Ice Hockey

Ice hockey is a fun and fast sport. Players wear skates and glide on a sheet of ice. They use long sticks to hit a small black disk called a puck. The goal is to shoot the puck into the other team's net. Each team tries to score more goals than the other team.

How the Game is Played

A hockey game has two teams. Each team has six players on the ice. Five are skaters and one is the goalie. The goalie tries to stop the puck from going into the net. The game has three parts called periods. Each period is twenty minutes long. Players pass the puck to each other and try to score.

A hockey player fires the puck past the goalie and scores.
A hockey player fires the puck past the goalie and scores. (Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA / Wikimedia Commons)

Gear and Safety

Hockey players wear a lot of gear to stay safe. They wear helmets, gloves, and big pads. Skates have sharp metal blades on the bottom. The goalie wears extra pads and a big mask. All this gear helps players when they fall or get hit by the puck.

Fun Facts

  • A hockey puck is made of hard rubber and is frozen before each game.
  • The fastest slap shot has been clocked at over 100 miles per hour.
  • The Stanley Cup is the oldest trophy in North American pro sports.

Did You Know?

Ice hockey started in Canada in the 1800s, and today kids all over the world play it on frozen ponds and in ice rinks.