Hockey
is a sport in which two teams compete against one other by maneuvering a ball or puck into the
opponent's goal with the use of a hockey stick. Bandy,
field hockey, ice hockey, and rink hockey are some of the several styles of hockey.
In most of the globe, the name hockey refers to
field hockey, although it commonly refers to
ice hockey in Canada, the
United States, Russia, and much of Eastern and Northern Europe.
- Canada has two national sports:
ice hockey (in the winter)
and lacrosse (in the summer). The National Sports Act of Canada states:
'Hockey
and lacrosse will be recognized as national sports. The game usually referred to as ice hockey is therefore recognized and proclaimed to be
Canada's national winter sport, while the game commonly referred to as lacrosse is hereby recognized and declared to be
Canada's national summer sport.'
- The Czech Republic's two most popular sports are football and
ice hockey, however, ice hockey garners more attention due to its popularity and professional stability.
- Hockey is the national sport of India. From 1928 through 1956, India won six consecutive gold medals in the Olympic Games, known as the
Golden Era of Hockey in
India. In India, cricket is now more popular than hockey.
- Pakistan's national sport is field hockey.