Welcome to the Spelling Bee! Before you start worrying about how many endings there are in hockey, let us introduce you to the fascinating world of sports. The game of hockey, often considered the world’s second-largest sport (behind soccer), is currently undergoing a dramatic transformation due to the spread of hockey throughout the world. Because of this phenomenon, it can be hard to keep track of the game’s developments and trends.
In Canada, where the game was first introduced, the number of hockey players has increased from 300,000 in the early 1900s to 16.7 million in 2012. Similarly, in the United Kingdom, where hockey was banned until 1934, the sport was largely created by expatriates from Canada and the United States. As a result, many English-speaking countries, including the country you are reading this article from, have a large number of hockey players. The most recent hockey world rankings show that there are more than 200 million monthly active users playing on one of the 100 million+ online platforms. This is further testament to the ever-growing popularity of hockey.
With the game so ingrained in popular culture, it is easy to assume that there is a set number of endings for hockey. However, as there is no set list of gendered nouns in English, this number can vary from one to several hundred. Before we reveal the complete list of words that end in ‘-er’, ‘-ism’, or ‘-ity’, let us examine the formation of this fascinating game and how it came to be.
Table of Contents
Origins
Hockey started as a combination of several sports: in the winter season, you have ice-hockey; in the summer season, you have outdoor hockey. While there were some variations, the game as we know it today mostly comes from two major hockey leagues that formed in the early 20th century—the National Hockey League (NHL) and the American Hockey League (AHL).
The original name of the game was ‘mutton busting’, which is still used as the name for a hockey competition between amateur teams in the UK. After the first couple of games, the rules were slightly amended to make the game resemble modern hockey. Unfortunately, no one is quite sure where this name came from. According to some sources, it was inspired by the color of the sheepskin coat worn by hockey players at the time. However, this claim has yet to be verified. What is certain is that the name ‘hockey’ has been around since at least the 1800s.
Rules
Hockey, as we know it today, has six players on a team, three on each side. Two skate along the perimeter of the rink while the other two patrol the middle. The team that scores the most goals wins the game. The traditional hockey equipment includes a helmet, a shirt, a pair of pants, and a pair of skates.
Before we move on, let us remind you that this article is about English as a Second Language (ESL) and not about hockey rules. However, we would be remiss not to mention that some of the words on this list are used in reference to hockey rules as well.
Nouns
Like many other languages, English has a set of words used to describe specific sports or sporting activities. Although the exact list can vary from one to several hundred, here are some of the most common nouns used to describe sports and games: