Part3.Ice Hockey冰球&NHL(National Hockey League)1.What is ice hockey?Ice hockey is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber hockey puck into their opponent's net to score points. In Canada and the United States, where the sport is very popular, it is known simply as "hockey"; however, the name ice hockey is used by the governing body IIHF and in most other countries.The game is played between two teams with six players (five skaters and a goalie守门员) on the ice. A team usually consists of four lines of three forwards, three pairs of defensemen, and two goalies. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take the puck (冰球) and score a goal against the opposing team. Each team has a goaltender (守门员) who tries to stop the puck from going into the goal or "net."(网)A fast-paced physical sport, hockey is most popular in areas of North America (particularly in Canada and northern parts of the United States) and Europe that are sufficiently cold for natural reliable seasonal ice cover. With the advent of indoor artificial ice rinks hockey has become a year-round pastime in some areas. It is the official national winter sport of Canada, where thegame enjoys immense popularity. The first organized game was played on March 3, 1875, in Montreal, Canada.2.The history of ice hockeyModern hockey is believed to have evolved from outdoor stick-and-ball games adapted to the icy conditions of Canada during the 19th century. The games of British soldiers and immigrants to Canada may have influenced the game played on ice skates (often with a puck) with sticks. Another theory is that the game was introduced by Icelandic immigrants. These immigrants moved to Canada and the U.S. after the eruption of a volcano in Iceland in 1875. Immigrants from Iceland played for Canada, winning the first Olympic medal in hockey.Modern hockey:While the game's origins lie elsewhere, Montreal is at the centre of the development of modern ice hockey. On March 3, 1875, the first organized indoor game was played at Montreal's Victoria Skating Rink between two nine-player teams, (including James Creighton and several McGill University students.)3.EquipmentSince ice hockey is a full contact sport and body checks are allowed, injuries are a common occurrence. Protective equipment is mandatory and is enforced in all competitive situations. This includes a helmet (cage worn if certain age), shoulder pads, elbow pads, mouth guard, protective gloves, heavily padded shorts (also known as hockey pants) or a girdle, athletic cup(also known as a jock; for males and jill; for females), shin pads, skates, and (optionally) a neck protector. In addition, goaltenders use different gear, a neck guard, chest/arm protector, blocker, catch glove, and leg pads.One important piece of equipment is the ice skate itself. [Hockey skates are optimized for several factors, some of which increase the effort needed to achieve the highest skating speeds. Hockey skates are optimized for physical acceleration (maneuverability). This includes rapid starts, stops, turns, and changes in skating direction. In addition they must be rigid and tough to protect the skater's feet from contact with other skaters, sticks, pucks, the boards, and the ice itself.]Another important piece of equipment is the stick itself. [It consists of long relatively wide and slightly curved flat blade, attached to a shaft. The curve itself has a big impact on its performance.A deep curve allows for lifting the puck easier while a shallow curve allows for easier backhands. The flex of the stick also has impact on the performance.]4.What is NHL?The National Hockey League is an "unincorporated not-for-profit association" which operates a major professional ice hockey league of30franchised member clubs, of which seven are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States. Headquartered in New York City, the NHL is widely considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, and one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America,[3] is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season. The Stanley Cup(斯坦利杯（美国，加拿大职业冰球全国锦标赛杯）) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff winner after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals.In North America, the National Hockey League (NHL) is the highest level for men, and the most popular.5.The history of NHLThe league was organized on November 26, 1917, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, after the suspension of operations of its predecessor organization, the National Hockey Association (NHA), which had been founded in 1909. It started with four teams and, through a series of expansions, contractions, and relocations; the league is now composed of 30 active franchises. The nation to which the name of the league originally referred was Canada, although the league has now been binational since 1924 when it expanded into the United States. After a labour dispute that led to the cancellation of the entire 2004–05 season, the league resumed play under a new collective bargaining agreement that included a salary cap. In 2009, the NHL enjoyed record highs in terms of sponsorships, attendance, and television audiences.The NHL draws many highly skilled players from all over the world and currently has players from about 20 different countries. Although Canadians have historically constituted the majority of the players in the NHL, over the past four plus decades the percentages of US and European players have increased both because of the NHL's continued expansion from six to thirty clubs since 1967, and the increased availability of highly skilled European players.6.Active teams上面是历年冠军表List of Stanley Cup champions，下面是强队分析表(1)The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of NHL. Founded in 1909, the Canadiens are the longest continuously operating professional ice hockey team and the only existing NHL club to predate the founding of the NHL, as well as one of the oldest North American sports franchises.(2)The Toronto Maple Leafs(officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club) is a professional ice hockey franchise based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The team is one of the "Original Six" league members.(3)The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL), and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, and Chicago Blackhawks.7.Famous players(1)韦恩·格雷茨基(Wayne Gretzky)He was born in 1961 in Ontario, Canada. He is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in NHL for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "The Great One", he has been called "the greatest hockey player ever”. He scored 2857 points in his athletics career. Now he is a coach.(2)Roberto Luongo隆高Roberto Luongo(/luːˈɒŋɡoʊ/; born April 4, 1979) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Vancouver Canucks of NHL. Born in Montreal, Quebec, he is of Italian and Irish ancestry. He is a very excellent goaltender. He was named Best Goaltender in his second tournament appearance.8.One interesting phenomenonIt is very common that players fight with each other in competition. For most penalties, the offending player is sent to the "penalty box" and his team has to play without him for a short amount of time. Minor penalties last for two minutes, major penalties last for five minutes. So it doesn’t matter if players fight each other. Just leave the field for a short amount of time or pay some money. In this case, audiences will become very excited. Some people say that maybe it is because that they are so cold~~. In fact, it is a kind of exciting and aggressive sport, so sometimes they may choose to fight to irritate their opponents. Maybe it is a kind of fun about ice hockey.放视频（1-2分钟）。
