Ice hockey is a team sport played on ice. It is a fast-paced and very physical sport and is one of the major sports of North America. Ice Hockey is most popular in regions with winters cold enough to freeze outdoor lakes and allow outdoor hockey, but with the advent of indoor hockey rinks in most professional sports arenas, ice hockey has grown in popularity in warmer regions. Currently hockey is played year-round throughout North America.
It is one of the four major North American professional sports, and is represented by the National Hockey League (NHL) at the highest level, and the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), the highest level of women's ice hockey in the world. It is the official national winter sport of Canada.
Ice hockey is played on a hockey rink. During normal play, there are six players per side on the ice at any time, each of whom is on ice skates. A goaltender and five other players comprise each side of a hockey game. Generally the additional players to the goalie are two defencemen and three forwards.
The objective of the game is to score goals by shooting a hard vulcanized rubber disc, the puck, into the opponent's goal net. The players control the puck using a long stick with a curved blade at the end. Subject to some restrictions, players may redirect the puck using any part of their bodies.
A hockey game is divided into three periods of twenty minutes each. The clock runs only when the puck is in play.