Ice Hockey

Ice hockey was born in Canada. It is believed British garrisons, stationed here in the 1700s, adapted the rules of a variety of sports so they could be played on snow or ice. The first set of rules specifying a puck and a flat piece of wood was written in 1837. The cities of Halifax, Montreal, Kingston and Windsor were all sites of some of the first games played with rules resembling the modern ones.

Men's ice hockey made its Olympic debut at the Summer Games of 1920, moving to the inaugural Olympic Winter Games in 1924. Women’s ice hockey debuted 74 years later.

The object of the game of ice hockey is to get the puck into the goal defended by the opposing team. The ice surface is divided in half by a centre red line and into thirds by two blue lines. A 1.22 m x 2.53 m area in front of the goal, called the "goal crease", is off limits to an attacking player unless the puck is already in the crease. All typical rules apply to Olympic ice hockey.

A regular game consists of three 20-minute periods, with a 15-minute intermission after the first and second periods. If a tie occurs in a game in which a winner must be determined, a sudden-victory overtime period is played. During the gold medal game, a 20-minute, sudden-victory period is played. In the event of a tie after a sudden-victory period, a game-winning shoot-out determines the winner.

At the Olympic Winter Games, eight women’s teams and 12 men’s teams compete in round-robin tournaments. Top-seeded teams advance. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games ice hockey tournaments are played on a North American ice surface which is four metres narrower than international rinks.

Athletes

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  • Heyes

    Heyes - 9 months, 2 weeks ago

    70 Lincoln street
    Ajax, Ontario L1S6C9

    November 11 2009

    Dear Scott Moir,

    You are a very good skater. I’ve seen you on the internet. I made a biography about you. I picked you because you were from Ontario. I hope you are going to be competing in the Olympics. I wish I could go. Your lucky.

    Who are your competitors? You are probably going to beat them anyways. Are you sponsored by a franchise? Lots of athletes are. One day I was watching the news and I saw you. The weird thing is that I was making the biography then. From what I’m hearing your going to win.

    Please right back.
    From, Bradley B.D.
    -

    P.S. I am also a hockey player too, I have been playing for 4 years.

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  • Heyes

    Heyes - 9 months, 2 weeks ago

    70 Lincoln Street

    Ajax Ontario
    L1S 6CS
    November 11

    Dear Sidney Crosby,

    Hey, how’s it going? My name is Jack. I watch you every hockey game, you are my favourite hockey player . What do you want to rank in the Olympics? I hope you do really well. I bet you’re team will win the Stanley cup as well. Is training hard? I think you are the best Hockey player in the NHL. Do you think you are?

    I hope your going to the olympics. If you do go to the Olympics will you’re family be there? I bet you train really hard. Are you really one of the youngest players in the NHL? You’re one of the most coolest players I know. I play hockey too. I’m pretty good. I watch you play to see what i can improve on. I play defense.

    PS I love hockey too.

    Sincerely
    Jack S.D.

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  • Heyes

    Heyes - 9 months, 2 weeks ago

    70 Lincoln Street
    Ajax, Ontario
    L1S 6C9
    November 11, 2009

    Dear Jeff Carter,

    Hi my name is Adam I am writing to you because I chose you to be my Olympic athlete for a biography we did in class. I chose you because I think you are really talented and you have awesome skills. I really admire you for what you do in the NHL. Have you ever been scared playing against another team when someone doesn’t like you?

    Have you ever wanted to play another sport? Some sports I
    like other than hockey are basketball, soccer, football, and
    baseball. I also love to watch and play street hockey. What are some things I have to do to play for an ice hockey team?

    Do you think your team has a strong roster to win the gold medal? Good luck and have fun at the Olympics. Go Canada!

    Yours truly,
    Adam Janmohamed

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  • Marsbar14

    Marsbar14 - 8 months, 1 week ago

    Heyyy Sidney Crosby,

    My name is Marcel lair. i was wondering whats you e-mail Address? and you can add me so we can talk

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  • olympic

    olympic - 7 months, 3 weeks ago

    martin brodeur is the best golei and new jearsy is my favourite team thanks

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  • Blazekin170

    Blazekin170 - 7 months ago

    yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyooooooooooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooocccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccckkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk

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  • Blazekin170

    Blazekin170 - 7 months ago

    Did u know u might be the next great one. The old great one is the AMAZING!WAYNE GRETSKY

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  • bubba203

    bubba203 - 6 months, 4 weeks ago

    Good luck Canada

    Bubba203

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  • KyleBlaseg

    KyleBlaseg - 6 months, 3 weeks ago

    GO CANADAAAAAAAAAAA

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  • kcs

    kcs - 6 months, 3 weeks ago

    hi Martin Brodeur I hope you acheve your personal best! GO FOR GOLD!
    you've worked so hard!Hope you come first! you represent canada well!
    nice work as a golie!

    Aidan tyler

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  • kcs

    kcs - 6 months, 3 weeks ago

    hi jarome nice hat trick!

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  • kcs

    kcs - 6 months, 3 weeks ago

    Go Canada Go From Jaxson and Tye

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  • Lesliez

    Lesliez - 6 months, 3 weeks ago

    Hey ladies...I am so very proud of each and every member of your team both on and off the ice! I am excited on game day and toast you with my glass of wine before the puck drop knowing you will fight a fair battle and will play by the rules. You have yet to disappoint and for that I Thank you. Keep it up. This Canadian is Proud!

