How to Play Hockey
In both the United States and Europe, hockey fans can be found; the sport was originally founded, however, in Canada. The international men’s ice hockey world championships are highly regarded by Europeans and less regarded by Americans because it coincides at the same time the Stanley cup playoffs happen. Many of the best players in any given country go off to play in the NHL and play for the Stanley cup trophy; this is particularly true in nations that have an already high rate of NHL players in their country.
For years, professionals were not permitted to play at the international level, but now that many Europeans play in the NHL, the world championships no longer are comprised of the world’s best players. Since 1924, hockey has been part of the Olympics; Canada won 6 out of 7 gold medals. The United States won the gold medal in 1960, Russia won all, but 2 gold medals between 1956 and 1988, but it was professional Americans, Swedish, Finnish, and Canadians that were banned from Olympic competition. It was in 1980 in Lake Placid, New York that U.S.non-pro college students beat the Russians in the search for Olympic gold.
It was then that a new surge in the popularity of the game that most Americans weren’t paying too much attention to. The 1972 and 1974 Summit series had solidified Canada and Russia as hockey rivals. The Canadian Cup grew out of this competition; this is where the best nations came together to play. The World Cup of Hockey was the name that replaced the Canadian Cup; in the aftermath of the name change the United States won the match in 1996 and Canada won in 2004. In 1998, the Olympics decided to allow NHL professionals to compete in their games; as a result, many of the top players were permitted to play in an area with other top players. Women have made their mark upon this sport, as well; there have been nine women’s competitions and the women’s game has been part of the Olympics since 1998.
Women are making a definite mark in this field by playing just as hard as men. however, women are not yet on completely equal footing with men at either the international or domestic levels. Women are competing in a sport that has traditionally only been played by men, so they will have a long road ahead in order to be taken seriously as players. In the U.S.A and Canada, this sport still attracts the devoted following of millions of fans, who regularly break attendance records at sporting events. This sport is seen as the kind of family tradition, an past time that many Americans view the sports of baseball, football, or basketball.
For many who play the sport of hockey, its rules and separate world are very sacred. Soap opera fans have nothing on fans of this sport; people worship it like the air they breathe. Some people will spend hours playing the game well into the late hours; often rinks will stay open to accommodate those buffs who want to spend 2-3 hours thrashing around a cold rink slapping a hard rubber circle around.