The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
Hockey is Canada's national sport, although it's enjoyed in many countries. It's popular in Japan, Russia, the United States, and western Europe. Since 1920, hockey has been an official Olympic sport. Its roots have been traced to games of field hockey that British troops played on frozen lakes and ponds in Kingston, Ontario, and Halifax, Nova Scotia in the 1860s. In 1879, the first formal ice hockey rules were developed. Hockey is a rough, often brutal sport. Many injuries occur because of dangerous moves such as "body checking" (when a player throws his body against another to block his progress) and "poke checks" (when a player jabs opponents with his stick). In addition, the hockey puck can travel up to speeds of 115 miles (185 km) per hour.