Introduction
Hockey is a popular family of sports, the main purpose of which resolves around scoring a goal by hitting a puck with a special hockey stick. The most famous types of hockey that immediately come to mind whenever it is mentioned are ice hockey and, to a lesser extent, field hockey. Nowadays, though, there are many more types of hockey, like air hockey, foot hockey, and even underwater hockey. However, all of them are just variations of the original game with only a few minor differences. Hockey is commonly considered as one of the most entertaining sports to watch and is currently placed as the 3rd most popular sport in the world, having over 2 billion fans in Asia, Europe, Africa, Australia, and many other countries.
The main body
The origin of this sport is rather unclear and is open up to a debate even now. What is certain is that the roots of this sport go back to ancient times. Numerous researches show that the very first form of hockey was played by Egyptians 4000 years ago, as shown by various carvings. The game with sticks and a projectile has also been played by ancient Romans, Greeks, and even Aztecs. This comes as no surprise, as kicking around a ball-like object as entertainment was pretty natural during those times; later it led to hitting ball-like objects with a club or a stick, which is most likely the way hockey was invented. Ice hockey in its early form can be seen on various paintings in the Netherlands, depicting Dutchmen playing a version of golf on ice (Ice hockey, n.d.). It was mostly played in small towns, though, and games were not organized until the 18th century. Blackheath Hockey Club is considered the first hockey club in the world, founded in 1862. Before Blackheath HC, there were no direct references to a hockey club, despite hockey being played in numerous schools 75 years before the foundation of the club. The first recorded ice hockey game was organized by James Creighton in 1875 in Montreal between two teams of Victoria Skating Rink. Both teams played on a confined ice area, and all names of the players and the score were recorded.
Regarding rules, outdoor field hockey is very similar to football, with the only difference being that hockey players hit the ball-like object with a stick instead of their feet. Teams consist of a Goalkeeper, Defenders, Midfielders, and Attackers, a total of 11 players. Field hockey is played on a pitch 91.4 meters long and 55 yards wide with a ball of 23 cm circumference. Indoor hockey rules are different: the pitch is smaller (44 meters x 22 meters) and the total number of players in a team is 5 (). The rules of field hockey are published by the International Hockey Federation, both for indoor and outdoor hockey. In ice hockey, each team has five skaters who are trying to retrieve a puck and score it into the opponent’s goal, and a goaltender, whose purpose is preventing the puck from entering the team’s goal. The game usually consists of three 20-minute periods of action, with 15-minute intermissions in between (). Before the beginning of each period, the ice is resurfaced (except for 5- and 10-minute overtime periods). The game always starts with a faceoff conducted by an on-ice official, and each period starts at the center of the ice rink. A team that scores more goals than the other team is declared the winner.
Ice hockey is known as a very brutal sport, which often leads to casualties and various injuries to the players. The International Ice Hockey Association has published rules regarding the equipment of skaters and goaltenders. Protective equipment of skaters includes facial protection and mouthguard, elbow pads, gloves, helmets, neck and throat protectors, and shin pads. Players can attach two types of facial protection to their helmets – cage and visor. Equipment that does not correspond to IIHF standards or may seem dangerous is prohibited during play. These rules are very important to follow, as the player who wears dangerous equipment will be ruled off the ice, and his team will get a warning from the referee. Such measures are aimed at reducing an already considerable level of danger present in ice hockey.
Canada is commonly considered as one of the most (if not the most) dominant countries in hockey and the best hockey nation in the world. It is the primogenitor of ice hockey, which is treated by Canadians as their sport. Hockey is Canada’s official national winter sport, passionately played and watched by Canadian men, women, and children over the past decade. Over 60% of National Hockey League players come from Canada. Founded in 1917 as the successor to the National Hockey Association, NHL is regarded as the main professional ice hockey league in the world. NHL was organized in Montreal, Quebec, and consists of 30 member clubs, 7 of which are in Canada and 23 are in the USA.
However, Canada is not the only country that plays hockey with passion. Although hockey is not treated as high in the US as in Canada, lots of Americans find this sport very entertaining and becoming more popular each day for several reasons. For instance, the success of American teams in the NHL greatly increased the interest in hockey, as well as the fact that now NHL players can participate in the Olympic Games. At present, there are ice hockey federations in 74 countries of the world. Despite hockey being more popular in the colder, northern climates of the world, it is no less popular overseas. You would be surprised to discover that Japan is in the top 10 in overall hockey players per country (Fischer, 2015). Their level is not as high, but their love for the game is quite surprising, considering the population of nearly 123 million people. South Korea is also interested in ice hockey, namely because of the 2018 Olympics held in Pyeongchang. Also, ice hockey is largely popular in Sweden, Finland, and Russia.
As in every sport, playing hockey can be both advantageous and disadvantageous. The game is very fast-paced, thus, it helps to burn a lot of calories. To be more precise, players burn about 0,061 calories per pound in a minute, which may lead to a huge weight loss in a long run (Health Fitness Revolution, 2015). Racing on the rink provides a cardiovascular workout, which helps to improve breathing and cellular activity. Because fast skating is broken up by periods of rest, it is similar to high-intensity interval training, allowing you to burn even more calories and boost your metabolism. Playing hockey also can help you to develop leg muscles along with increasing endurance of triceps, forearms, and shoulder muscles. You will increase your muscular and bone strength, improve your overall body function, and will decrease the chances of getting injured during the game. The fast pace of the game will help to improve your reflexes, agility, and hand-eye coordination, as well as improve your overall balance. Aside from the positive physical effects gained from playing hockey, you will also learn to communicate better, work in a team and develop good sportsmanship. Hockey may also help you to develop self-confidence, patience, and self-esteem.
However, hockey also has its disadvantages, some of which immediately pop up in people’s minds whenever they hear of hockey, i.e. body checks, fistfights, and missing teeth. Ice hockey is a very brutal sport, often resulting in concussions, shoulder, elbow, back, hip, and knee injuries (Roland, 2015). Violence is quite present in hockey; fighting is often used as a way of defending teammates and settling disputes with the opposite team. Therefore, the large amount of body protection that players wear during games is not surprising at all. Fight presence and frequent body contacts are also the reasons why IIHA forbids the use of dangerous equipment by players.
Conclusion
Hockey has always been an entertaining sport to play and watch. Having billions of fans all over the globe, it is commonly placed in the top 10 of the most popular sports in the world. Playing hockey is a great way to improve your body in various ways, develop strong communication and listening skills, as well as respect for authority and rules. It helps you to build your character and to discover important things like the correlation between action, reaction, and consequences, which will help you greatly in life.
References
Fischer, C. (2015). The top five most unconventional developing hockey nations. Web.
Health Fitness Revolution. (2015). Top 10 health benefits of hockey. Web.
Ice hockey. (n.d.). Web.
Roland, J. (2015). Hockey’s advantages & disadvantages. Web.