It is a game between two teams, each usually having six players, who wear skates and compete on an ice rink. The object is to propel a vulcanized rubber disk, the puck, past a goal line and into a net guarded by a goaltender, or goalie. With its speed and its frequent physical contact, ice hockey has become one of the most popular international sports. The game is an Olympic sport, and worldwide there are more than a million registered players performing regularly in leagues. It is perhaps Canada’s most popular game.

The hockey game is divided into three periods of 20 minutes each. The game starts with a face-off in the center of the rink. During the face-off an official drops the puck between two opposing players. The players use their sticks to try to get control of the puck for their team.

The team that gets the puck starts an offensive attack. The players may handle the puck only with their sticks. They can move the puck themselves or pass it to teammates. They try to get the puck to a player who has a good shot at the opponent’s goal. Hitting the puck into the goal scores one point.

There are limits on how a team may send the puck down the ice. For example, a player may not cross the blue line near the opponent’s goal until after the puck crosses the line. If this happens, the officials stop play. The game starts again with a face-off.

The team that does not have the puck tries to get it. Its players poke their stick at the puck. They try to steal passes and to block shots. Players often take the puck away from an opponent by using a hit to the body, called a check. But some kinds of body contact are against the rules. For example, a player cannot check another player from behind.

The players on a hockey team have different positions, or roles. In general, a team has a goalkeeper (usually called a goalie), two defensive players, and three forwards. The goalie tries to keep the puck out of his team’s goal. The main job of the defensive players is to assist the goalie. The forwards mostly try to score goals.