In Canada in the 1860's soldiers enjoyed hockey on ice. In 1897 students in McGill University made the rule on the basis of field hockey and rugby. In 1917 National Hockey League started in the U.S and Canada. Ice Hockey is known as the most popular sport in the world.
A team consists of more than six and not more than twenty-two members. But on the link the game is played by six members. In the game a player on the ice can be replaced by another at any time, because ice hockey is a very hard sport.
An ice hockey link has five lines and five circles. One is the center line. The line in front of the goals is the goal line. The lines between the center line and the goal lines are blue lines. Goal lines are used for judging goals. Blue lines are used for judging offside.
The game consists of three periods. It starts with face-off. Face-off is like the jump ball in basketball.
Next I explain the most important rule: off-side. Off-side means that offensive players can't go into the attacking zone before the puck goes beyond the blue line. If the attacking player goes beyond the blue line before the puck, the game stops. And the game resumes on the face-off spot.
Ice hockey is called "Martial arts on ice." It is because it is a hard and violent sport.
Our team is training for the winter season on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
in Sanpia Tsuruga. In the training we practice many things, for example,
skating, how to use a hockey stick and shot.
We don't have a coach. We think our practicing menu as we are helped by many people's advice.
Our team members are eight players and six assistants. A thrush is drawn on our uniform. Thrush is Fukui's prefectural bird. Some of our members used to be called "Piyopiyo-tai", because our skating looked like chicken dancing. All our members began to play ice hockey after we entered the university. At First, I couldn't skate on ice, either. I slipped many times. After I practiced again and again, I learned to skate. I want to skate faster.
Women's ice hockey game is less violent and less fast than Men's. But the team play in women's game is interesting to watch.
From 2005 December 3rd to 5th we took part in University Ice Hockey Women's National Competition in Nagoya. This competition is the only regular game for women's university teams. In Japan there are only fourteen university women's ice hockey teams while men's team is about one hundred and thirty.
We couldn't win. However, not only a senior member but also others got points. I also got a point which was my first point in official games. We will win in the next national competition.
by KINJO Hiroko