Ice hockey has been played in the United Kingdom since the beginning of the twentieth century, and it was a game between Englishmen that is generally accepted to have started the modern-era of the sport. The Great Britain men's national ice hockey team enjoyed world wide success through the 1920s and 1930s, achieving bronze at the 1924 Olympics, and gold twelve years later. They also won medals at the World Championships in 1935, 1937 and 1938, though never won the tournament. The national team has struggled since the Second World War, and has not finished better than twelfth in the World Championships since 1962. Ice hockey is played professionally in the United Kingdom in the Elite Ice Hockey League, a ten-team league which was founded in 2003.
Great Britain won gold at the 1936 Winter Olympics, but have generally struggled since the Second World War
History
Ice hockey was first played in Canada during the early nineteenth century, based on similar sports such as field hockey that were played in Europe.[1] The sport was originally played with a stick and ball, but in 1860 a group of English veterans from the Royal Canadian Rifle Regiment played a game in Kingston, Ontario, utilising a puck for what is believed to be the first time.[2] This match, played on the frozen harbour by the city, is sometimes considered to be the birth of modern ice hockey.[2] The game developed quickly in Canada, and in the late nineteenth century, Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby purchased a decorative punch bowl from a London silversmith to award to the leading amateur side in the country: this became known as the Stanley Cup.[3]
In the United Kingdom, a five team league was in operation in England in 1903;[2] the first in Europe.[4] The league was contested at two rinks in London: the Prince's Skating Club in Knightsbridge andHengler's Ice Rink in the City of Westminster. It was won by the London Canadians.[4] The first game to be played in Scotland occurred five years later in Crossmyloof, Glasgow. The same year saw the creation of the International Ice Hockey Federation, of which Great Britain was a founding member. The British Ice Hockey Association was set up in 1914, and continued until 1999, when it was replaced by Ice Hockey UK.[2]
The world's greatest and most exciting game is easy to follow once you know a few basic rules and practices. Here is a brief guide to the essential ice hockey rules.
The Playing Surface
- The ice sheet is commonly known as the rink.
- The rink is divided into zones by a red line at center ice and twoblue lines.
- A standard North American rink measures 200 feet by 85 feet.
- European ice surfaces are slightly larger.
- The ice is enclosed by boards and Plexiglas.
Rink "Zones"
- The ice surface is divided into three zones.
- The area where the goal net is located is the "defending zone" for the team defending that net.
- The middle of the rink, between two blue lines, is the "neutral zone."
- The area where the opposing net is located is the "attacking zone" or "offensive zone."
The Puck
see picture
- The puck is made of black, vulcanized rubber.
- A standard puck measures one inch thick and three inches in diameter, and weighs between 5.5 and 6 ounces.
- The puck can be moved with the hockey stick or the feet, but picking it up with the hands is illegal.
The Hockey Stick
- A stick held by each player and used to retrieve, control, carry, pass and shoot the puck.
- Goals are scored by using the stick to shoot the puck into the opponent's net.
- A shot that inadvertently deflects into the net off another player's body is allowed to stand as a goal.
The Net
- A
cage measuring four feet tall and six feet wide, strung with nylon mesh in the back.
- There are two nets at opposite ends of the ice, guarded by the goaltenders.
Object of the Game
- The object of the game is to score more goals than the opposition.
The Teams
- Each team has six players on the ice, one goaltender (see picture) and five "skaters" (see picture).
- The five http://proicehockey.about.com/od/hockeyglossarydg/g/defenseman.htmskaters have assigned positions: three forwards and two defensemen.
- Regardless of assigned positions, all players except the goaltender can go anywhere on the ice.
- The goaltender cannot cross the center ice red line that divides the rink in half.
Substitutions
- Substitutions are unlimited and can be made at any time.
- A substitution does not require an official's permission, or a stoppage in play.
- A player can join the game "on the fly" - during the flow of play - as long as the departing player is within five feet of the bench and not involved in the play or with an opponent.
The Faceoff
- The game begins when the referee drops the puck between two opposing forwards.
- During the faceoff all other players are positioned on the defensive side of the puck.
- The faceoff is used to resume play following any stoppage in the game.
- There are nine designated faceoff spots painted on the ice.
The Game Clock
- The game is played in three 20-minute periods.
- The clock is stopped during all stoppages in play.
Body Checking
- A player can use a shoulder, hip or torso to hit or impede an opponent, but only when the opponent is in possession of the puck.
- A body check that targets the head is illegal.
- A body check to an opponent's back is illegal if the opponent is facing the boards.
Minor Penalties
Note that the difference between a legal check and a penalty is open to interpretation, and remains a source of dispute among fans, players, and everyone else involved in the game.
- A player charged with a minor penalty is sent off the ice for two minutes, with no substitution allowed.
- The penalty ends immediately if a goal is scored by the opposing team.
