Though Canada was the birthplace of hockey, the sport has since crossed over into the United States and Europe. Because of the timing of the Stanley cup playoffs and the fact that it coincides with the Stanley cup playoffs, Americans are not as enthusiastic about the international men’s ice hockey world championships as their European counterparts. In countries such as the U.S., Canada, and others with a large concentration of NHL players, the countries are at a loss to round up their best players because those players have joined the NHL and will be competing for the Stanley cup.
For years, professionals were not permitted to play at the international level, but now that many Europeans play in the NHL, the world championships no longer are comprised of the world’s best players. Hockey has been a major Olympic sport since 1924 and its country of origin, Canada, took home gold medal 6 out of 7 times that year. In 1960, the U.S.won the gold medal and between 1956 and 1988, Russia won all but two gold medals; professional American, Swedish, Finnish, and Canadians were banned from Olympic competition. U.S.Non-pro College students went on to beat the Russians and win the gold medal in 1980 in Lake Placid, New York.
These were the years that the sport began experiencing a revival of popularity; though most Americans weren’t paying much attention to the sport at the time. The 1972 and 1974 Summit series had solidified Canada and Russia as hockey rivals. Following this was the Canadian Cup – where the best of the best nations were able to play. The name of the Canadian Cup was altered to the World Cup of Hockey and following that decision the United States won the match in 1996; Canada won in 2004. The ban against NHL players was lifted from the Olympics in 1998 and top players were allowed to compete against professionals from other countries. There have been 9 women’s competitions and the women’s game has been in the Olympics since 1998 and in the winter of 2006 marked the world championship or Olympic face with Canada and Sweden not Canada and the United States.
Women are making a definite mark in this field by playing just as hard as men. On the other hand, there is still a lot that must be accomplished in order for women to truly be on par with men at the domestic or international level. Long ruled by men, hockey is a sport where women will have to work particularly hard to get serious attention. The millions of people in Canada and the United States who love this sport break attendance records frequently. The love of this sport reaches the “pastime” level of game attendance, prompting the kind of devotion that many Americans put towards football, basketball, and baseball.
The world of hockey is a world unto itself, and that is true whether it is being played by professionals or amateurs. Many treat it like the air they breathe and people really can get into this sport like it’s a soap opera. Many people will spend hours, late into the night, practicing the game.