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  • lucklou

    lucklou - 6 months, 3 weeks ago

    MR Brodeur

    Martin Brodeur you were awsome last night hot hot hot ..... it was a great game .... plus you are a dame good goal tender ... but not as good as my daughter lol .... will ok maybe abit better ... .. No you are a great player keep it up .. GO CANADA GO... We are all here for you guys

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  • trw

    trw - 6 months, 2 weeks ago

    embarrasing loss. I can accept alot of things. Not winning medals and not doing well in other disciplines but losing the US in hockey. Come on. Thats pathetic. I know we dont have the dominance we once did. But something is seriously wrong here. Terrible performance. Where is the urgency. Its not happening from the drop of the puck. it feels likes the players think they are owed something. They have to realize every game is like the stanley cup for these other nations you have to show up. Horrible. Im really disgusted. I hope they can bounce back but in order to do that we have to lose the attitude. We are not owed anything. Get it going and get it going now or dont bother representing because we cant show are faces with performances like that.

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  • Katiewi32

    Katiewi32 - 6 months, 2 weeks ago

    I don't guess that each single student in whole world has a passion of argument essay performing! Nevertheless, students ,which don't like writing have to use help of great <a href="http://quality-papers.com/topics/sociology_essays">sociology essay</a> service and be happy with a success.

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  • seren

    seren - 6 months, 2 weeks ago

    Katiewi32. What do you think the Olympics mean?

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  • LisaN

    LisaN - 6 months, 2 weeks ago

    (from Nathan, age 6. To the women's hockey team)

    Good job! You did something really exciting. I hope you had fun. Good thing you won because we're happy. And I wish you will win again in another Olympics.

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  • Baaroos

    Baaroos - 6 months, 2 weeks ago

    You are the best in the world….. You are Olympic Gold medalists ….. You represent your entire Country… You are role models for children….. And yet despite all that you decide to DRINK BEER and SMOKE CIGARS on the ice??? Not to mention drinking underage and breaking the law, some role models you are for children, a real fine example of what they should strive to be. You did not have the decency to wait until you were in a private setting away from the cameras? You all are a disgrace to Canada and the Olympics and moreover a poor example to those that once looked up to you.

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  • Canadianwoman

    Canadianwoman - 6 months, 2 weeks ago

    Canadian and proud. I am very proud of our woman’s hockey team they did an amazing job. If this would have been a men's team nobody would have batted an eye about their actions after they won. Don't make it a bigger deal then it is. The fact remains we won and they deserved it. Congratulations.

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  • Canadasportsfan

    Canadasportsfan - 6 months, 2 weeks ago

    Just celebrating… Lighten up… don’t make a bigger deal out of it… how could you possibly make it worse? What planet are you two living on JoeCanada and Canadianwoman??? According to your rational the next Olympics will have crack pipes and shots waiting for the athletes when they win, after all they are just celebrating and not hurting anyone right???? Perhaps..perhaps they should have contained themselves, are you serious?? There is no perhaps about it and yes forbid that they get caught up in the moment and just go breaking laws and making a mockery of the sport, the games and Canada. What they did was completely off the charts, and if they had a once of common decency the beer and cigars would not have ever even made its way to the rink! As for you Canadian woman, THE MEN DIDN”T DO IT…EVER!!! What is wrong with both of you, if you can not see the wrong in what they did please go borrow a gun and a bullet and save the rest of us. As for not hurting anyone….JoeCanada you clearly don’t have children, and if you do heaven help them because that is ludicrous. On to lighten up… honestly do you really need an explanation for that too?
    These women are a disgrace and I can only hope that Canada shows that it will not condone such behavior and punishes them to the fullest extent possible. They should be ashamed of themselves.

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  • Observer

    Observer - 6 months, 2 weeks ago

    The female hockey players did not act like winners!
    The coaches must have left the building.
    They should be punished, not just offer a limp apology.
    They broke the law-in public.
    They were smoking in a non-smoking building-in public.
    They were in their Olympic uniforms-breaking the law-in public.
    How will they be punished?
    American had to send an Olympian home for breaking a rule out of uniform and at a private party.
    The offenses of the Hockey players are far, far worse.
    Won't their children be proud in future years. What role models they are to the younger generation!

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  • KarlaH

    KarlaH - 6 months, 2 weeks ago

    Your Ladies Hockey celebration was very bad! I am 12. My parents said no more hockey for me because drinking and smoking are not acceptable. I am still glad you won gold but I am very upset at the same time.

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  • BrantAvenueSchool

    BrantAvenueSchool - 6 months, 1 week ago

    Dear Hockey team
    I have some questions. Is it scary to play against other teams? My sister wants to be a hockey player when she grows up. Mrs. Lawsons
    class and me are cheering you guy's on. We hope you believe in your self. congratulations me and my brother and my sister watch you men or women win. I enjoy hockey a lot

    Go
    Team
    Canada.

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  • ralphy

    ralphy - 6 months ago

    We own the game, rightly, or wrongly. It's a HUGE deal. We all know that. That's why hockey is played with such fervor. You girls , and boys(men) did such a GREAT job!! Whoo-Hooo!
    We shouldn't have felt shame, had we lost either game, Silver's not too bad, but let's face it, GOLD is WAY better!!!! Oh Canada!!!

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