The most asked questions about ice hockey

Ice hockey is a quick and exciting high contact team sport, usually featuring two teams of six players (a goaltender and five skaters) on ice.

Here’s a quick guide on the rules of the game that is believed to have originated in Canada in the early 19^th century, some of the famous ice hockey stars, and a lot more.

The history of ice hockey

Ice hockey is believed to have begun in Canada in the early 19th century, based on several similar sports played in Europe, although the word “hockey” comes from the old French word “hocquet”, meaning “stick”.

Around 1860, a puck was substituted for a ball, and in 1879, two McGill University students, Robertson and Smith, devised the first rules.

Hockey quickly spread throughout Canada and became the national sport. McGill University Hockey Club is the first known team.

The game reached the United States in the 1890s and spread to Europe at the end of the century, with the first European Ice Hockey league formed in England by 1903.

But it wasn’t until 1908 when the first International Ice Hockey Federation was formed in Paris.

Canada were the first winners of a Winter Olympic Gold in the sport, at the 1920 Antwerp Games.

What are the rules of ice hockey?

The basic aim in ice hockey is to score more goals than the opposing team within the allotted time. There are rolling substitutions for each team. Penalties are penalised by removing the offending player(s) from the game to the penalty box for a period of 2 (minor penalty), 4 (double minor penalty), 5 (major penalty), or 10 (misconduct penalty) minutes.

Ice hockey equipment

Ice hockey is typically played on a standard-size rink shaped like a round-cornered rectangle. High contact to take out an opponent out of play is allowed, therefore the players are required to wear specialised equipment for competition and protection.

The players pass around a hockey puck made of vulcanised rubber, a disc that’s 76.2mm (three inches) in diameter, 25.4mm (one inch) thick and weighs about 170 grams.

All the players use hockey sticks made of different materials from wood, carbon-fibre, graphite or composite materials that vary in style and lengths. The goal frames were traditionally made of wood but now are usually a composite material, with a net behind.

Besides the ice skates and sticks, the players also wear safety gear. These include helmets, neck and mouth guards, chest protectors as well as shoulder pads, elbow pads, protective gloves, heavy padded shorts, a 'jock' athletic protector, specialised hockey socks, and shin pads.

To protect the feet and lower legs from injury, the player's skates are made of a thick layer of leather or nylon.

Goalies also wear masks and much bulkier equipment to protect them from the direct hits from the puck. They also wear a blocker on the hand that holds the stick and a catch glove on the opposite hand.

Their skates too are different. The goaltender’s skates have blades that are lower to the ice and squarer to ensure stability and lateral mobility. The goalie’s stick has a larger blade and widened flat shaft.

How do ice hockey players train?

Ice hockey training includes both on-ice and off-ice sessions. Due to the physicality of the game, strength training is a core part of a hockey player's training program throughout the entire year.

During the off-season training often incudes: warm-up, core activation and control, coordination, mobility, resistance training, conditioning that’s often followed by a cool-down.

When the pre-season sets in, that lasts between three and six weeks, the training volume and intensity of the sessions also increases significantly. This is mainly because of the intensified amount of off-ice and on-ice sessions.

The end of this season means a decreased volume in training and intensity because the number of games and on-ice sessions rise.

The season kick-off means increased training volumes, focussed on resistance practice and unilateral exercises.

Who are some of the famous ice hockey players?

Canada has produced many of the ice-hockey legends.

There is Gordie Howe who was often to referred to as ‘Mr. Hockey’, and Wayne Gretzky, “The Great One”, who are regarded as the game's best and most famous men's players.

Howe was best known for his scoring prowess, physical strength and is the only player to have competed in the National Hockey League, NHL, in five decades: 1940-1980).

Despite his scoring skills, it’s compatriot Gretzky, 63, who was the leading point-scorer in NHL history. But it’s the powerful and speedy Russian Alex Ovechkin, deemed the greatest goalscorer of the 21^st century, who is now the greatest goalscorer of the 21^st century.

There is also Bobby Orr, Mario Lemieux, goalies Terry Sawchuk, Jacques Plante, and American Brett Hull.

Hayley Wickenheiser is considered the greatest female player of all time. The Canadian won four Olympic gold medals, more than any male player.