Hockey

Hockey is any of a family of sports in which two teams compete by trying to maneuver a ball, or a hard, round disc called a puck, into the opponent's net or goal, using a hockey stick. The dominant version of hockey in a particular region tends to be known simply as hockey, other forms being more fully qualified.

Field hockey

Field hockey is played on gravel, natural grass, sand-based or water-based artificial turfs, with a small, hard ball. The game is popular among both males and females in many countries of the world, particularly countries in Europe, India, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South Asia. In the United States and Canada it is played predominantly by women.

The 116-member governing body is the International Hockey Federation (FIH). Field Hockey has been played at each summer Olympic Games since 1908 (except 1924).

Modern field hockey sticks are J-shaped and constructed of a composite of wood, glass fiber or carbon fiber (sometimes both) and have a curved hook at the playing end, a flat surface on the playing side and curved surface on the rear side.

There are 4000-year-old drawings in Egypt of a game resembling field hockey being played. While modern field hockey appeared in the mid-18th century in England, primarily in schools, it was not until the first half of the 19th century that it became firmly established. The first club was created in 1849 at Blackheath in south-east London.

Ice hockey

Ice hockey is played on a large flat area of ice, using a three inch (76.2 mm) diameter vulcanized rubber disc called a puck. In some situations, the puck is frozen prior to the start of a game to limit bouncing. The game is contested between two teams of skaters, each consisting of a goaltender, two defense players and three forwards, two of which are called wingers and one is called a center. In NHL rules, the periods are 20 minutes long, counting downwards. In the IIHF the clock counts upwards. There are three periods. The game is played all over North America, Europe and in many other countries around the world to varying extent.

Penalties are in the form of 2 minute penalties, called minors, called because of tripping, hooking, roghing, charging, and many other penalties. The infractor is released if the other team scores a goal while the player is serving their time. 4 minute penalties are called double minors, assessed to a player who has performed a severe roughing infraction.These are also releasable. A 5 minute penalty, known as a major is called for extreme cases of any of the above penalties. These are not releasable. A 10 minute penalty, known as a misconduct, is assessed to a player who has hit another player form behind or cursed at a referee, etc. This is not releasable, and another player on their team must serve a 2 minute penalty that is releasable.

The 64-member governing body is the International Ice Hockey Federation, (IIHF). Mens' ice hockey has been played at the Winter Olympics since 1924, and was in the 1920 Summer Olympics. Womens' ice hockey was added to the Winter Olympics in 1998. North America's National Hockey League is the strongest professional ice hockey league, drawing top ice hockey players from around the globe. The NHL rules are slightly different from those used in Olympic hockey.

Ice hockey sticks are long L-shaped sticks made of wood, graphite, or composites with a blade at the bottom that can lie flat on the playing surface when the stick is held upright and can curve either way as to help a left- or right-handed player gain an advantage. Variations in curves include its lie and its curve type. Most companies that produce sticks have sponsored players and in return, use their custom curve on publicly retailed sticks. If you are left handed you hold the stick with your right hand at the top and your left hand halfway down the shaft. If you are right handed you hold your stick with your left hand at the top and your right hand partway down the shaft.

There are early representations and reports of hockey-type games being played on ice in the Netherlands, and reports from Canada from the beginning of the nineteenth century, but the modern game was initially organized by students at McGill University, Montreal in 1875 and, by two years later, codified the first set of ice hockey rules and organized the first teams.

Street Hockey

Road hockey, also known as street hockey, dek hockey, ground hockey, or ball hockey is a version of ice hockey (or inline hockey) played with or without skates. It is possible to play with either a puck or ball, although a roller hockey puck is required when not on ice. Generally, the game is played with little to no protective equipment, therefore physical contact is not very common and is played without body checking but does permit a level of physical contact similar to that allowed in basketball. Though, when playing among friends, it's not uncommon for a fight to break out. An ice hockey puck would only work on a frozen over street. If a puck is used, for safety the puck usually must not be raised in the air (lifted or roofed). However, rules and playing styles can differ from area to area depending upon the traditions a certain group has set aside.

On ice the game is played in boots; on pavement it may be played in shoes or in inline skates. The goals often are marked by whatever objects are handy (for example, using two soda cans or water bottles as goal posts), although goal nets either designed for street hockey or ice hockey could also be used.

