Ice, Street, and Field Hockey
Hockey is a broad term describing any sport in which two teams compete against each other by maneuvering a ball or puck into the opposing team's
goal or net
using a
hockey stick
. Hockey can be a rough sport, so it is important to wear
padding and helments
to protect against injuries. Goalies should always wear proper
goalie masks
,
goalie skates
,
leg pads
, and
goalie gloves
.
Popular Types of Hockey
-
Field hockey: Field hockey is played on grass or artificial turf. It is popular in many parts of the world with both males and females. In the United States, however, field hockey is usually played by females. Field hockey uses a small ball rather than a puck.
-
Ice hockey: Ice hockey is popular in the United States and Canada, especially on the professional level. It is played on a flat area of ice, which could be a frozen pond or a massive ice arena. A disk with a 3 inch diameter is used. Ice
hockey sticks
are long and L-shaped with a blade at the bottom that sits flat along the ice. This blade can curve either to the left or to the right, depending on the player's predominant hand. Both right-handed ice
hockey sticks
and left-handed
hockey sticks
are legal to use in professional games. Players wear
skates
to navigate the ice rink.
-
Street hockey: Street hockey is played by adults and children on the street or in the park. Balls are used rather than pucks due to the cement or asphalt floor, and the
goals
are often little more than overturned garbage cans. Players can wear sneakers or, more commonly,
inline skates
.
Related Guides
Essentials
Stuff for Goalies
