Ice Hockey

It is very popular in Canada, and it has a comparably strong following in certain regions of the United States, notably the Northeast, the Northern Midwest, and Alaska. In all there are 64 members in the International Ice Hockey Federation.

The players may control the puck using a long stick with a blade that is commonly curved at one end. Players may also redirect the puck with any part of their bodies, subject to certain restrictions. One of the six players is typically a goaltender, whose primary job is to stop the puck from entering the net, and who is permitted unique gear towards that end. Two defencemen and a goaltender guard their goal.

The other five players are divided into three forwards and two defensemen. The forward positions are named left wing, center and right wing. Forwards often play together as units or lines, with the same three forwards always playing together. The defensemen 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. 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.

The boards surrounding the ice help keep the puck in play, and play often proceeds for minutes without interruption. When play is stopped, it is restarted with a faceoff.

Penalties: Fights often occur near the goal because players want to protect their goaltender.A typical game of ice hockey has two to four officials on the ice charged with enforcing the rules of the game: two linesmen, who are responsible only for calling offside and icing violations, and one or two referees, who call goals and all other penalties. The referee's raised arm indicates that he intends to call a penalty.

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, (body checking). Not all physical contact is legal , as there are many infractions that a player may be assessed a penalty for. The offending player is sent to the penalty box and his team has to play without him for a short time, giving the other team what is popularly termed a power play for either two or five minutes.

Although it is officially prohibited in the rules, at the professional level fights are sometimes used to affect morale of the teams.

Officials also stop play for puck movement violations, but no players are penalized for these offenses. 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).

Periods and Overtime: A game consists of three periods of twenty minutes each, the clock running only when the puck is in play. In international play, the teams change ends for the second period, again for the third period, and again after ten minutes of the third period.

There are two rules of play in ice hockey that limit the movement of the puck: offside and icing. Different Codes: The remaining characteristics of the game often depend on the particular code of play being used. The two most important codes are those of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and of the North American National Hockey League (NHL), the world's top professional league. North American amateur hockey codes, such as those of Hockey Canada and USA Hockey, tend to be a hybrid of the NHL and IIHF codes, while professional rules generally follow those of the NHL.

EQUIPMENT: Hockey stick, Goalie mask (made from metal wire or transparent plastic attached to their helmet that protects their face during play), Hockey puck, Helmets, Visors and mouth guard, Zamboni, Ice Skates, Shoulder and elbow pads, Protective gloves, jock protector, leg guards, heavily padded pants