Originally posted by Smasandian
I would say that Ice Hockey is more of an Canadian sport and Eastern European sport than American...but I assuming you meant American as in North American and not the US.But even that, the sport is played in most Eastern European country plus Scandiavian countries as well.
But I also think that the popularity of hockey is based on countries that have freezing weather than of the sport.
Not denying that ice hockey has spread a bit, but nowhere near as much as (field) hockey.
The very name tells the difference- most the world, including most of the ice hockey playing nations, call the sport played on ice 'ice hockey' and the sport played on grass 'hockey', a distinction the Olympics makes too. Ice Hockey is seen, globally, as a smaller spin-off.
Not that I am judging quality based on popularity. Like whatever the heck you like, and I think I've wached more ice hockey than hockey. Fact still remains though.