Hockey is a Great Game

Considering the country's love affair with the game most people would be surprised to learn that hockey is not the national sport of Canada. Many people in Canada eat, sleep, and breathe hockey. The roots of hockey are in Ireland, back when it was called Hurley, but hockey is defiantly a Canadian sport. Due to its infectious nature, hockey has caught on all over the world. It became very popular throughout Canada, especially the East coast in the 1800s.

In 1917 the National Hockey League (NHL) was formed and it consisted of five original teams. By the end of the century there would be 30 teams from all over Canada and the USA. People are passionate about their hockey and one look at some of the fans at the arenas show that they mean business.

While the US teams have dominated the hockey playoffs, called the Stanley Cup, in recent years, the sport still has a bigger following in Canada. Hockey Night in Canada is quite an event in many households and sports bars. Several teams in Canada have fallen by the wayside in the past several years such as the Winnipeg Jets and the Quebec Nordiques. This is an unfortunate cause of the high player salaries.

Hockey stars are among the highest paid in any professional sport. This is partly the reason that many of the top players head to teams in the US. Many Canadian teams have a hard time retaining their homegrown players thanks to high salary demands. This is also the key issue in the 2004 dispute which has resulted in no games thus far for the season.

Hockey is a very violent game, and spectators love to watch the opposing team get crushed against the boards. Many people wonder what this is teaching young fans and, unfortunately, violence is very common in the little leagues. Many leagues have adopted a no tolerance policy for aggressive play, and some have banned this type of contact all together. The NHL however, has yet to follow suit.

It's not just children that become too involved - in some instances, some of the parents have become a bit too passionate in recent years. Many little leagues are struggling with fights between parents and verbal and physical abuse against referees and coaches. As a result, many parents are turning from the sport or putting their children in after school hockey programs. It's a frustrating when the parents are more focused on winning than the kids.

No matter what happens though, hockey will always be a popular game in North America. Europe enjoys much success in the hockey world as well. Recent world championships have highlighted little known places such as Belarus. Anywhere you can find frozen ponds in the winter are the perfect place for a little ice hockey. This isn't always the case though, look at the Los Angeles Kings!

Hockey is one of the best-loved games in North America and many fans have their fingers crossed that there will be at least a few games this 2004/2005 NHL season. But there are farm teams and minor leagues that are still playing so at least fans can get their hockey fix. If you are wondering what the fuss is all about, be sure to check out a game at your local area and feel the excitement in the air. No wonder hockey is so popular!

Urther Queen is the owner of UQ Hockey, the #1 source on the internet for information about hockey. For more articles on hockey why not visit: www.uqhockey.com/articles
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