Ice+Hockey



**__Ice Hockey__** **Let’s start with what equipment hockey players use. They use a pair of gloves, elbow pads, and a helmet. They also need shin guards, a puck, and some shoulder pads. Lastly, they need a stick, a visor, and a pair of skates. Ice hockey players need these things to keep them safe and let them go on the ice. Now, I am going to tell you some terminology used in ice hockey. “Changing on the fly”, means a substitution without a stoppage in the play. “Clearing the puck”, means to get the puck out of one’s own defensive zone. “Centre”, means the player is responsible for leading the lines of offense and taking face offs. These are some sport phrases one would need to be familiar with when playing ice hockey. Next, I am going to tell you how to train for certain positions. Forward players need high aerobic endurance and the ability to recover quickly. They also need balance, core, and leg strength. Women specifically like to maintain upper body strength in dry land training. Defensive players spend a great deal of there time skating, especially when the opposing team is in their end. The ability to stay strong throughout the game is key. The above mentioned are key positions and methods to training appropriately for the sport. ** ** **I hope you enjoyed learning more about ice hockey. This is practically all you need to know about the sport to start; with a little extra on who won the gold in this year and in the past years.**
 * The final topic that I am going to tell you is who some of the athletes are and what teams they are on. Natalie Darwitz’s team is from the United States; they won a bronze medal in 2002 and won a silver medal in 2006. Ilya Kovalchuk’s team is from Russia; they won a bronze medal in 2002. Daniel Sedin’s team is from Sweden; they won a gold medal in 2006. Sidney Crosby’s team is from Canada; unfortunately they didn’t win any medals. This year the United States Women’s hockey team took the gold, while the US Men’s team took home the silver after a close battle for gold.