Score!: The Action and Artistry of Hockey's Magnificent Moment
INTRODUCTION He shoots he scores When hockey fans hear those words they know what happens next The goal judge switches on the red light behind the net A loud siren echoes around the arena Teammates thrust their arms into the air and rush to congratulate the goal scorer The opposing goalie drops his head and tries to regain his focus All of this takes place in just a few seconds Then the teams skate to center ice the puck is dropped and the game begins anew Ice hockey is the fastest of the team sports The players glide backward and forward They change direction and come to sudden stops From the stands the game looks like a ballet That is until bodies start crashing together elbows and sticks begin jabbing and players are crunched into the boards The amazing speed and skill of hockey along with the physical playmake scoring a goal one of the greatest challenges in all sports No wonder players jump for joy after every goal This book tells the story of the players and teams that have made goal scoring look easy Long ago the stars of hockey began to figure out the best ways to put the puck in the net Each built on the techniques and talents of those who came before them Then they added their own unique style to make each goal their own personal work of art There is no greater thrill for hockey players than scoring a goal 5
One LIGHTING THE LAMP THE HISTORY OF GOAL SCORING f modern hockey fans were transported back in time more than a century ago many things about the sport would puzzle them For instance there was no netting to catch the puck behind the goal And there were no boards behind the netting to catch the players No one thought of using a red light to signal that a goal had been scored Indeed it would be many years before players could actually light the lamp Hockey first became popular in Canada in the 1870s and 1880s At first lacrosse stars made the sport their winter game Lacrosse was the number one sport in Canada at the time Soon hockey was being played all over the country Eventually it moved south to the United States Hockey in the 1800s looked very different There were no ice making machines back then so teams relied on cold weather to create their playing surfaces Crude rinks were built over frozen rivers and ponds Spectators sat or stood nearby behind sideboards that were only a foot or so tall The hockey season ended in the spring That is when pucks started disappearing into holes in the ice This illustration from 1893 shows two teams playing in front of a large crowd at Victoria Arena in Montreal Canada Notice that the goal does not have a
