If you’re looking for ways to spend your summer vacation, why not try something new? This year, the hockey world is embracing a new way of life that is as exciting as it is challenging. Although you may have heard of it, you may not know what exactly club hockey is. Here’s a bit of a primer…
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Hockey Is Back!
After a brief hiatus following the end of the 2018-19 regular season, the hockey world is once again taking the ice. Since the beginning of June, over 100 games have been played across North America and Europe. Many fans are enjoying this resurgence of competitive hockey, which poses a serious challenge to the traditional view of the sport.
In particular, adult hockey is experiencing a boom in popularity. According to a 2019 Futures Market Report from The Ice Society, 38% of US men aged 18-29 play ice hockey, compared to 27% who play in a soccer league. This could be attributed to the game’s simplicity and the increasing number of people who are becoming hockey fans (and players) due to its popularity among the millennial generation.
Hockey Is Social.
In addition to providing a fresh challenge for fans, the resurgence of hockey has also inspired a new generation of hockey players. As a result, the sport is increasingly being embraced by the social media generation. The Ice Society’s report noted that 39% of American adults play hockey, compared to 27% who play soccer. On the other hand, only 16% of millennials play hockey, compared to 27% who play in a soccer league.
This change in cultural preferences may present a challenge for team sports administrators, especially in light of declining TV viewership. However, with the increasing popularity of social media and digital platforms, administrators may be able to use these tools to their advantage to engage fans and players alike.
Hockey Is More Than A Game.
While hockey may be most easily understood as a sport, the game of hockey is actually much more than that. With its emphasis on skill, strength, and speed, hockey has historically been a part of many athletes’ overall training program. As a result, many amateur hockey players continue to work on their game even after their playing days are over.
Hockey also involves a great deal of strategy and physical activity, making it a full-body workout for athletes and a test of one’s mental faculties for fans. This is one reason why the game has historically been associated with universities – the physical training that one receives while a student can help prepare one for the rigors of the sport.
Many professional athletes have turned to hockey for its extensive workout programs, particularly in the winter. In fact, a lot of credit for hockey’s recent popularity with millennials and other generations goes to the players themselves. Over 26 million fans have watched ice hockey games this season alone, making the game the most popular in U.S. sports history. With the 2020 Olympics in London, England, now less than two years away, many professional athletes are using this as motivation to prepare for their respective sports’ biggest events. What’s more is many of these athletes have teamed up with sports equipment manufacturers to create special training tools just for this purpose.
Hockey Is For Everyone.
Another important aspect of the resurgence of hockey is its accessibility. Thanks to the internet age and social media, the game is no longer reserved for the wealthy and privileged. In the past, most people would never have heard of hockey, much less seen or played the game. Thanks to the work of those behind the scenes, as well as the players themselves, that situation has changed.
Anyone can play hockey, provided they have the physical ability to do so. The rules are fairly straightforward: you take on the role of a goalkeeper and try to stop the puck from going into the net. The faster you can stop the puck, the more points you will score. Since everyone is on the same playing field, there is no set order of attack, enabling defenders to switch off offensive players as necessary to keep the puck out of the net.
Some people may question whether or not hockey is really a sport, given that no contact is allowed between players. However, the rules of hockey do not actually state that there should be no contact. What they do state is that the puck should be ‘trapped’ in the goal. If you score past the goalie, you win the game.
The players’ association and ice hockey’s governing body, the IIHF, officially recognize three distinct sports within hockey: ice skating, hockey checking, and hockey shooting. The last of these involves using a bent stick to shoot the puck at goal-sized targets.
Hockey has been around for centuries and has officially been ‘officially’ recognized as a sport only since the beginning of the 20th century. Given its status as one of the world’s most popular sports, it’s quite the resurgence. While some may question whether or not this is a real ‘comeback’, there’s no denying that hockey is back and its popularity continues to grow each year.