The first hockey games were played in Canada, and hockey remains that country's most popular sport. Men's hockey has been part of the Olympics since the first Winter Games. Olympic women's hockey will be played for the first time in Nagano. The United States stars might win a gold medal in Nagano. What they do Each men's team in Nagano will have 23 players and each women's team will have 20 players.
Hockey teams can only have six players on the ice at one time.
The goaltender is joined by two players on the defense and three forward players. Any player can be substituted at any time during the game. Where they play A hockey rink is surrounded by boards that are 1.2 meters high. The goals are set several away from the boards. A red line divides the rink in half, and two blue lines divide the rink into thirds.