2 Dominant National Sports of Canada
National sports are the leading sport of any country, and just like every country has its own, Canada has its own too.
1. Ice Hockey – Winter National Sport Of CanadaAbout the Sport1.1. The History of Canada’s Winter Sport in the Olympics1.2. Rules of The Game1.3. Olympic Winter Games2. Lacrosse – Summer National Sport Of CanadaAbout the Sport2.1. The History of Lacrosse2.2. Rules Of The Game2.3. World Lacrosse Championship2.4. Achievement History i) 2006 Championshipii) 2010 Championshipiii) 2014 Championshipiv) 2018 Championship3. Other Interesting Sports In Canada3.1. Basketball3.2. 5 – Pin Bowling
This article specifically talks about the 2 most powerful national sports of Canada.
Lacrosse was declared Canada’s national sport of Canada in 1859, but in 1994, parliament passed a law (Canada Sports Act) and made amendments to the national sports.
Lacrosse used to be Canada’s national sport, but after the act was passed, it turned out to be the national summer sport and ice hockey was made the national winter sport.
1. Ice Hockey – Winter National Sport Of Canada
Ice hockey, Canada’s national winter sport, was a sport that European settlers invented. It was derived from various kinds of field hockey players all over Europe and especially from lacrosse sticks.
The term hockey itself came from the French word “hoquet” which means shepherd’s stick, an object that was used in the 18th century in Scotland.
All of these influences give the contemporary form Of Canadian Ice Hockey, which was first played indoors in 1875 in Montreal in, Canada.
The way the people of Canada show their interest and dedication to Ice hockey made the parliament recognize hockey as one of the national sports.
The Stanley Cup was given to the top hockey teams. By the twentieth century, a professional ice hockey federation was formed. Even today, the most powerful and recognized hockey league is Canada’s hockey league.
Canada’s ice hockey game is played all over the world. The main rivals in Canada are the United States of America and Russia.
About the Sport
The motive of an ice hockey game is to hit the punk across the ice, the team members can pass the punk from one another and tries to score the maximum number of goals.
On the other hand, the opposition prevents the other team from scoring. The team with the most goals wins the game if in any case, the match draws then there is additional time given to score the goal, and the team who scores the goal first wins.
The game is played on an ice rink which measures 61 m in length and 30 meters in width. The rink is split into three sections. The main section is called the neutral zone. The other two ends are for defenders and attackers.
Each player will have their hockey sticks and skates covered with helmets and shields. Each team can have a maximum of up to 20 players but on-field there can be only 6 players rest are substitutes who can come in the middle of the match as often as required.
The skaters are free to move around the field, but no one has the red line. Each game lasts for 20-minute periods.
1.1. The History of Canada’s Winter Sport in the Olympics
The history of ice hockey, one of the primary national sports in Canada, can be dated back to the 1900s. The ice hockey tournament was staged in the Olympics in 1920.
The men’s tournament started in the Summer Olympics in 1920 but was transferred to the Winter Olympics in 1924. The women’s first ice hockey occurred in the 1998 Winter Olympic Games.
In the men’s tournament, Canada was the most successful team from 1924 to 1952. Sweden and the united states also gave tough competition to Canada and won numerous Olympics medals between 1920 to 1988.
Canada has also hosted the Olympics three times in Montreal(1976, summer games), Calgary(1988, winter), and Vancouver(2010, winter).
The Olympic hockey tournament was also named the Ice Hockey World Championship between 1920 and 1968. The Soviet Union participated first time in 1956 and defeated Canada also, it came out as the dominant team, winning 7 out of 9 tournaments.
Canada didn’t win for 50 years in the first position. After that time, Canada won gold back to back from 2010 to 2014. Other nations to win gold medals include Great Britain in 1936, the united team in 1992, Sweden in 1994 and 2006, Russia in 2018, and Finland in 2022.
1.2. Rules of The Game
- Hockey players cannot use their feet or other body parts to control the ball.
- Women compete in 10-team tournaments, and men compete in 12-team tournaments. The main difference between men’s and women’s ice hockey is that body checkups are not allowed in women’s games.
- The ice is marked with red lines and blue lines. The red line divides the play area into two halves, and the blue line divides the area into three zones neutral zones, a defensive zone, and an attacking zone.
- If an attack zone person enters another defensive zone of the other team, then the match is halted, and a face-off will take place in the neutral zone.
- The referee controls the game and makes final decisions for offside, penalties, and whether punk enters the goal line or not.
1.3. Olympic Winter Games
The Olympic Winter Games are held every four years.
Now, Canada has hosted two winter tournaments in 1988(Calgary) and one in 2010(Vancouver). It has 199 medals in the Winter Olympics:73 gold,64 silver, and 62 bronze.
The country stands in the fifth position in the winter Olympic games.
2. Lacrosse – Summer National Sport Of Canada
Apart from ice hockey, Lacrosse is also one of the national sports in Canada. It originated in the native Americans, where it is used for training during wars.
Women’s lacrosse is common in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United States. Earlier the game was played in the early 1900s in various private schools In Scotland and after that, it was introduced in the United States by various English teachers.
About the Sport
Lacrosse is a team game where every team player holds a stick or a racket-like thing an instrument which is used to throw the ball at the opponent’s goal.
