A Little Bit About Hockey

Hockey is a very popular game which is played in many countries in the world. There is a contradiction on when exactly did hockey originate and start in the world. However there is certainly no contradiction or denying its popularity. The game is most popular in United States, Canada and several European countries.

Hockey is derived from a French word, hoquet, which refers to shepherd's crook. This is similar in shape to a hockey stick. Modern ice hockey is a new version of hockey which has become quite popular these days. It was played in United States in late 19th century for the first time. Since them its popularity and craze have increased tremendously over the years and decades.

Ice hockey is played on either natural ice or artificial ice. The ice rink is oval shaped and has the following dimensions - 61 m by 25.5 m. There are 2 goal nets or goal posts at the 2 ends of the rink. The game is played using wooden or metal hockey sticks. Each team consists of six players which includes the goal-keeper.

A Little Bit About NHL Hockey: NHL (National Hockey League) is a non-profit organization which manages and runs a major professional ice hockey league consisting of 30 franchised member clubs. Out of these 30 clubs, 7 are currently located in Canada and about 23 are located in the United States. The headquarters of NHL is in New York city. The NHL is considered as a premier professional ice hockey league in the world. It was formed in the year 1917. In its early years, most players featuring were from Canada. However, of late, there have been many players entering from European countries, USA and other parts of the world. The Stanley cup is held annually and is one of the most popular tournaments related to ice hockey.