Hockey is very popular and fun sport to play at any level. However at the interntional level there are often a few problems, like in any other sport. The sport was born in Canada and went across to Europe and got very popular there, and then back into the United States. There is an international Mens Hockey Championship, and it is highly regarded by the European players, however at times the Canadian and the American Teams find it hard to get all their best players to play because they are often playing int he Stanley Cup. This is not an international even but it is widely regarded across the USA and Canada as very important.

There were many years in which all the professional players were banned from playing at any international level. However it is very common to find the best European players playing in the NHL, so therefore the world Championships no longer represents the best in the world, as they are all playin for the Stanley Cup. Ice Hockey has been a part of the Olympics for many many years. Since 1924 Canada won 6 out of the 7 gold medals, United States won in 1960, Russia won all of them except for two between 1956 and 1988 however it was the professional Americans, Swedish, Finnish and Canadians that were not allowed to play in the Olympics. US college students beat a fully professional Russian team in 1980 in New York.

A massive surge in propularity happened and the Americans were oblivious to it. They got over taken and in 1972 and in 1974 Canada and Russia were solidified as rivals on the ice. After this came the Canadian cup where the best of the best nations played against each other. This basically became the World Cup of Hockey and the United States won in 1996 and Canada won in 2004. Since 1998 all professionals have been allowed to play in the Olympics and this game the best players in the world the opportunity to compete and play against other best players in the world, from many different countries. There have also been 9 womens competitions and womens ice hockey has also been in the olympics since 1998. In 2006 at the World Championships it was the first time it wasn't a Canada and United States playoof with Sweden joining the party.

Ice hockey is seeing a lot more womens players and they are coming into their own in this male dominated sport and competing and hitting just as hard as the men. They still have a pretty long way to go until they are at a similar standard to the mens domestic and international ice hockey however it is a lot better than when it first started. Ice hockey has always been a sport that is dominated by males and women have a long wya to go before they are actually taken seriously in this tough sport. It is enjoyed by many people in Canada and the United Staes and to this day fan attendence records are being broken as many loyal fans come and support their teams. It is almost a tradition to go to an event for a family and many enjoy doing this.

For many people ice hockey is like poetry on ice. It is a intricate game and those who understand it enjoy it thouroughly. It has its own set of rules and is a completely different game from anything else in this world. The concept of Ice Hockey is a very heavy game and very physical. To play it an any level yu need to be tough both physically and mentally. there is always the mental side of it and you come up against many different personalities on the ice.