Ice hockey, or hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. In regions where it is popular, the game is often referred to simply as hockey. The game is played between two teams with six players on the ice at a time (unless there is a penalty). A team usually consists of four lines of three forwards, 3 pairs of defencemen and two goalies. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take the puck and score a goal against the opposing team. Each team has a goaltender who tries to stop the puck from going into the goal or "net".
A fast-paced physical sport, ice hockey is most popular in areas that are sufficiently cold for natural reliable seasonal ice cover, such as Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the northern United States. With the advent of indoor artificial ice rinks ice hockey has become a year-round pastime in these areas. In North America, the National Hockey League (NHL) is the highest level for men, and the most popular. The Canadian Women's Hockey League (CWHL) and the Western Women's Hockey League (WWHL) are the highest levels for women. It is the official national winter sport of Canada,[1] where the game enjoys immense popularity. The first organized game was played on March 3, 1875 in Montreal, Canada.