According to its own hype, ice hockey is either the fastest or the coolest game on earth, and its followers like to claim that it is both. By virtue of the game being staged on ice this may well be true, but labour strife, slumping television ratings and a reputation for thuggery do not necessarily back this up.

There are several theories as to how the game came to exist but its roots almost certainly trace back to the UK and other parts of Northern Europe. However, the sport was not organised until its arrival in North America and Canada in particular with the first recognised contests taking place in the 1870s.

Indeed, an Englishman gave the sport its most famous asset (other than Wayne Gretzky). In recognition of the popularity of the game, Lord Stanley of Preston, the Governor General of Canada, purchased a silver bowl that was crafted in Sheffield and decreed that it be awarded annually to the best team in the land. That was 1892, making the Stanley Cup the oldest trophy competed for by professional athletes.

The general approach to the game is the same no matter who sanctions the contest but individual rules change depending on where the game is being played. The most common set of rules are those followed by the National Hockey League (NHL), which is made up of 30 teams in Canada and the US and is also home to the vast majority of the world's top players.

At its core, it is a simple game between two teams attempting to score goals by driving a puck, or black rubber disk roughly the size of a tin of tuna, into the opposition's goal with the use of curved sticks, ice skates and protective padding.

The teams consist of 20 players apiece but only five skaters (three forwards, two defenders) and a goalkeeper from each team play at any given time though the skaters are able to change during play.

The games are played within an enclosed rink measuring 200" x 85" (61 metres x 26 metres) and are divided into three 20-minute periods, with the clock stopping during breaks in play. Recent rule changes have done away with draws and games that end in a deadlock are now extended to include an overtime and, if necessary, a shootout to determine a winner.

Each contest is officiated by two referees and two linesmen who are responsible for upholding the game's rules. Infractions result in the offending player being sent to a penalty box for varying lengths of time. While serving a penalty, the guilty player leaves his team shorthanded while the opposition enjoys a power play.

One of the best-known penalties is fighting which continues to be part of the sport though the NHL has attempted to limit its role in the game.

At its best, ice hockey flows in a majestic, ballet-like synchronicity uninterrupted by stoppages inherent to most North American sports as players put on a magnificent display of skill at high speed. The downside is that it can also be dominated by a violent display of little less than organised thuggery that gives credence to the old joke about going to a fight and seeing a hockey game break out…