Ice Hockey Ice hockey, known simply as 'hockey' in areas where it is more common than field hockey, is a team sport played on ice. The objective of the game is to score goals by playing a hard rubber disc, the puck, into one of the nets placed at opposite ends of the rink. The players control the puck using a long stick with a curved blade at one end. Teams consist of 6 players, usually one of the six is a goalie who wears special protective clothing. The game originated in Canada around 1855, when the game on ice was first played with a puck rather than a ball. In 1893 the Stanley Cup was established as the trophy of the Canadian senior championships, it became the award of the winner of the National Hockey League in 1926, and still is the biggest trophy in hockey. The International Ice Hockey Federation was founded in 1908. Olympic Games: Men Women Men: World Cup World Championships: Men Women Men: European Hockey Tour Men: NHL (National Hockey League) Men: Defunct Major Leagues: WHA (World Hockey Association) PCHA (Pacific Coast Hockey Association) WCHL (Western Canada Hockey League) International Club Competitions: Men: European Champions Cup Continental Cup Women: European Champions Cup Defunct Event: Men: European Super Cup National Championships: Men: Asia Australia Austria Belarus Belgium Czechia Denmark Finland France Germany Great Britain Hungary Italy Kazakhstan Netherlands Norway Poland Russia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Women: Finland Germany Sweden Defunct: Men: East Germany Czechoslovakia Eastern Europe Soviet Union Yugoslavia Minor Leagues: Men: AHL (American Hockey League) ECHL (East Coast Hockey League) CHL (Central Hockey League) IHL (International Hockey League) MAHL (Mid-Atlantic Hockey League) SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League) Defunct Leagues: SEHL (South East Hockey League) WHA2 (World Hockey Association 2) ACHL (Atlantic Coast Hockey League) WCHL (West Coast Hockey League) IHL (International Hockey League) WPHL (Western Professional Hockey League) SHL (Southern Hockey League) College Hockey: Men: NCAA: Division I Division III NCAA Division I Conference Championships: AHA CCHA CHAC ECAC HEA WCHA Women: NCAA: Division I Division III Defunct Championship: Men: Division II Asian Games: Men Women Men: Universiade Youth: World Championships: U20: Men U18: Men Women Defunct Events: Men: Summit Series European Championships: Men Women Men: European Junior Championships