The National hockey League was formed about 90 years ago. They played their first game on November 22, 1917 in Montreal, Canada. The National Hockey league only consisted of three original teams but since then has developed into a league of thirty teams. There was also a very small fan base when hockey was first introduced into professional sports because many people did not know much about it. Since then hockey has grown into a large sport with fans all over the world.

There is a common misconception that hockey is a game about just fighting and hitting. Although a lot of this does happen, hockey is a game of finesse. There are rules to regulate what you can and can not do. Some of the major rules are tripping, hooking, interference, and roughing. These rules are strictly enforced at all levels of the game to ensure the players safety.

In hockey there are four basic positions: center, wing, defense, and goalie. A center’s job is to support the puck wherever it goes on the ice and taking face- offs. It is a very important position that requires a lot of endurance. The wing’s job is to stay on their side of the boards to receive break out passes so they can get the puck out of the defensive zone. The defenseman’s job is to get the puck out of the defensive zone and hold the blue line while in the offensive zone. Last but not least is the position of the goalie. The goalie’s job basically is to keep the puck out of the net. Those are the four basic positions in hockey.

Since hockey is a rough game, players must wear protective gear to stay safe. A helmet is very important because it helps cushion the various types of blows to the head and helps prevent concussions. Then there are the gloves which protect your hands from slashes, skate blades, and shots. Shoulder pads are a very essential thing for giving and receiving checks. They make it a lot easier on your shoulders. Pants protect a large part of your lower body from checks, shots, slashes, and other player’s skates. Another very important piece of equipment is the shin pad. They help players block shots because they are strong enough to resist the force of the puck. Probably the most important thing would be the skates. They are what enable you to skate on the ice and they also protect your ankle and foot.

Unlike just about every professional sport in the world, hockey is played on ice. It is called either a hockey rink or and arena. The rink is divided into three zones, the defensive zone, the neutral zone, and the offensive zone. The defensive zone is your own zone and is identical to the offensive zone. They both consist of two face-off circles, a goal line, a blue line, a net, and hash marks. Then there is the neutral zone which is made up of the center ice circle, four face-off dots, and the red line. That is the basic hockey rink.

For every sport there is an ultimate prize. In hockey it is the Stanley Cup. Winning the Stanley cup is a very hard task that requires a lot of skill and team unity. To win the playoffs and advance to the Stanley Cup finals a team must win four playoff series. A series consists of seven playoff games but once a team wins four out of the seven, they win that series. Winning the Stanley cup is one of the most prestigious awards in hockey.