Hockey

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=History=



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When the game of hockey first emerged in Canada it was not referred to as hockey and did not have an official name. Instead, it was called by many random titles such as Hurley, Wicket, Ricket and Break-Shins. The origin of the name "hockey" is also controversial as there are several claims of how it came about. One comes from a school that claims the word hockey is derived from the french word "hoquet" which means a shepherd's crook. Another claim comes from the town of Windsor, Nova Scotia, where a story circulated regarding a Colonel Hockey, stationed at the garrison on Fort Edward. The Colonel used the game to keep his troops in good condition and the game soon adopted his name. The exact origin of when and where Ice hockey was first played is still a little blurry but there are several possible beginnings. Because the game was not invented but instead evolved and grew slowly it is hard to pinpoint an exact moment in time. However there are several claims that it could have started in the early to mid 1800s in either Windsor, Nova Scotia, Kingston, Ontario or Montreal. By 1890, the game of hockey had spread throughout Canada going coast-to-coast from Winnipeg and extending to Victoria, British Columbia and becoming a truly Canadian game. Hockey was officially born.

== = = =National Hockey League (NHL) - Professional Hockey=

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Hockey up until 1904 was only an amateur sport but a professional league was created in the United States called the International Pro Hockey League. The league was shut down in 1907 but soon after came an even larger league called the National Hockey Association (NHA). Shortly after another league called the Pacific Coast League was introduced In 1911, the league introduced several aspect of hockey we are familar with today. They introduced the blue lines to divide the ice into three zones and goaltenders were allowed to fall onto the ice in order to make a save. The duration of the game was also divided from its original 60 minute straight game into a three 20 minute period game. By 1912 they had also reduced the number of active players on the ice from seven to six. In 1914, the lord stanley cup was introduced when a championship series was played between a team from the NHA and a team from the league. The leagues were disrupted and suspended due to the arrival of the World War One. The end of World War One marked the official introduction of National Hockey League. The league began with four teams which were reorganized from the NHA and a Toronto franchise was also added by 1917 called the Arenas but by 1927 would come to be known as the Toronto Maple Leafs. In 1926, the additions of the inaugural teams, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, and Detroit Cougars (Red Wings) would round of the original six which also included the Montreal Canadians and the Boston Bruins.

== = = =Hockey Night In Canada=

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Hockey Night In Canada is a popular television program that broadcasts every Saturday night around popular Canadian teams playing. //Hockey Night in Canada// airs regular season NHL games on CBC every Saturday evening. It currently has popular television personality host Don Cherry and Ron Maclean hosting the popular intermission show after the first period of the first game called "Coach's corner" every Saturday night along with Bob Cole and Harry Neale doing the live play by play commentary for every Toronto Maple Leafs game. Hockey Night In Canada has become a national tradition for households across Canada. Hockey fans have grown accustommed to watching Don Cherry on a weekly basis give them his full indepth opinion of the state of hockey, who he feels is playing great, faults in the NHL, and criticisms of players from overseas. Along with that, people tune in weekly for the regular double hitters, usually starting off with a Toronto Maple Leafs game at 7:00pm and then heading to the west coast for a game immediately following the end of the Toronto game.

Up until the early 1990s, there was only one hockey game broadcasted every Saturday night and until 1968, games were never broadcasted in their entirety. In the 1950s, Hockey Night In Canada would air at 9:00 pm on CBC on Saturday nights. It would join the game currently in progress, which usually started at 7:00pm. In 1968, games were finally shown in their entirety. Hockey Night In Canada is officially the oldest and longest standing running sports related television show.

Hockey Night In Canada typically began around 6:30 pm on Saturday nights with pre game analysis and interviews with players and coaches. They could also include highlight reels or hockey related documentaries. This would lead up to about 7:00pm when it would be live from the hockey arena that would be broadcasted. The traditional national anthem would play and then the game would officially begin. After 20 mins, there would be the coach's corner (see above). After 40 mins, during the intermission, a show called Satellite hot stove would air, a segment that introduces several sports writers and analyst from across Canada and the United States to have a discussion on the state of hockey. Afterwards the game would resume and when it ends, they would shift over to the westcoast for the double header, usually featuring Vancouver or Calgary, or Edmonton.

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NHL Teams
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 * ATLANTIC DIVISION || NORTHEAST DIVISION ||  || New Jersey || Boston ||   || NY Islanders || Buffalo ||   || NY Rangers || Montreal ||   || Philadelphia || Ottawa ||   || Pittsburgh || Toronto ||   ||   ||   ||   || SOUTHEAST DIVISION || CENTRAL DIVISION ||   || Atlanta || Chicago ||   || Carolina || Columbus ||   || Florida || Detroit ||   || Tampa Bay || Nashville ||   || [Washington || St. Louis ||   ||   ||   ||   || NORTHWEST DIVISION || PACIFIC DIVISION ||   || Calgary || Anaheim ||   || Colorado || Dallas ||   || Edmonton || Los Angeles ||   || Minnesota || Phoenix ||   || Vancouver || San Jose ||

= = =Bibliography= "Hockey Night In Canada" __Wikipedia__ 18 Nov. 2006 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hockey_Night_in_Canada "HNIC in 2005-2006" CBC Sports Online 18 Nov. 2006 http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/hnic/seasoninfo.html "NHL history" __TMLFever__ 18 Nov. 2006. http://www.tmlfever.com/TheGame.html "Hockey History: The Time Line" __About__ 18 Nov. 2006 http://proicehockey.about.com/od/history/a/history_timelin.htm = = ==
 * On the International level...** There is a 64-member governing body for international hockey called the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). Ice hockey has been played at the Winter Olympics since 1924, and was in the 1920 Summer Olympics. There is a slight difference in the specifics of the game between the NHL and the IIHF; there is a no-touch icing in the IIHF, the clock counts up in the IIHF, the ice is bigger in the IIHF, there are no restrictions for goaltenders in regards to equipment size in the IIHF, also the goaltenders can handle the puck anywhere on the ice in the IIHF.