Hockey enjoys a tremendous amount of world-wide affection, particularly in the United States and Europe, but it was conceived and got its foundation in Canada. The even of the international men’s ice hockey world championships is one that is greatly looked forward to by the European countries; this is not true in the United States because the event takes place at the same time as the Stanley cup playoffs. Unfortunately, Canada, United States, and other countries with a large concentration of NHL players have not always been able to round up their best because many top players are playing for the Stanley cup trophy.
For years, professionals were not permitted to play at the international level, but now that many Europeans play in the NHL, the world championships no longer are comprised of the world’s best players. Hockey was an event that’s been a part of the Olympic Games since 1924 with Canada winning 6 out of 7 gold medals. In 1960, the U.S.won the gold medal and between 1956 and 1988, Russia won all but two gold medals; professional American, Swedish, Finnish, and Canadians were banned from Olympic competition. In 1980, U.S.Non-pro college students beat the Russians and won the gold medal in Lake Placid, New York.
Most Americans weren’t paying much attention to the sport at the time, but this began to change. The 1972 and 1974 Summit series had solidified Canada and Russia as hockey rivals. As a result, the Canadian Cup - where the best of the very best nations were able to play the sport - was formed. Eventually the name was changed from the Canadian Cup to the World Cup of Hockey and the United States won in 1996 and Canada in 2004. The ban against NHL players was lifted from the Olympics in 1998 and top players were allowed to compete against professionals from other countries. There have been 9 women’s competitions in the Olympics, and the women’s game has been a part of the games since 1998.
Women are coming into the fold on own in this sport and are competing just as hard as males. Still, they have a long way to go in terms of being on equal footing with men at the domestic and international levels. Women are competing in a sport that has traditionally only been played by men, so they will have a long road ahead in order to be taken seriously as players. Attendance records are regularly smashed by the millions of loyal fans in the U.S.A and Canada alone who love this sport. It is treated as a traditional past time, much like some Americans treat baseball, football, or basketball.
The world of hockey is a world unto itself, and that is true whether it is being played by professionals or amateurs. This sport is viewed as important as the air they breath by many, and people can get very wrapped up in it. For some, spending 2 to 3 hours late at night on the ice is perfectly normal.