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Ice hockey, commonly referred to as hockey in the United States, is a team sport played on ice. The game is usually played on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport, although pickup games might be played on any frozen surface, such as a lake or pond.

Two opposing teams use ice hockey sticks to control, advance, and shoot a vulcanized rubber hockey puck into the other team's net. Each goal is worth one point. Played on ice with a curved stick and pucks, the objective of the game is to score more goals than the opposing team.

Likely inspired by stick-and-ball games played in Europe, the first organized indoor game of ice hockey was played in Montreal, Canada in 1875, and a set of rules were published shortly afterward. The game soon became Canada's national sport.

Commissioned in 1892 and first awarded in 1893, the Stanley Cup became the championship trophy of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the early 1900s. The Stanley Cup is still awarded to the winners of the NHL playoffs each year.

In the early 1900s, several professional leagues were formed in North America, including the NHL, founded in 1917.

During the mid-20th century, the game gained popularity in Europe, with several countries forming their own professional leagues. The Soviet Union won several Olympic and World Championship titles during the 1950s and 1960s.

In the 1970s and 1980s, the NHL expanded beyond its early base in Canada and the northeastern United States to add teams in California. Further expansions took place in the 1990s and 2000s, adding teams in Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville, and Phoenix.

Ice hockey is played on an ice rink between two teams of six players each. The objective is to score more goals than the opposing team by shooting a puck into their net while preventing the other team from doing the same. The game is played in three periods, each lasting 20 minutes of actual playing time, with a 15-minute intermission between the second and third periods. If the game is tied at the end of regulation, it may go into overtime or a shootout to determine the winner.

Hockey rinks are divided into three zones: the offensive zone, the defensive zone, and the neutral zone. Each team has three forwards, two defensemen, and a goaltender. The forwards are responsible for generating offense and scoring goals, while the defensemen are responsible for protecting their team's net and preventing the other team from scoring. The defensemen also protect the goalie, who stands in a semi-circle called the crease in the defensive zone, keeping pucks out of the goal.

Hockey games begin with a faceoff, where the puck is dropped between two opposing players in the center of the rink. From there, each team tries to gain possession of the puck and move it up the ice towards the opposing team's net. Players can use their sticks to pass the puck to one another, or they can carry it themselves by skating and moving the puck along with their stick.

Players are not permitted to touch the puck with their hands or feet, except for goaltenders who are allowed to use their hands to catch and handle the puck within the designated crease in front of their team's net. Players can also use their bodies to hit opposing players in an attempt to separate them from the puck.

To score a goal, players must shoot the puck into the opposing team's net. When the puck crosses the goal line and enters the net, a goal is scored. If the goaltender stops the puck before it crosses the line, or the puck hits the post or crossbar but does not cross the line, it remains in play.

Officials may call penalties for infractions such as tripping, slashing, or checking from behind. When a player is called for a penalty, they must serve time in the penalty box. Their team must play with one less player on the ice for the duration of the penalty.

Icing the puck occurs when a player shoots the puck from behind the center red line across the opposing team's goal line without it being touched by anyone. This is considered a violation that results in the stoppage of play and a faceoff in the defensive zone of the team that committed the infraction. There are exceptions to this rule, however. This rule was introduced to prevent teams from constantly dumping the puck down the ice. There are exceptions to the icing rule, however.

The blue line in ice hockey is a fundamental element of the game, as it plays a crucial role in defining the playing area, influencing strategies, and determining the flow of the game. One of the primary functions of the blue line is to establish the offside rule. According to NHL rules, a player must not precede the puck into the offensive zone. When a player crosses the blue line into the offensive zone before the puck and subsequently touches the puck or attempts to play it, an offside violation is called.

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American Hockey League

ECHL

National Hockey League

 

 

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