Each team has one goaler, three defenders, three midfielders, and three attackers.
The former measure defenders stick between 40 and 42 inches, and the latter measure between 52 and 72 inches the head of it will be 6 inches, and the widest point will be 10 inches. The goalkeeper’s stick will be between 40 and 72 inches, and the width will be 15 inches.
The object of the game is very common, like any other game, i.e, ball, whoever goals the maximum number of balls into the opponent’s goal will be declared the winner. The use of crosse is used to pass the ball from one teammate to another or catch the ball.
It’s easy for the team who scores the maximum amount of goals to win the game. To score the goal, the teammate must propel the ball from the stick in the goal and pass the goal line. If a player enters the goal line, the particular person will be disqualified.
If scores are the same, then an additional period of Sudden Victory Overtime may ensure that the first team to score a goal becomes an overall winner.
2.1. The History of Lacrosse
Lacrosse is common in the United States and Canada. The game originated as the native American game predating European settlement.
Game rules were not established then, meaning the play area and the number of players playing the game varies in every other game.
After the rules were fixed, the immigrant population of European countries in Canada started playing the game, and later the northeast US also started playing the game. Canada and America were the main reasons for popularizing the game worldwide.
They hosted the tournament and held clinics, and those in other countries helped promote the game after Canada. US Australia is also a country that plays lacrosse and has shown great potential in winning various international lacrosse games.
The established centers of lacrosse are Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth. There is a fixed number of competitions and championships for men and women.
Some lacrosse is also played in Sydney, Newcastle, and Townsville. Australia is important in the game, continuously winning the top three positions at world championships.
The US as far has the most number of players who are interested in playing lacrosse. Over 750000 children played lacrosse with over 2500 high school teams. An additional 36000 played the game in college.
The International Governing Body of Lacrosse is the Federation of International lacrosse which promotes sports and conducts championships for males and females.
The men’s championship is played every four years and rotates every year. The Federation of International Lacrosse includes 60 nations as of 2018.
2.2. Rules Of The Game
- There are 10 players in each men’s lacrosse match. One goalkeeper, three defenders, three offenders, and three attackers.
- 12 players play women’s lacrosse games. One will be the goaler, five will be the attackers, and six will be defenders.
- The game is divided into two halves and four quarters. Each quarter lasts 12 minutes.
- The game starts as a face-off between the two players of both teams. As it whistles, everyone tries to get get the ball.
- Only the goalkeeper can touch the ball with his hands. The rest of the players must see the lacrosse stick to play the game.
- The other player can try to get the ball when the opponent has the ball. It is called a body check between the shoulders and the waist.
- There is an area around the goal called the crease, a player who tries to cross to cross the line is declared a disqualifier.
- Play is stopped as soon as a ball the l goes out of the bound. The possession of the ball l is given to the team whosoever is close to the ball.
- No opposing team can make contact with the goaler.
2.3. World Lacrosse Championship
The World Lacrosse Championship is the international men’s field lacrosse championship organized by lacrosse every year. It started with the four teams Canada, Australia, the United States, and England.
After the tournament, the first international governing body of men was formed called International Lacrosse Federation. The ILF merged with the women’s governing body in 2008 to form the world lacrosse association.
The world lacrosse championship is the international men’s field lacrosse which is organized by the world’s lacrosse every four years.
The US has won the championship ten times, and Canada has won the championship three times. With 46 nations competing against each other 2018 World Championship was the greatest ever it was the first which took place in America, Canada, the US, and England.
2.4. Achievement History
i) 2006 Championship
Canada defeated the US 15-10 and won the gold medal held in London, Ontario. Geoff Snider was named the best-performing player of the match.
ii) 2010 Championship
The 2010 world championship was held in Manchester, England. As the nation’s involvement increased, the tournament was split up into 7 divisions.
The United State defeated Canada with a 12-10 score capturing their ninth victory in the world lacrosse championship.
iii) 2014 Championship
The 2014 WLC was held in Commerce City, Colorado, from July 10-19.38 nations participated. The top rankers were Australia, Canada, England, Iroquois, Japan, and the United States.
Canada defeated the united states for the third time in the tournament.
iv) 2018 Championship
The 2018 championship took place between July 11-21 in Israel, with over 46 nations competing against each other. The top six rankers were Australia, Canada, England, Iroquois, Scotland, and the United States – which competed in the Blue Division.
The United States defeated Canada, capturing its 10th victory in the first position.
3. Other Interesting Sports In Canada
3.1. Basketball
Apart from the above-mentioned two national sports, ever heard of basketball? That game is also created by Canadians that is very popular worldwide.
Canadian-born physician James Naismith developed it; basketball was developed in 1891 at YMCA International Training School.
Naismith published the rules of the game in 1892, when it got popularized all over the world. From France to Japan, every country became a part of basketball.
3.2. 5 – Pin Bowling
5-pin bowling the game which is known by every other individual was invented by Ryan, a businessman sports enthusiast, who opened Canada’s first pinball bowling above the jewelry store in Toronto in 1905. Innovation, creativity, and adaptability were the main three reasons for the invention of five-pin bowling.
Find out more: https://canadahustle.com/interesting-facts-about-national-sport-of-canada/
So this was all about the two most important national sport of Canada. The article also outlines baseball and five-pin bowling; important games played in Canada.
