hockey

Hockey is a team sport in which players use sticks to control a puck or a ball and try to score goals. The word most often refers to ice hockey, where players skate on ice and hit a puck into the other team's net. It can also refer to field hockey, which is played on grass or artificial turf with a ball. In both forms, the game is quick, competitive, and built on teamwork, skill, and good positioning.

In ice hockey, two teams of skaters play on a rink, usually in three periods, and the team with the most goals wins. The sport is known for its speed, hard shots, close passing, and physical contact. Words like "check," "power play," "slap shot," and "hat trick" often come up when people talk about it. Ice hockey has deep roots in Canada and remains especially popular in North America and parts of Europe.

Field hockey follows the same basic idea of moving the ball toward the other team's goal, but the equipment, surface, and some rules are different. It is widely played in many parts of the world and is especially well known in schools, clubs, and international competition. So when someone says "hockey," they may mean the ice game or the field game, but in either case they are talking about a fast stick-and-ball or stick-and-puck sport focused on scoring goals.