Rec and Sports

Learn About International Hockey

Hockey is very popular in the United States and Europe today, but it got its start in Canada. Because of the timing of the Stanley cup playoffs and the fact that it coincides with the Stanley cup playoffs, Americans are not as enthusiastic about the international men’s ice hockey world championships as their European counterparts. Truthfully, many countries have a severe lack of top players, because those who are the best go off to join the NHL and try to win the Stanley cup.

The world championships do not accurately reflect the world’s top players; this has not been true since the barring of professionals from playing for the NHL ended and Europeans began playing at an international level. Canada won 6 out of 7 gold medals in the Olympic Games when hockey became a part in 1924. During the years that professional American, Swedish, Finnish, and Canadians were barred from Olympic competition, the United States took home the gold medal (in 1960) and Russia won all but two gold medals from 1956 to 1988. In 1980, U.S.Non-pro college students beat the Russians and won the gold medal in Lake Placid, New York.

The game also began to experience a boost in popularity in the sport that most Americans weren’t previously paying attention to. Canada and Russia were hockey enemies; this was solidified in the 1972 and 1974 Summit series. As a result, the Canadian Cup – where the best of the very best nations were able to play the sport – was formed. The Canadian Cup became the World Cup of Hockey; the United States won in 1996 and Canada 2004. The Olympic sport became even more interesting in 1998, as NHL professionals were allowed to compete against other top players around the world. Also in 1998, the women’s game premiered in the Olympics; there have been nine women’s competitions since.

Because women play just as hard a game as men, they are definitely being seen more and more as a serious sport all their own. Males at the domestic and international levels still have an edge, however, over women in the sporting world. Women are competing in a sport that has traditionally only been played by men, so they will have a long road ahead in order to be taken seriously as players. This sport today continues to attract the love and devotion of many; attendance records are regularly broken by the many loyal fans who love the sport. It is a family tradition to go to games and a pastime in the same way that Americans treat baseball, football and basketball.

The world of hockey is a world unto itself, and that is true whether it is being played by professionals or amateurs. For many, the sport is a very time consuming one that is as much a part of their life as the air they breathe; many are as involved in it day to day as some people are with soap operas. Many people will spend hours, late into the night, practicing the game.