A fast-paced, physical sport, hockey is very popular particularly in Canada, Alaska and Northern Europe. Hockey is the official national winter sport of Canada, where the game enjoys immense popularity. While the contemporary sport of hockey is commonly thought to have been developed in Southern Canada in 1870’s, many years earlier, in 1825, John Franklin wrote during one of his Arctic expeditions about “The game of hockey played on the ice was the morning sport”, near Deline in the Northwest Territories on Great Bear Lake.
Hockey competition is held in three age categories: Junior Female, Midget Male and Bantam Male. Each team is comprised of up to 17 players and two coaches from participating contingents. Teams participate in a round-robin tournament to determine seeding for medal-round pairings and then playoff to see which team will win the gold Ulu in their division.