Search:

What to Know On American International College Hockey

You may not realize that Canada is the country of origin for hockey, because it is so widely played throughout Europe and the United States. There are many differences in the three regions attitudes, however; the international men's ice hockey world championships are looked forward to in Europe and less so in America because it coincides with the Stanley cup playoffs. For countries with a large number of NHL players, rounding up the best players of the sport is difficult, because many of them are playing for the Stanley cup trophy.

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from playing at the international level, and now that many Europeans are playing for the NHL, the world championships no longer represent the world's top players. The Olympic games began recognizing hockey in 1924; the gold medal went to Canada six out of seven times. The United States won the gold medal in 1960, Russia won all, but 2 gold medals between 1956 and 1988, but it was professional Americans, Swedish, Finnish, and Canadians that were banned from Olympic competition. A bunch of non-pro college kids in Lake Placid, New York beat the Russians in 1980 for the gold medal.

These were the years that the sport began experiencing a revival of popularity; though most Americans weren't paying much attention to the sport at the time. The 1972 and 1974 Summit series had solidified Canada and Russia as hockey rivals. The best players benefited from this, as it gave rise to the Canadian Cup, which only deals with the world's best players. The name of the Canadian Cup was altered to the World Cup of Hockey and following that decision the United States won the match in 1996; Canada won in 2004. Since 1998 NHL professionals have played in the Olympics giving the top players more opportunity to compete and face off with other professional players from different countries. Women have made their mark upon this sport, as well; there have been nine women's competitions and the women's game has been part of the Olympics since 1998.

Women have been able to make a noticeable amount of noise in this sport, as they play their games with the same fierceness of women. On the other hand, there is still a lot that must be accomplished in order for women to truly be on par with men at the domestic or international level. Historically, men have been the players in the game, and women will have a tough fight ahead of them if they want to be considered serious contenders. The millions of people in Canada and the United States who love this sport break attendance records frequently. This sport is seen as the kind of family tradition, an past time that many Americans view the sports of baseball, football, or basketball.

Whether the players are pros or whether they are newbies, hockey is its own little world with its own set of rules. Soap opera fans have nothing on fans of this sport; people worship it like the air they breathe. For some, spending 2 to 3 hours late at night on the ice is perfectly normal.

By: Goodness Maseko

Fun Games In The Workplace offers more information, visit: Fun Family Party Gamess.

Article Directory: http://www.articlewisdom.com

Please Rate this Article

Not yet Rated