Being that Canada is the birthplace of the modern game of ice hockey -- its rules codified in 1877 by five McGill University students -- it is only fitting that hockey is the country’s official national winter sport. After its introduction, the game was an immediate success, and in 1880 the first ice hockey club, McGill University Hockey Club, was formed. Gaining widespread popularity over the next few years, it was even featured for the first time during Montreal's annual Winter Carnival in 1883.

The advent of the first professional leagues in 1914 would eventually lead to the creation of the largest premier hockey governing body, the National Hockey League. Beyond the NHL, there exist many other tiers of hockey competition, including minor-league and collegiate-level teams, as well as thousands of local hockey clubs.

After more than 100 years since hockey’s founding, the most prominent ice hockey nations today are Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden and the United States. However, even though these seven nations dominate the game in international play, it is still played and enjoyed by a multitude of fans from nations across the world regardless of climate or locale.