Elizabeth Lindsay, age 15, of Great Falls, Mont., for her question:
WHO WAS THE FIRST TO PLAY ICE HOCKEY?
Modern ice hockey developed in 1853 when it was first played by a group of British soldiers stationed in Canada. Students at McGill University in Montreal then came up with an official set of rules for the active sport in 1879.
According to the records, ice hockey most likely developed from an English sport called bandy that was played in the 18th Century. The game is still played in the Baltic countries, Sweden and Russia.
Ice hockey was played in the United States for the first time in 1893. But a few years later, by the start of the 20th Century, the sport had spread across the northeastern part of the country and was also being enjoyed in Great Britain and parts of Europe.
Those who have played ice hockey agree that it is the fastest of all sports. It is action packed and often rough.
An oval rink, made either of artificial or natural ice, is 200 feet long and 98 feet wide. A board wall four feet high circles the rink. There's a goal net 10 feet in from each end of the rink, and it measures six feet wide by four feet high.
Each team has six players out on the ice at one time. There's one center, two forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender or goalie. Hockey sticks are usually made of elm or ash wood with a shaft 53 inches long and a blade no wider than three inches or longer than 14 1/2 inches.
Because the game is so rough, players must wear special protective gear. Under the shirts are heavy pads and thick gloves cover the hands. In addition there are helmet, elbow pads, padded pants and shin guards. The goalie wears a face mask, body pads and special stick hand gloves and catching gloves.
The hard, black rubber puck is one inch thick and three inches in diameter.
For some penalties, the offending team that has violated a rule risks losing the puck in a face off with a member of the other team. For more serious violations a player will receive penalties ranging from two minutes in the penalty box to removal from the game.
At least four members of the team must be on the ice at one time. If a team has two players in the penalty box and a third player is penalized, a substitute may replace him on the ice. However, the third player's penalty will not start until one of the first two penalized players has served his penalty.
The United States and Canada are joined in the professional National Hockey League. There are also several minor professional leagues.
There are three types of amateur hockey competition: international competition, high school and college competition and regular amateur competition.