Ice hockey in Europe
Photo: Ludovic Péron, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Ice hockey was invented in Canada, one of its national sports, it's the country with the highest percentage of the population as registered players and North America is home to the world's top hockey league (NHL). The game is nevertheless played all over the world and quite popular in Northern and Central Europe as well as Russia and some other countries in the former Soviet Union.
UnderstandHockey evolved from a number of different stick-and-ball games, most obviously field hockey and bandy.
LeaguesLike North American leagues, seasons starts in the autumn and end in the spring albeit much earlier than the NHL season where the Stanley Cup playoffs reach into June.
ChampionshipsNot to be confused with the Kontinental Hockey League referred to above, this is a championship series played between the top teams of different European leagues.
See also
Sources and licences
- Guide text adapted from the Wikivoyage article "Ice hockey in Europe" by its contributors, available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read on Wikivoyage · Contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo: Ludovic Péron, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons