Posts Tagged ‘gold medal’
Though Canada was the birthplace of hockey, the sport has since crossed over into the United States and Europe. Europe experiences a great anticipation for the international men’s ice hockey world championships, while Americans focus their attention on the Stanley cup playoffs that are happening at the same time. Many of the best players in any given country go off to play in the NHL and play for the Stanley cup trophy; this is particularly true in nations that have an already high rate of NHL players in their country.
For many years, professional players could not play at the international level; this is no longer true, and as many Europeans play in the NHL, world championships are not made up of the world’s top players any more. 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. The years between 1956 and 1988 were particularly good for Russia, as the Russians took home all the gold medals but two during those years; in 1960 the U.S.A won the gold medal, but professional Americans, Swedish, Canadian, and Finish players were banned from playing. 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. As a result, the Canadian Cup - where the best of the very best nations were able to play the sport - was formed. The Canadian cup later became the World Cup of Hockey with the United States winning in 1996 and Canada winning in 2004. The Olympic sport became even more interesting in 1998, as NHL professionals were allowed to compete against other top players around the world. Women have made their mark upon this sport, as well; there have been nine women’s competitions and the women’s game has been part of the Olympics since 1998.
Women have been able to make a noticeable amount of noise in this sport, as they play their games with the same fierceness of women. 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. This can only be expected in a sport like hockey, where men have long dominated the field; women have a lot to accomplish before they can be viewed as serious players. The millions of people in Canada and the United States who love this sport break attendance records frequently. It is a family tradition to go to games and a pastime in the same way that Americans treat baseball, football and basketball.
Hockey has its own sets of rules and a separate world entirely, whether professional or not. Many fans view it as essential as the air they breathe; people can get so into the sport, much like some do a soap opera. Slapping around a puck late for two or three extra hours at night is considered normal by the most devoted of fans.
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