What to Know On American International College Hockey

You may not realize that Canada is the country of origin for hockey, because it is so widely played throughout Europe and the United States. There are many differences in the three regions attitudes, however; the international men's ice hockey world championships are looked forward to in Europe and less so in America because it coincides with the Stanley cup playoffs. For countries with a large number of NHL players, rounding up the best players of the sport is difficult, because many of them are playing for the Stanley cup trophy.

For many years professionals were barred from playing at the international level, and now that many Europeans are playing for the NHL, the world championships no longer represent the world's top players. Hockey was an event that's been a part of the Olympic Games since 1924 with Canada winning 6 out of 7 gold medals. During the years that professional American, Swedish, Finnish, and Canadians were barred from Olympic competition, the United States took home the gold medal (in 1960) and Russia won all but two gold medals from 1956 to 1988. A bunch of non-pro college kids in Lake Placid, New York beat the Russians in 1980 for the gold medal.

Most Americans weren't paying much attention to the sport at the time, but this began to change. Thanks to the 1972 and 1974 Summit series, it was well established that Canada and Russia were hockey rivals. The best players benefited from this, as it gave rise to the Canadian Cup, which only deals with the world's best players. Eventually the name was changed from the Canadian Cup to the World Cup of Hockey and the United States won in 1996 and Canada in 2004. Since 1998 NHL professionals have played in the Olympics giving the top players more opportunity to compete and face off with other professional players from different countries. Beginning in 1998, the women's game became a prime feature of the Olympics; this would later go on to spawn nine women's competitions.

Because women play just as hard a game as men, they are definitely being seen more and more as a serious sport all their own. In many ways, however, women still have a long road ahead of them if they wish to be on equal footing. Women are competing in a sport that has traditionally only been played by men, so they will have a long road ahead in order to be taken seriously as players. Attendance records are regularly smashed by the millions of loyal fans in the U.S. and Canada alone who love this sport. It is treated as a traditional past time, much like some Americans treat baseball, football, or basketball.

The world of hockey is a world unto itself, and that is true whether it is being played by professionals or amateurs. People get as wrapped up in this sport as some do soap operas, and truly treat it like the air they breathe. Many people will spend hours, late into the night, practicing the game.