Ice hockey is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use
wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber hockey puck
into their opponent's net to score points. In the United States
and Canada, where the sport is very popular, it is known simply
as "hockey"; however, the name ice hockey is used by their own
governing body (IIHF) and in most other countries. There the
word hockey is generally reserved for another form of the sport,
such as field hockey or roller hockey. The game is played
between two teams with six players (five skaters and a goalie)
on the ice. A team usually consists of four lines of three
forwards, three pairs of defensemen, and two goalies. Five
members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take
the puck and score a goal against the opposing team. Each team
has a goaltender who tries to stop the puck from going into the
goal or "net." A fast-paced physical sport, hockey is most
popular in areas of North America (particularly in Canada and
northern parts of the United Stat