Ice hockey in Canada is part of their culture. It is played throughout the year and both junior and adult hockey teams participate in different tournaments in house and around the world. Over the years ice hockey has evolved.
Before 1959, it was very uncommon to wear a mask when playing ice hockey.
But Jacques Plante established the use of masks mandatory when playing hockey. He suffered a lot of injuries before for not wearing masks. However, it took some time for this rule to be fully established. After 1974, no player was seen without a mask or face shield.
Players didn’t wear a helmet before while playing ice hockey. But after Bill Masterton died in 1968 due to a head injury, everybody started taking helmets seriously. From 1979, it became a rule to wear a helmet.
Some changes have been brought to the game. For example, minor penalties were for three minutes, and then it was reduced to two minutes. But players started to score lots of goals within that time frame. So, in 1956 the penalty rule changed. Now the penalty ends when a player scores a goal.
Youth participation has increased over the years. They are now taking part in international competitions as well. The ice hockey committee is promoting ice hockey as a fun sport for children, resulting in ice hockey being very popular among the young generation also.
In the past, coaches used to use abusive language with the players. Now, this is not allowed. No one should experience any bad behaviour. This has helped in promoting good culture in the ice hockey team.
Over the years, ice hockey has turned out to be a safe game. The player’s physical and mental health are priorities and the committee make sure that players can play comfortably.
In the future, we can expect more changes in the game to make the game even more safe and more enjoyable.