Hockey began in Military Garrisons in the 19^th century, as a game in long Canadian winters. The hockey rules grew throughout the 1870s. The first set of ice hockey rules was set by a college student named W.F. Robertson. W.F. Robertson adapted the rules of field hockey to ice hockey. Hockey was entered as an Olympic sport in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium. This game was founded by governing organizations in Britain, France, Belgium, Switzerland and Bohemia in 1908.

Hockey was and is still played at an arena made of ice. The arena is normally 200 feet long and 85 feet wide, but in the Olympics it is 100 feet wide and 200 feet long. There are two lines that go across the arena at each end; they are called goal lines. On the goal lines, a goal is placed. In front of the goal is a rectangular shape that’s 4 feet deep and 8 feet wide called the crease. This is the goaltenders domain. The goaltenders crease is where he has privileges that players don’t. No player can stay in or score from the crease. In hockey there is a red line that divides the rink in half. Face-offs are started in 1 of the 8 red circles. A face-off is usually started after, a timeout a penalty or an injury. No player can be within 10 feet of the face-off. If a penalty is charged the player goes to a special which is called the penalty box which can hold up to 10 people.

There is a black rubber disk that is 1 inch thick and 3 inches long it also is five- in -a -half to 6 ounces heavy. This is called the puck. There is a shaft on the hockey stick that is ¾ of an inch wide and 1 ½ inches thick. Hockey sticks are measured no longer then 55 inches or 53. For body protection players wear hip, shoulder and elbow pads, gauntlet type gloves and shin and knee guards. In addition to regular equipment, goaltenders wear 10 inch wide leg pads and chest protectors. All players must wear helmets but the goaltenders wear face masks. The average weight of players’ equipment is 20 pounds and the average weight of a goaltenders’ equipment is up to 40 pounds.

A regulation hockey squad has up to 12 forwards, 6 defensemen and 2 goaltenders. Because it is almost impossible for a player to stay into the game continuously without getting hurt or tired there are substitutions. The coach usually has set up offensive units before the game. A goalie remains in the game for the whole time, unless he gets injured.

There are three officials for every game but in the Olympics there is 1 official. The official is in charge of penalties, the goals and the game also fights. In professional hockey fighting leads up to the person getting thrown out of the game. There are a lot of penalties in hockey. Here are some listed. Hooking, slashing, holding, interference, cross checking, delay of game, tripping, high sticking, elbowing, and icing. Players can past to their teammates as long as their teammates and themselves are not past the blue line. If a player commits one of these fouls they must stay in the penalty box for a period of time most of the time 2 minutes unless they start a fight. While the team is penalized they must play shorthanded while the other team is at full strength. This is called a power play.

In the Olympics the United States has won 4 Olympic championships over the past 86 years. The Canadians have won 7chamionships. In 1980, at lake Placid, New York, a sensational and a miracle happened. Teams USA were playing USRR. Boris Makhaliov and Jimmy Craig led the United States to their 2^nd Olympic championship. The United States won surprisingly to a very strong team Czechoslovakia. The score came out to 7-3. They (the United States) went on to have 4 wins and a draw. Then they moved onto the medal round where they played USRR. The U.S. were winning 4-3 with a little over ten minutes left. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…Do you believe in miracles. Yes! That game was remembered as a miracle because of a bunch of college students faced the ultimate challenge.

As you can see, hockey is one of the most popular and one of the hardest sports ever played. Hockey will probably last forever, mostly because it is a very fun, exciting and a great American sport.