Olympic History
While the origins of ice hockey are still hotly debated, it is thought that the modern form of the game was taken to North America by the English. The first game of ice hockey was played between soldiers stationed in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. In 1879 students at McGill University established the first rules for the game and organized ice hockey competitions.
The first official men’s international ice hockey tournament at the Olympic Games was held in 1920.
Women's ice hockey has been included in the Olympic Games program since 1998.
Ice Hockey in Russia
The first USSR ice hockey championship matches were played on December 22, 1946 in Moscow, Leningrad, Riga, Kaunas and Arkhangelsk. Just 8 years later, Soviet hockey players made their debut at the World Cup and immediately became world leaders in ice hockey. The team reached the final where they beat Canada by a score of 7:2. This victory gave the Soviet team its first world title.
Ice Hockey today
Ice hockey games take place on an ice rink. A puck made of vulcanized rubber is used. Before top level matches, the puck is frozen in order to reduce friction on the ice surface, therefore increasing its speed.
The game is a competition between two teams attempting to hit the puck into their opponent's goal using sticks, while preventing the puck from entering their own goal. The winning team is the one that hits more pucks into their opponent's goal.
There must be six players on the ice from each team: two defenders, three forwards (left, right and center) and one goaltender. A player committing a penalty is removed from the pitch for a period of time. The goaltender may be replaced with a sixth outfield player.
There must be six players on the ice from each team: two defenders, three forwards (left, right and center) and one goaltender. A player committing a penalty is removed from the pitch for a period of time. The goaltender may be replaced with a sixth outfield player.
In the Olympic Winter Games program, there are separate ice hockey competitions for men and women. Two sets of medals are contested.
Equipment and gear
The players’ kit includes: a stick, skates, a helmet, a chest pad to protect the hockey player's chest, spine, and shoulders, elbow pads, a jockstrap or protective cup designed to protect the groin from injury, hockey shorts with special padding to prevent injury from falls, collisions and puck impacts, protective gloves, shin guards that cover the hockey player's knees and shins, and a jersey worn over the chest pad.
The goaltender's kit consists of all of the above, plus a special goaltender's mask and gloves especially designed for catching pucks, as well as special shin guards to repel shots.
Hockey sticks are made of wood or other materials, such as aluminum or plastic. A 7.62 cm in diameter puck should be made from vulcanized rubber or other material approved by the International Ice Hockey Federation and is usually black.