Ice hockey, referred to simply as hockey in Canada and the United States, is a team sport played on ice. The most prominent ice hockey nations are Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden and the United States. While there are 64 total members of the International Ice Hockey Federation, those seven nations have dominated ice hockey. Of the sixty medals awarded in men's competition at the Olympic level from 1920 on, only six did not go to one of those countries (or a former entity thereof, such as Czechoslovakia or the Soviet Union) and only one such medal was awarded above bronze. | accessyear=2006}}

Ice hockey is most popular as a sport in areas that are sufficiently cold for natural, reliable seasonal ice cover. It is one of the four major North American professional sports, represented by the National Hockey League (NHL) at the highest level. It is the official national winter sport of Canada, where the game enjoys immense popularity, and also the most popular sport in Finland. Six of the thirty NHL franchises are based in Canada, but Canadians currently outnumber Americans in the league by a ratio of almost three to one, and about thirty percent of the league's players are non-North Americans. The sport's popularity in the US is concentrated in certain regions, notably the Northeast, the Upper Midwest, and Alaska. However Ice hockey is the least watched sport in the United States, but the most watched in Canada.

More on [ Ice hockey ]

SI.com - NHL

Preds roll over Wings, leapfrog to 3rd in Central
Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:40:07 -0500

FanHouse: Someone's gotta be dealt in Chicago
Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:40:07 -0500

FanHouse: Niedermayer's stick incites fan brawl
Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:40:07 -0500


Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:40:07 -0500

NHL suspends Laraque 5 games for Kronwall hit
Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:56:47 -0500
TORONTO (AP) -- The NHL suspended Montreal Canadiens enforcer Georges Laraque five games for a hit on Detroit defenseman Niklas Kronwall.
Wild ship former No. 1 pick Pouliot to Canadiens
Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:55:24 -0500
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- The Minnesota Wild have traded former first-round draft choice Benoit Pouliot to Montreal for left wing Guillaume Latendresse.

BBC Sport | Other Sports | Hockey | World Edition

Wales & Scotland miss World Cup
Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:42:51 -0000
The Welsh and Scottish men's hockey teams will not compete at the 2010 World Cup after failing to make it through qualifying.
England stun Germans to win title
Sun, 30 Aug 2009 15:11:58 -0000
England's men come from 3-2 down to beat world and Olympic champions Germany 5-3 and claim their first ever EuroHockey Nations crown.
England women win Euro bronze
Sat, 29 Aug 2009 15:22:19 -0000
England's women take bronze at the EuroHockey Nations Championships with a 2-1 win over Spain in Amstelveen.
England beat Dutch in Euro semi
Fri, 28 Aug 2009 17:45:18 -0000
Ashley Jackson hits a last-gasp golden goal as England beat the Netherlands to reach the EuroHockey Nations Championship final.
German golden goal beats England
Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:55:33 -0000
A golden goal by Germany knocks England's women out of the EuroHockey Nations Championships in the semi final.
England secure semi-final place
Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:54:11 -0000
England reach the semi-finals of the EuroHockey Nations Championships and secure their place at the 2010 World Cup thanks to an 8-2 win over Belgium.

NYT > Hockey

N.H.L. Roundup: Tip-In Goal Lifts Lightning in Overtime
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:43:58 -0000
Steven Stamkos, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2008 draft, scored his 15th goal at 2:56 of overtime to give the Lightning their second straight win.
Fehr Is Giving the N.H.L.’s Union Advice and Hope
By JEFF Z. KLEIN Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:31:06 -0000
Donald Fehr, the departing executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association, is working in an advisory capacity with the N.H.L. players union.
Panthers 3, Rangers 2: Thin Attack Falls Short as Rangers Sink Deeper
By JEFF Z. KLEIN Sun, 22 Nov 2009 06:58:39 -0000
Vinny Prospal and Marian Gaborik scored the Rangers’ goals but also had a hand in the Panthers’ scores in game that Florida won.

USCHO.com News

Thrice is Nice: Green Knights Again D-III Royalty
Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600
MINNEAPOLIS — For the third consecutive week, the St. Norbert Green Knights lord over the rest of Division III hockey. In improving to 8-0-1 overall with a road sweep of the then-sixth ranked University of Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons, the Green Knights acquired an additional first place vote, receiving 17 of a possible 20 top nods. Second ranked Oswego, 8-1-0 on the season, trail No. ...
Report: Former NHLPA Chief Kelly Hired to Run College Hockey Inc.
Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600
Paul Kelly, the former executive director of the NHL Players Association, has been hired as the executive director of a newly formed group designed to promote Division I hockey, USA Today reported. Kelly will run College Hockey Inc., an organization formed by the Hockey Commissioners Association to help NCAA hockey's profile as it competes with Canadian major juniors and the professsional ranks ...
This Week in D-I Women's Hockey: November 20, 2009
Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600
Ragging the puck while waiting for the Qwest Tour to hit the Granite State … Ten Years of Title-hunting Taking note that Minnesota-Duluth will be celebrating its 10th anniversary in womens' hockey this weekend - “A Decade of Dominance” - when Minnesota State hits the Iron Range. Talk about an illustrious program. What Shannon Miller has built in Duluth has been innovative and always entertaining. ...

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All goals of Russia - Winter Olympics 2006 Ice Hockey Crosby