Ice hockey, a popular winter sport in North America and Europe, is attracting more public attention in China as the country strives to develop ice and snow sports. A regular game consists of three periods of 20 minutes each, with a 15-minute intermission after the first and second periods. Overtime play or a penalty shoot-out decides the winner if the scores are tied.
Same as figure skating, ice hockey was once a Summer Olympic program, which appeared in the 1920 Antwerp Games. Since the first Winter Olympics in 1924, the six-a-side men's ice hockey has been a part of every Winter Games and the women's edition made its Olympic debut in 1998. Viewers can also enjoy exciting ice hockey games at the upcoming 9th Asian Winter Games Harbin 2025.