© 2015 albert-learning.com
Ice Hockey
Ice hockey
© 2015 albert-learning.com
Ice Hockey
Read
Do you like playing Ice Hockey? Or would you rather watch an exciting game on TV? For many Canadian people, playing or watching Ice Hockey is one of their favorite winter pastimes. Many consider Ice Hockey as the national sport of Canada.
Ice Hockey is a game played on a huge rectangular ice surface. Two opposing teams of six skaters use long curved sticks to send a small disk called a "puck" into each other's goal.
Many people say that Ice Hockey is one of the most graceful and exciting sports in the world. Hockey players display their superb skating skill and stick-handling ability, moving at speeds of nearly 45 kilometers an hour.
However, Ice Hockey can also be a physically punishing sport. Players often come into violent contact with opponents' sticks and bodies.
© 2015 albert-learning.com
Ice Hockey
Although it was initially an amateur sport, the turn of the century saw dozens of professional leagues start up, including the National Hockey League (NHL). The NHL began in November, 1917, and is now recognized as the premier hockey league in the world.
Teams in the NHL compete for a trophy called "The Stanley Cup." The cup was originally called the "Dominion Challenge Trophy" and was donated in 1893 by Canada's Governor General, Lord Stanley of Preston.
For years, the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens were the only Canadian teams in the league. Between them, they have won the Stanley Cup nearly forty times. In recent years, teams from Edmonton and Calgary have also captured NHL championships.
© 2015 albert-learning.com
Ice Hockey
Vocabulary
1) Shooting circle
2) Shoot
3) Penalty stroke
4) Pitch
5) Midfielder
© 2015 albert-learning.com
Ice Hockey
Writing
1. What is a favorite winter pastime for Canadian people?
2. What is the small disk called?
3. What kind of skills do Hockey players display?
4. Why is Ice Hockey a physically punishing sport?
© 2015 albert-learning.com
Ice Hockey
Writing
5. When did the NHL begin?
6. What was the Stanley Cup originally called?
7. Who donated the Cup?
8. Which two teams have won the Stanley Cup nearly 40 times?
