Hockey

Hockey, game played on ice in which 2 opposing teams of skaters, using curved sticks, try to shoot a flat, rubber disk called a puck, into the opposing goal, which is 4 ft (1.2 m) high and 6 ft (1.8 m) wide. Each goal scored is 1 point and the team with the most goals at the end of the game is the winner. The ice surface, or rink, is usually 200 ft (61 m) long and 98 ft (30 m) wide and is divided into three zones: offensive, defensive, and neutral. Each team has 6 players on the ice at once: 1 center, 2 wings, 2 defensemen, and 1 goaltender. Together, the center and wings are called forwards and they try to score goals for their team, while the defensemen work to prevent the opposing team from getting chances to score. The goaltender, or goalie, is the last line of defense and always plays directly in front of his team's goal, in an area called the crease. The goalie's only job is to prevent shots by the opposing team from entering the goal. Penalties of varying length are handed out by the referee to a player who breaks the rules, and the team must play with one less skater for the duration of their player's penalty. The most popular league is the National Hockey League (NHL) which consists of 21 teams from the United States and Canada. Hockey is played worldwide, with the Soviet Union historically dominating most Olympic and international competition.

Field hockey, a variation of ice hockey, is played outdoors and on foot. The 2 teams try to shoot a small ball into a slightly larger goal: 7 ft (2.13 m) high and 12 ft (3.66 m) wide. The field is 100 yards (91 m) long and 60 yards (55 m) wide and each team plays 11 players at once: 5 forwards, 3 halfbacks, 2 fullbacks, and a goaltender. Field hockey is an international sport and women's field hockey became an Olympic sport at the 1980 Summer Games.