Why do the rinks in NHL and Europe differ?
466459
it has always been like that, and depending on who you ask, one is always better than the other. After seeing the 2006 olympics, i have a preference for the nhl rinks because now the games are always by the same rules(before, international and nhl were slightly different) and the smaller ice allows for more hitting and a faster game!
685649
well one reason is that they think that hockey is getting to rough there is to many injeries and they want to lower the risk of people getting hurt and they also want games to go faster without to many delays,  I know it sucks cause i lick the fighting too but what can u do...
869851
It is NHL officiating policy, and mostly it is about protecting the referees and linesmen from injury.\n\nSo when two opposing players are squaring off, or throwing punches, the refs are instructed to wait.\n\nOnce the players tie each other up, or go down to the ice, the officials jump in and separate the players.
1030325
Simply because they do not understand the game. I mean they have basketball... Basebore  - What sort of athlete has a beer belly? All they do is swing a stick... boring as watching paint dry. \n\nA goal represents an achievement. The more achievements there are in a game (good passing excluded) the more they like to celebrate it. Lets face it, it is fun! They do not seem to understand that soccer is a game of finesse, not a sport like basebore where a person who connects with a ball less than 30% of the time is revered. \n\nDon't forget that people wanted hockey to be higher scoring, thus all the changes they made in the NHL this year... to encourage higher scores, and better statistics... I'll tell you what. I would prefer a 1-0 game over a 7-5 game in Hockey... Much more exciting.\n\nThe root of the issue, is that the sport and the intricacies are not known, therefor it is not as popular.
474757
Most historians place the roots of hockey in the chilly climes of northern Europe, specifically Great Britain and France, where field hockey was a popular summer sport more than 500 years ago. When the ponds and lakes froze in winter, it was not unusual for the athletes who fancied that sport to play a version of it on ice.\n\nNot surprisingly, the earliest North American games were played in Canada. British soldiers stationed in Halifax, Nova Scotia, were reported to have organized contests on frozen ponds in and around that city in the 1870s, and about that same time in Montreal students from McGill University began facing off against each other in a downtown ice rink. The continent's first hockey league was said to have been launched in Kingston, Ontario, in 1885, and it included four teams.\n\n\n\ninfo from: http://www.nhl.com/hockeyu/history/evolution.html
831765
Like the previous poster said, it has to do with the Olympics.  The tournament is run by the NHL and not the IIHF, and before NHL players starting competing in the Olympics, the World Cup (formerly known as the Canada Cup) was held every four years.  It was temporarily suspended because of the Olympics, but it was brought back again in 2004 because of the impending lockout.
859423
First American style football is not only played in the US, but also Europe has leagues, just to name one other location. Both fields are rectangular, with the sidelines (touchlines) being longer than the end lines (goal lines). Both have a midfield, but after these 2 things, it is pretty much over with what is alike.
1045861
Please don't worry.  Hockey comes from India and sooner or later India will produce world-beating teams again.  Remember cricket comes from England but England doesn't reign supreme in the game (or rugby for that matter).\nBe happy that hockey has become a world sport (thanks to the British Empire).  It's a lot more attractive and civilised than ice hockey.
325015
Soccer is the ultimate physical chess match. To move the ball around and in a way to be able to score is much harder than even hockey. that is why the low score. Also the point that there is not scoring of multiple points as basketball or football and such. Plus the defense is ever present. Not like other sports. And the ball, being much larger than a puck, is harder to sneak pass the goal tender.
944379
You need to define popularity. If you are going by number of nations who play, then most likely field hockey. If you are going by number of players worldwide, then probably field hockey as well. If you are going by television ratings, then probably Ice Hockey. \n\nFinally, if you say Hockey outside North America, it means FIELD hockey not ice hockey. I was on a field hockey tour in the Caribbean and we were trying to find out the NHL playoff scores (pre-internet) and confused everyone by asking for hockey scores (we got them, the local field hockey league scores).
535522
Wong, you're pretty close.  Mob, you're way off.\n\nThe first deciding factor is seed (ranking).  The top seeded team will always have home ice.  When you get to the Stanley Cup Finals, there is a chance of two equally seeded teams meeting up.  If that is the case, it goes to regular season record.  If those are equal, then it goes to total GF (goals for - whoever has more).  If all the planets are aligned and those are equal, then it goes to GA (goals against - whoever has less).  There is one more deciding factor, but I can't remember what it is.\n\nIt doesn't matter at this point in the playoffs - Edmonton will always be the road team.  If it came down to Edmonton and Tampa Bay (8th seed in the East), then it would go to regular season record.
458243
WHY IS IT GOING OVER THERE FOR??? HOCKEY IS EVEN PLAYED THERE?
781990
Partly because it is the most global sport so they draw the best talent from around the world and the black population at large are not from the colder climate regions. Most professional hockey players are from Canada, Russia, Switzerland, Finland, Minnesota (see a trend here?). \n  Another factor has to do with the cost of the game as compared to other sports. First of all the equipment is expensive then factor in the cost of ice time plus the fact that most major cities lack ice arena's and i think that is one reason. If there were a way to make ice more accessible and if equipment cost wasnt a factor I would bet that there are many gifted black atheletes that would excel at ice hockey. \n Last of all without a history of great players there arent many role models to look up to like in the other major sports. Lets face it, how many of us want to be like our local sports heroes when we are growing up. I think as society changes so will the percentage of blacks in hockey (and that would be a good thing).
149572
My guess is that, compared to other sports that hockey is very similar to (like field hockey and soccer) which use only two periods, hockey required more upkeep of the playing surface. Two periods of thirty minutes would have the ice surface pretty unplayable by the end of the period.
90024
Most NHl rinks are 200 feet long by 85 feet wide but some are slightly different.\n\nInternational rinks are wider by about 10 feet but I am not 100% sure of the exact dimensions.
319016
It's a sports and cultural thing north of the Mason Dixon line and an entertainment thing south of it. In the original six NHL cities and across the Northern tier, they are all cold weather climates where you actually get a pair of skates handed down from your sib's and get a hockey stick as a gift for Christmas. Your shin pads were often a catologue from a department store. \n\nFor markets like LA, Dallas and Miami .. it's all entertainment. This is a choice for those dollars, verses clubs, movies and other sports options. Not that they are our are not viable markets for the entertainment ... but you'll never run out to your back yard, strap on skates and play shinny across a frozen lake or pond.\n\nIt is actually a regional sport and will remain so until an athlete or a team is so powerful that they capture the imagination of the marginal fan. Some say Gretsky could have ... because he was in that class with Michael Jordan and Bo Jackson.
42361
Hockey No Doubt. It Is Legal To Check You, It Is Legal To Fight ( It Results In A 5 Min Penalty But Talk To The Players And Its Worth It )You Have To Know How To Ice Skate, ( Which Can Be Murder On Your Ankles Especially If You Dont Know How To Skate ) Oh And Did I Mention The Puck Comes At You At Speeds Of 98 MHP?!!!!!! Yes Its Hockey