Minor penalties are called for obstructing an opponent. Infractions include:
- Tripping (with the stick or knee)
- Holding (with stick or hands)
- Hooking (with stick)
- Interferance (checking or impeding a player without the puck)
Penalties are called for dangerous use of the stick, including:
- Slashing
- Spearing
- High-sticking (hitting an opponent in the head or face)
- Cross-checking (hitting an opponent with the shaft of the stick)
Penalties are called for dangerous physical fouls, including:
- Elbowing
- Checking from behind
- Kneeing
- Roughing (broadly defined; usually involves a wrestling or shoving match)
Major Penalties
- A player charged with a major penalty is sent of the ice for five minutes.
- The most common major penalty is fighting. If both fighters receive five-minute penalties, substitutions can be made.
- At the referee's discretion, an infraction commonly deemed a minor penalty can be increased to a major. This usually occurs if an opponent has been seriously injured, or if the referee believes there was a deliberate attempt to injure.
- A player charged with a major penalty involving serious injury or attempt to injure is ejected from the game.
- If a penalized player is ejected, a teammate is assigned to serve his major penalty. No substitution is allowed.
The world's greatest and most exciting game is easy to follow once you know a few basic rules and practices. Here is a brief guide to the essential ice hockey rules.
The Playing Surface
- The ice sheet is commonly known as the rink.
- The rink is divided into zones by a red line at center ice and twoblue lines.
- A standard North American rink measures 200 feet by 85 feet.
- European ice surfaces are slightly larger.
- The ice is enclosed by boards and Plexiglas.
Rink "Zones"
- The ice surface is divided into three zones.
- The area where the goal net is located is the "defending zone" for the team defending that net.
- The middle of the rink, between two blue lines, is the "neutral zone."
- The area where the opposing net is located is the "attacking zone" or "offensive zone."
The Puck
see picture
see picture
- The puck is made of black, vulcanized rubber.
- A standard puck measures one inch thick and three inches in diameter, and weighs between 5.5 and 6 ounces.
- The puck can be moved with the hockey stick or the feet, but picking it up with the hands is illegal.
The Hockey Stick
- A stick held by each player and used to retrieve, control, carry, pass and shoot the puck.
- Goals are scored by using the stick to shoot the puck into the opponent's net.
- A shot that inadvertently deflects into the net off another player's body is allowed to stand as a goal.
The Net
- A
- There are two nets at opposite ends of the ice, guarded by the goaltenders.
Object of the Game
- The object of the game is to score more goals than the opposition.
The Teams
- Each team has six players on the ice, one goaltender (see picture) and five "skaters" (see picture).
- The five http://proicehockey.about.com/od/hockeyglossarydg/g/defenseman.htmskaters have assigned positions: three forwards and two defensemen.
- Regardless of assigned positions, all players except the goaltender can go anywhere on the ice.
- The goaltender cannot cross the center ice red line that divides the rink in half.
Substitutions
- Substitutions are unlimited and can be made at any time.
- A substitution does not require an official's permission, or a stoppage in play.
- A player can join the game "on the fly" - during the flow of play - as long as the departing player is within five feet of the bench and not involved in the play or with an opponent.
The Faceoff
- The game begins when the referee drops the puck between two opposing forwards.
- During the faceoff all other players are positioned on the defensive side of the puck.
- The faceoff is used to resume play following any stoppage in the game.
- There are nine designated faceoff spots painted on the ice.
The Game Clock
- The game is played in three 20-minute periods.
- The clock is stopped during all stoppages in play.
Body Checking
- A player can use a shoulder, hip or torso to hit or impede an opponent, but only when the opponent is in possession of the puck.
- A body check that targets the head is illegal.
- A body check to an opponent's back is illegal if the opponent is facing the boards.
Minor Penalties
Note that the difference between a legal check and a penalty is open to interpretation, and remains a source of dispute among fans, players, and everyone else involved in the game.
Note that the difference between a legal check and a penalty is open to interpretation, and remains a source of dispute among fans, players, and everyone else involved in the game.
- A player charged with a minor penalty is sent off the ice for two minutes, with no substitution allowed.
- The penalty ends immediately if a goal is scored by the opposing team.
Minor penalties are called for obstructing an opponent. Infractions include:
- Tripping (with the stick or knee)
- Holding (with stick or hands)
- Hooking (with stick)
- Interferance (checking or impeding a player without the puck)
Penalties are called for dangerous use of the stick, including:
- Slashing
- Spearing
- High-sticking (hitting an opponent in the head or face)
- Cross-checking (hitting an opponent with the shaft of the stick)
Penalties are called for dangerous physical fouls, including:
- Elbowing
- Checking from behind
- Kneeing
- Roughing (broadly defined; usually involves a wrestling or shoving match)
Major Penalties
- A player charged with a major penalty is sent of the ice for five minutes.
- The most common major penalty is fighting. If both fighters receive five-minute penalties, substitutions can be made.
- At the referee's discretion, an infraction commonly deemed a minor penalty can be increased to a major. This usually occurs if an opponent has been seriously injured, or if the referee believes there was a deliberate attempt to injure.
- A player charged with a major penalty involving serious injury or attempt to injure is ejected from the game.
- If a penalized player is ejected, a teammate is assigned to serve his major penalty. No substitution is allowed.
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