Ice Hockey is a very physical and fast-paced sport played between two teams of six players each, and has grown to be one of the most popular international sports. It is also one of the most followed Olympic sports, with more than one million registered players worldwide.
Ice Hockey is mostly played in North America and Europe and is the number one sport in countries such as Canada. Its origins are a combination of the English game of field hockey, Indian Lacrosse and Irish Hurling, and it has grown to overtake all of those in terms of global popularity.
Ice Hockey Competitions
When it comes to national competitions, the NHL is the largest and most popular whilst the international version of the sport is run by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), which has been in existence since 1908.
The first European Championship started in 1910 and the sport was first played in the Olympics in 1920. Canada dominated the early years of the sport until the emergence of the Soviet team in the 1960’s.
Finland are the current reigning World Champions (2022). Canada are the most successful nation, having won the title 27 times in total followed by Russia/Soviet Union with 27 victories but with fewer Silver and Bronze medals. The top European team is the Czech Republic with twelve wins in total.
Rules of the Sport
The rules of the game are largely the same across various competitions, but there are some variations. For a start, the rink size is different, with the NHL using 61 m by 26 m whereas the IIHF uses 57 – 61 m by 26 – 30 m. The goal cage is 1.2 m high and 1.8 m wide, the puck is made of rubber and the hockey sticks are nowadays made from a variety of materials. There are a number of rules that determine the stick, the skates and the helmet as well as padding and facemasks.
As for the rules of play, these are pretty much the same at all levels of the sport and have been largely determined by the NHL. The game is divided into three periods of twenty minutes each with fifteen minute intervals and some games can end as a draw, depending on the competition.
One area of the sport that differs from most other sports is that substitutions are permitted while the game is running, this is because it is a very demanding sport and players can often only play for short periods at a time. There are numerous reasons for penalties and some may result in a player being forced to leave the rink for either two or five minutes or even the whole game, depending on the severity of the offence. This is called a Power Play.
Most Popular Competitions
In terms of International Ice Hockey, there are a number of top competitions that grab the attention of fans around the world. Ice Hockey at the Winter Olympics is one of the most important competitions for the sport.
It started out in the 1920 summer Olympics in Antwerp and moved to the Winter Olympics four years later. Canada has dominated this competition over the years, winning 22 medals in total but there are plenty of other successful nations such as Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, USA and Russia.
The Stanley Cup is another important trophy that is awarded every year to the NHL playoff champion. This is the oldest trophy that can be awarded across any sport in North America as it was first awarded in 1893.
The most successful team is the Montreal Canadiens, who have got their hands on the trophy an impressive 24 times. Each season, 16 teams qualify for the Stanley Cup which is usually played in June with the most recent winners being Colorado Avalanche.
The World Cup of Hockey is a new competition that was created by the NHL and the Players Association and has been held three times so far. The next edition will be held in 2025.
The Ice Hockey World Championship is arguably the top tournament for fans of the sport around the world and, as with the Olympics, it is Canada who are the most successful team as they have won it 27 times in total. This tournament is held at the end of every season and often clashes with the aforementioned Stanley Cup so players are often forced to choose between their club and their country.
In recent years the competition has been divided into three divisions, with divisions one and two having 12 teams each and division three having more than 40 teams.
Other top competitions include the Spengler Cup, which has been held in Davos in Switzerland since 1923. This competition is quite unique due to the fact that both national and club teams compete. It is an invitational tournament held in December annually with Team Canada being the most successful and the current holders being Swiss team HC Ambri-Piotta. The Women’s World Championship was set up in 1990 and once again it is Canada who are the most successful team, having won the title ten times so far
Betting on Ice Hockey
One of the major distinctions you have to make when betting on Ice Hockey is whether to bet on Regulation time or Full Games – there is a clear distinction between the two.
Regulation time is a traditional 1×2 format that allows for the match to end in a draw, so this also affects the totals markets and others. On the other hand, Full Game betting excludes the possibility of a draw, this is also known as Moneyline betting. Since there are only two outcomes, it also includes the possibility of your selection winning in overtime or in a penalty shootout. More often than not, bets on Ice Hockey do include overtime unless it is otherwise stated.
Other than picking the winner of the match, there are a number of other markets that you can choose to place a bet on.
We can start with the Total Lines, where you can select the total goals that are to be scored in the match overall or by each team or per period. In other words, you can choose whether there might be more than, for example, 5.5 goals in the match, more than 1.5 per period and more than 2.5 per team.
The next option is the Game Line, which is the equivalent of handicap betting. This market gives an advantage to the weaker team in order to even the game up, therefore, if the line is 1.5, the favourite would need to win by two goals whereas the underdog could afford to lose the match by one goal and still win that market. Game Lines can also be in a threeway format, which allows for a tie.
These are the most obvious markets that are widely available but there are many others which might be on offer. These include player specials, match specials, which team to score first, winning margin, both teams to score and so on.