Hockey is a sport in which two teams play against each other by trying to manoeuvre a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick. There are many types of hockey such as bandy, field hockey, ice hockey and rink hockey.
Ice hockey is a contact team sport played on ice, usually in an indoor or outdoor rink, in which two teams of skaters use their sticks to shoot a vulcanized rubber puck into their opponent's net to score goals. The sport is known to be fast-paced and physical, with teams usually fielding six players at a time: one goaltender to stop the puck from going into their own net, two defensemen, and three forwards who skate the span of the ice trying to control the puck and score goals against the opposing team.
The National Hockey League is a professional ice hockey league in North America, currently comprising 31 teams: 24 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season.
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual international men's ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European Championships, the precursor to the World Championships, were first held in 1910. The tournament held at the 1920 Summer Olympics is recognized as the first Ice Hockey World Championship. From 1920 to 1968, the Olympic hockey tournament was also considered the World Championship for that year.
Kenneth Wayne Dryden,, is a Canadian politician, lawyer, businessman, author, and former National Hockey League (NHL) goaltender. He is an officer of the Order of Canada and a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Dryden was a Liberal Member of Parliament from 2004 to 2011, and served as a cabinet minister from 2004 to 2006. In 2017, Dryden was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history. He received the Order of Hockey in Canada in 2020.
The Russian men's national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of Russia, overseen by the Ice Hockey Federation of Russia. As of 2020, they are rated second in the IIHF World Ranking. The team has been competing internationally since 1992 and is recognized by the IIHF as the successor to the Soviet Union team and CIS team. The Russian team is one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world and a member of the so-called "Big Six," the unofficial group of the six strongest men's ice hockey nations, along with Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden and the United States. The European nations of the Big Six participate in the Euro Hockey Tour, which Russia won seven times since 2005. Since April 2018, the head coach is Ilya Vorobiev, taking over for the second half of the 2017–18 Euro Hockey Tour.
The Finnish men's national ice hockey team, or Leijonat / Lejonen, as it is called in Finland, is governed by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association. Finland is one of the most successful national ice hockey teams in the world and a member of the so-called "Big Six", the unofficial group of the six strongest men's ice hockey nations, along with Canada, United States, the Czech Republic, Russia and Sweden.
Anthony James "Tony O" Esposito is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey goaltender, who played in the National Hockey League, most notably for the Chicago Black Hawks. He was one of the pioneers of the now popular butterfly style. Tony is the younger brother of Phil Esposito, a centre. Both brothers had notable careers and are enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2017 Esposito was named one of the '100 Greatest NHL Players' in history.
Peter Maxwell McNab is a Canadian-born American former professional ice hockey player who appeared in 954 National Hockey League (NHL) regular season games between 1973 and 1987. He has served as the color commentator for the Colorado Avalanche since the inaugural 1995-1996 season.
Reed David Larson is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman and former captain of the Detroit Red Wings who played 904 regular season games in the National Hockey League between 1976 and 1990. He is a member of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.
Patrick Michael Boutette is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He played in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Hartford Whalers, and Pittsburgh Penguins between 1975 and 1985. Internationally he played for the Canadian national team at the 1981 World Championships. Following his playing career, like many retired hockey players, Pat Boutette went into the hospitality industry and purchased The Doctor's House restaurant in Kleinburg, Ontario. He ran the restaurant until the early 2001.
Douglas John Palazzari is a former professional ice hockey player and USA Hockey executive. He is the son of former NHL player Aldo Palazzari. Too small to become a regular in the National Hockey League, Doug Palazzari played a total of 108 games for the St. Louis Blues in 1974–79 but he spent most of his professional career in the minors with the Providence Reds, Kansas City Blues and Salt Lake Golden Eagles where he was a major star. Before turning professional, he was an accomplished player for the Colorado College men's ice hockey team and he also played for the United States national team at the 1973 and 1974 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments. Palazzari was also a member of the United States team at the inaugural 1976 Canada Cup.
Thomas Robert Mellor is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman.
David E. Hynes is an American retired professional ice hockey player who played 22 games in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins in 1973–75 as well as 22 games in the World Hockey Association for the New England Whalers in 1976–77. He was also a member of the United States national team at the 1972, 1973 and 1977 Ice Hockey World Championship tournaments. He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As a youth, he played in the 1963 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with his Boston minor ice hockey team. Hynes has the distinction of being the first American born player to be drafted by the Boston Bruins. He was selected in the fourth round, 56th overall, by the Bruins in the 1971 NHL Amateur Draft.
For the writer, see John G. Taft
The 1973 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament was the culmination of the 1972–73 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, the 26th such tournament in NCAA history. It was held between March 15 and 17, 1973, and concluded with Wisconsin defeating Denver 4-2. All games were played at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
The 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was the 39th edition of Ice Hockey World Junior Championship, played from December 26, 2014 to January 5, 2015. It was co-hosted by Toronto, Ontario, and Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and organized by Hockey Canada, Hockey Quebec, the Ontario Hockey Federation, the Montreal Canadiens, Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment and Evenko. Games were split between Air Canada Centre in Toronto and Bell Centre in Montreal, with Montreal hosting Group A matches and two quarter finals, and Toronto hosting Group B, along with the relegation games, two quarter finals, along with the semi-finals, bronze medal, and gold medal games.
The Turkmenistan national ice hockey team is the national men's ice hockey team of Turkmenistan. The team is controlled by the Turkmenistan Ice Hockey Federation and a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Turkmenistan is currently ranked 49th in the IIHF World Ranking and made its debut in the 2018 World Championship Division III Qualification tournament.
Dominique Ducharme is a former ice hockey player and current interim head coach of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League.
Juraj Okoličány was a Slovak ice hockey referee and ice hockey administrator. He officiated from 1962 to 1986, including games in the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League, IIHF World U20 Championships, and Ice Hockey World Championships. He served as an executive with the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation from 1990 to 2003, where he developed officials, translated rules into Slovak, and directed the organizing committee when Slovakia hosted international events. He was also the manager of the Slovakia men's national ice hockey team from 1993 to 1998. He served as a committee member of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) from 1993 to 2008, and was a supervisor of officials at World Championships and Winter Olympic Games. His contributions to the IIHF and international ice hockey were recognized in 2008 when he received the Paul Loicq Award.
United States 