Ice hockey is a dynamic, full-contact team sport played on ice skates, where two opposing teams use sticks to shoot a vulcanized rubber puck into the opponent's net, with the highest score winning. The modern sport originated in Canada, most notably in Montreal, where the first indoor game was played on March 3, 1875, drawing influences from sports like Scottish shinty and English field hockey. Amateur leagues emerged in the 1880s, leading to professional play around 1900, and the prestigious Stanley Cup, initially awarded in 1893, became the championship trophy for club supremacy.

Canadian rules were quickly adopted globally by organizations like the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace (precursor to the IIHF), and the sport made its Olympic debut at the 1920 Summer Games, later becoming a cornerstone of the Winter Olympics. In 1994, ice hockey was officially recognized as Canada's national winter sport. Women's ice hockey gained significant popularity after body checking was officially removed in the mid-1980s, leading to the first IIHF Women's World Championship in 1990 and its introduction to the Olympics in 1998.