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Ice hockey is a sport played on ice - and that's what makes it seriously fast, furious and exciting. It's a simple game to understand and get into - 2 teams use sticks to shoot a rubber puck into the opponents net and score points. Teams consist of up to four lines of three forwards, pairs of defense men and two goal tenders. Five members of every team skate on the ice seeking to take the rubber puck from the opponent and then score a goal. The role of the goal tender is to stop the rubber puck from getting into the net. And that's all you need to know to really start enjoying the sport.

If you want to know the more intricate rules you can look them up - the features of the game are the same around the world, but the rules largely depend on the code of play that is being used. The most important codes for the game are from the International Ice-Hockey Federation (IIHF) and the North American National-Hockey League (NHL).

What makes this game stand out?

Ice hockey is mainly played in Canada and United States whereas Field Hockey is more common in warmer climates. Much as the main aim of every game is to score goals in the opponents net, there are some differences in the manner in which they are played, number of players and gear used. Here are some of the main characteristics of ice hockey:-

• Ice hockey can have up to twenty players whereby six are on ice at any one time


• The size of the playing area has to be defined before the commencement of a game


• Ice hockey uses lots of protective equipment such as elbow and shoulder pads, shin guards, padded pants, gloves and helmets.


• Ice hockey players use a three inch rubber disc that is frozen before the game so as to avoid friction and bouncing


• While field hockey sticks are shaped like the letter j, ice hockey uses long sticks that are shaped like letter L and are made of wood.

The thrill of watching ice hockey is one anybody can enjoy. But if you want to get involved as a player, you need to brace yourself for a worthwhile investment in the right equipment. This is not a game you can play without protection.