Due to the general prohibition of body checks, most of the pads and other safety equipment used for ice or roller hockey are not worn or required to be worn in street hockey games. However, most "skaters" tend to play with a minimum of hockey gloves and shin guards. Shin guard are often of the soccer type when the game is played on foot. Goalies typically wear equipment similar in appearance to their ice hockey counterparts so as to help block more of the goal area. However, such goalie equipment used in street hockey is generally lighter than that used in ice hockey due to the reduced weight and density of the ball that is typically used in street hockey as compared to the rubber puck used in ice hockey.

The word 'CAR!' is a common one to hear on busier streets which generally means 'stop the game and move the goal nets'. This is often followed by the phrase "game on" once the car has passed.

Although road or street hockey is popular throughout Canada and parts of the United States, some residents in Canada have been raising concerns about how road hockey disturbs the neighbourhoods with the noise that the game creates and balls being accidentally flicked into the residents' yards.

A popular alternative to playing hockey on the street in Canada is to play in outdoor lacrosse boxes. The lacrosse boxes contain the same asphalt surface as the streets, but offers a more realistic feeling of hockey since the playing area is larger than the average street, plus there are boards that surround the lacrosse box. The only downside to this is the smaller size of the lacrosse nets that are already in place.

Similarly to lacrosse boxes, outdoor roller hockey rinks are becoming quite popular in public areas around the United States which allow for a place to play off the sometimes dangerous streets. Outdoor roller hockey rinks are usually covered in a sport court surface so equipment does not wear down as quickly as on asphalt. Many can also be covered to allow play during wet weather, and lighted for nighttime hockey.

In the United States the term "street hockey" is a generic one and usually refers to an ice hockey based game that is played without inline skates (when inline skates are worn the game is usually called roller hockey) and is rarely played on public streets. In the United States "street hockey" is most often played on outdoor basketball or tennis courts as well as indoor basketball courts and/or gymnasiums. The walls or fencing of these "rinks" serve to keep the ball (or the less often used puck) in play similarly to the boards of an ice rink. The United States definition of "street hockey" is more closely related to that of the Canadian terms "dek hockey" or "ball hockey."

In 1970 Raymond W Leclerc regarded as the Founder and Father of organized Street Hockey/Dekhockey in the USA and Canada. Ray Leclerc created the NO BOUNCE ORANGE BALL. No more bouncing tennis balls, rolling pucks,or rolls of tape, now a ball all the players could control, accuated shooting and passing was a smooth as a puck on ice. Mr Leclerc then established the basics of the game an Official Rink 160 ft long by 80 ft wide, special lightweight protective equipment and a game that featured NO CHECKING and that all players ages 4 to over 50 could play. He then established an organization ASHI/IDTA with a special Street Hockey Rule Book to control the game. Mr Leclerc built a model site to play and advance the game known as "Home of Street Hockey" in Leominster Ma., 3 Outdoor rinks, with the Headquarters and governing body of Street Hockey/Dekhockey. The next evolution took place with the first sanctioned Offical US Nationals played in Leominster Ma in 1974. Today the US Nationls are an annual event and the game has advanced with Indoor and Outdoor rinks playing on special plastic modular Sports Surface. Tournaments continue are all over the world and most recently in 2006 Disney World, Orlando, Florida hosted the first USA CUP.

There are now a number of organized street hockey/dek hockey/ball hockey leagues throughout the United States and the world, in a number of cities, and for a variety of age groups. These leagues are played both indoors and outdoors, usually on rinks used by roller hockey leagues. Street/dek/ball hockey has a national organization and world championships. One non-professional Canadian league is the Canadian Ball Hockey League in which teams from across Canada play in the U.S. under rules variant to standard Dek Hockey.

Newfoundland And Labrador, Canada, is an example of where the sport if often referred to as "street hockey"

Roller hockey (inline)

Inline hockey is a variation of roller hockey very similar to ice hockey, from which it is derived. Inline hockey is played by two teams, consisting of four skaters and one goalie, on a dry rink divided into two halves by a center line, with one net at each end of the rink. The game is played in four 15-minute periods with a variation of the ice hockey off-side rule. Icings are also called, but are usually referred to as illegal clearing. For rink dimensions and an overview of the rules of the game, see IIHF Inline Rules (official rules). Some leagues and competitions do not follow the IIHF regulations, in particular USA Inline and Canada Inline.

