Hockey is a type of sport in which players try to get points by hitting an object into the other team's goal with a stick. Others believe hockey came from the French word “hoquet” which means shepherd's stick. James Creighton, an engineer who learned how to play the game of hockey while living in Nova Scotia, is credited for bringing the game to a new level. He taught his friends at McGill University in Montreal how to play the game.
Types
[change | change source]There are three main ways that hockey is played.
- Field hockey is played with a ball on grass or turf. there are eleven players in each team . Field hockey is usually played outdoors, but there is indoor field hockey. Field hockey is played in the Summer Olympic Games.
- Ice hockey is played on ice. Players on each team wear ice skates. They try to hit a small rubber disc called a hockey puck into the other team's goal. There are up to 6 players on the ice at a time for each team. It can be played indoors or outdoors. Professionals play indoors in arenas. Ice hockey is one of the most popular sports in the world. It is played in the Winter Olympic Games. The modern game was invented in the mid-1850´s by British soldiers based in Canada. Rules were set by students at McGill University in Montréal, Canada, in 1879, and many amateur clubs and leagues were organized in Canada by the late 1880s. The first game played in the USA is believed to have been in 1893.
- Roller hockey is played on a roller hockey rink, usually inside. Players on each team wear roller skates. They try to hit a small plastic disk called a hockey puck into the other team's goal. There are 5 players on each team. There is no contact.
History
[change | change source]Evidence exists that shows ancient Aztecs, Greeks and Romans played similar forms of the game. The modern game of field hockey came to fruition in the mid-19th century in Great Britain. The British army brought the game to its colonies, and the first international competition took place in 1895.
