice hockey players include Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe, Mark Messier, Jean Béliveau, Sidney Crosby and Mario Lemieux.