Roller hockey (Quad)

Roller hockey (Quad) Roller Hockey is the overarching name for a roller sport that has existed long before inline skates were invented. Roller hockey has been played in sixty countries worldwide and so has many names worldwide. Sometimes the sport is called Quad Hockey, HÃ³quei em Patins, International Style Ball hockey, Rink hockey and Hardball hockey depending on the part of the world it is played. Roller Hockey was a demonstration rollersport in the 1992 Barcelona summer Olympics.

Other forms of hockey

Other games derived from hockey or its predecessors include the following:

Ball hockey is played in a gym using sticks and a ball, often a tennis ball with the fuzz removed.
Air hockey is played indoors with a puck on an air-cushion table.
Bandy is played with a ball on a football-sized ice arena, typically outdoors. It is in some ways field hockey played on ice, but bandy has in fact more in common with football.
Broomball is played on an ice hockey rink, but with a ball instead of a puck and a "broom" (actually a stick with a small plastic implement on the end) in place of the ice hockey stick. Instead of using skates, special shoes are used that have very soft rubbery soles to maximize grip while running around.
Bubble hockey is played in a plastic sealed table with the 'players' being moved by the use of pushing and turning rods.
Floorball, or floor hockey, is a form of hockey played in a gymnasium using a plastic puck or hollow ball, and plastic sticks. It is played in sport halls.
Foot hockey is played using a bald tennis ball or rolled up pair of socks and using only the feet. It is popular at elementary schools in the winter.
Gym hockey is a form of ice hockey played in a gymnasium. It uses sticks with foam ends and a foam ball or a plastic puck.
Hurling and Camogie are Irish games bearing some resemblance to - and notable differences from - hockey.
Indoor field hockey is an indoor variation of field hockey.
Mini hockey (Popularly known as "Mini-Sticks") is a form of hockey which is played in basements of houses. Players get down on their knees, using a miniature plastic stick, usually about 15 inches (38 cm) long and a small blue ball or a soft, fabric covered mini puck. They shoot into miniature goals as well. This is popular throughout North America, though it has not yet made the jump to Europe. In England this refers to a seven-a-side version of Field Hockey, played on an area equivalent to half a normal pitch for younger players, see Minkey (Mini Hockey)
Polo is a form of hockey played mounted on horseback.
PowerHockey is a form of hockey for persons requiring the use of an electric (power) wheelchair in daily life. PowerHockey is a competitive sports opportunity for the physically disabled.
Ringette is an ice hockey variant that was designed for female players; it uses a straight stick and a rubber ring in place of a puck. Note: Ringette distances itself from hockey as it has its own set of rules and is closely related to a mix of lacrosse and basketball.
Rinkball is a Scandinavian team sport, played in an ice hockey rink with a ball.
Shinny is an informal version of ice hockey.
Shinty is a Scottish Highlands game
Skater hockey is a variant of inline hockey, played with a ball.
Sledge hockey is a form of ice hockey played by the disabled. The players sit on sleds, and push themselves up and down the ice with picks on the butt end of their shortened hockey sticks. The game is played with many of the same rules as regular ice hockey.
Spongee is a cross between ice hockey and broomball and is most popular in Manitoba, Canada. A stick and puck are used as in hockey (the puck is a softer version called a "sponge puck"), and the same soft-soled shoes used in broomball are worn. The rules are basically the same as ice hockey, but one variation has an extra player on the ice called a "rover".
Table hockey is played indoors with a table-top game.
Underwater hockey is played on the bottom of a swimming pool.
Nok Hockey A table-top version of hockey played with no defense and a small block in front of the goal.

External Links

Sports MatchMaker

Hockey

Field hockey

Ice hockey

Street Hockey

Roller hockey (inline)

Roller hockey (Quad)

Other forms of hockey

External Links

Field hockey

Ice hockey

Roller hockey (Inline)

Roller hockey (Quad)

Street Hockey