What is ice hockey?
Ice hockey is a fast, fluid and exciting team sport featuring two teams of six players (a goaltender and five skaters) on ice. It draws big crowds at the Olympic Games thanks to the drama and tension of the matches.
By whom, where and when was ice hockey invented?
Ice hockey originated in Canada in the early 19th century, based on several similar sports played in Europe, although the word “hockey” comes from the old French word “hocquet”, meaning “stick”. Around 1860, a puck was substituted for a ball, and in 1879, two McGill University students, Robertson and Smith, devised the first rules.
The first recognised team, the McGill University Hockey Club, was formed in 1880 as hockey became the Canadian national sport and spread throughout the country. In 1892, the Governor General of Canada donated the Stanley Cup, which was first won by a team representing the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association.
The sport migrated south to the United States during the 1890s, and games are known to have taken place there between Johns Hopkins and Yale universities in 1895. Ice hockey spread to Europe around the turn of the century, and the first Olympic Games to include ice hockey for men were 1920 Antwerp Games (in summer, predating the first Olympic Winter Games).
What are the rules of ice hockey?
The basic aim of the game is to score more goals than the opposing team within the allotted time. There are rolling substitutions for each team. Penalties are penalised by removing the offending player(s) from the game to the penalty box for a period of 2 (minor penalty), 4 (double minor penalty), 5 (major penalty), or 10 (misconduct penalty) minutes.
How long is an ice hockey game?
Ice hockey games are played over three periods of 20 minutes each, with the clock stopping on each pause of play. If the scores are tied, games are usually decided by overtime periods (of varying length, depending on the tournament or even the round within a tournament) or even by penalty-shot shootout.
Ice hockey and the Olympics
Six-a-side men’s ice hockey has been on the programme of every edition of the Winter Games since 1924 in Chamonix. Women’s ice hockey was accepted as an Olympic sport in 1992, and made its official debut in 1998 in Nagano.
Unsurprisingly, Canada dominated the first tournaments. However, in 1956, and until its dissolution, the Soviet Union took over and became the number one team. It was interrupted only by USA victories in 1960 in Squaw Valley and in 1980 in Lake Placid.
Professional National Hockey League players competed in men's tournaments from 1998 through 2014.
Best ice hockey national teams to watch
Canada, USA, Finland, and Switzerland have four of the best women's national team programmes in the world. On the men's side, without NHL players involved and the Russian ice hockey federation currently suspended, the field is open.
Ice hockey competition rules and event format at Milano Cortina 2026
Teams will be split into groups, before moving on to a direct-elimination bracket. The exact format and number of teams participating is still to be determined.
