International Hockey By: Suta Chabok

Hockey is very popular in the United States and Europe today, but it got its start in Canada. Much American attention is diverted away from the international men's ice hockey world championships and put towards the Stanley cup playoffs, as they happen at the same time. In countries such as the U.S., Canada, and others with a large concentration of NHL players, the countries are at a loss to round up their best players because those players have joined the NHL and will be competing for the Stanley cup.

For many years professionals were barred from playing at the international level, and now that many Europeans are playing for the NHL, the world championships no longer represent the world's top players. Hockey has been a major Olympic sport since 1924 and its country of origin, Canada, took home gold medal 6 out of 7 times that year. The years between 1956 and 1988 were particularly good for Russia, as the Russians took home all the gold medals but two during those years; in 1960 the U.S.A won the gold medal, but professional Americans, Swedish, Canadian, and Finish players were banned from playing. U.S.Non-pro College students went on to beat the Russians and win the gold medal in 1980 in Lake Placid, New York.

It was then that a new surge in the popularity of the game that most Americans weren't paying too much attention to. Thanks to the 1972 and 1974 Summit series, it was well established that Canada and Russia were hockey rivals. As a result, the Canadian Cup - where the best of the very best nations were able to play the sport - was formed. The name of this organization was changed from the Canadian Cup to the World Cup of Hockey, and it was for this organization that the United States played and won in 1996, and Canada in 2004. NHL professionals were allowed to compete in the Olympics beginning in 1998; this gives the opportunity to top players to compete against other professionals. There have been 9 women's competitions and the women's game has been in the Olympics since 1998 and in the winter of 2006 marked the world championship or Olympic face with Canada and Sweden not Canada and the United States.

Because women play just as hard a game as men, they are definitely being seen more and more as a serious sport all their own. Although they still have a way to go in terms of really being there with males at the domestic and international levels. Hockey was always that sport dominated by males and yet women still have long way before they're really taken seriously. This sport today continues to attract the love and devotion of many; attendance records are regularly broken by the many loyal fans who love the sport. This sport is seen as the kind of family tradition, an past time that many Americans view the sports of baseball, football, or basketball.

Hockey has its own sets of rules and a separate world entirely, whether professional or not. This sport is viewed as important as the air they breath by many, and people can get very wrapped up in it. Some people will spend hours playing the game well into the late hours; often rinks will stay open to accommodate those buffs who want to spend 2-3 hours thrashing around a cold rink slapping a hard rubber circle around.

Article by Suta at: http://activespots.blogspot.com/

Total Views : 1    Word Count: 568   See All Articles By Suta Chabok