Photo story: "cool facts" on ice hockey rink

Goalkeeper Zhou Jiaying of China gets her water bottle for drink at Wukesong Sports Centre in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2022. Behinds the goal, there is a special place to hang an water bottle for the goalkeeper.(Xinhua/Li Ran)

As the Chinese ice hockey players showed up at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, this game is attracting more and more of the public's attention.

At Wukesong Sports Centre in Beijing, staff working for the ice hockey events put the ice pucks into cooling boxes. The puck, made of vulcanized rubber, is a flat hard disc that needs to be frozen before the game to reduce elasticity during the play.

The men's and women's ice hockey were listed as the official Winter Olympic events in the years of 1924 and 1998 respectively. Ice hockey, also known as "hockey on the ice", is like a combination of football, field hockey and short track speed skating. A contact sports as ice hockey is, it is also a combination of power and passion, bringing a powerful visual impact to the audience.

At the same time, in order to ensure safety, ice hockey games have to meet certain standards for venues and players' dress code, which also constitutes some of the "cool facts" on the ice hockey rink.

Staff members operate ice-repairing trucks to make the surface of ice rink flat during the break of the men's ice hockey preliminary round Group B match between Czech Republic and Denmark at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Feb. 9, 2022.(Xinhua/Du Yu)

Staff members install an ice hockey goal with electric drills at Wukesong Sports Centre in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 8, 2022.(Xinhua/Li Ran)

Staff members carry their tools to clean the ice rink during the break of an ice hockey game at Wukesong Sports Centre in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 11, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

Cameraman Brennan Mugala (1st L) shoots players of China in his skates on the ice rink at Wukesong Sports Centre during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

Alexander Yelesin (top) of ROC and Mikkel Aagaard (bottom) of Denmark clash during the men's ice hockey preliminary round Group B match between Denmark and ROC at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, Feb. 11, 2022. (Xinhua/Du Yu)

Mislav Rosandic (rear C) and Marek Hrivik (rear R) of Slovakia are sent off during the ice hockey men's preliminary round Group C match between Sweden and Slovakia at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 11, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

The ice hockey stick of Josefine Jakobsen (front) of Denmark gets knocked into the air during the ice hockey women's Group B match between Denmark and Czech Republic at Wukesong Sports Centre in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

Sara Hjalmarsson (L) of Sweden collides with Nicoline Jensen during the ice hockey women's preliminary round group B match between Sweden and Denmark at Wukesong Sports Centre in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

Staff members clean the ice rink with assorted tools during the break of an ice hockey game at Wukesong Sports Centre in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

A staff member puts an ice hockey puck into a cooling box at Wukesong Sports Centre in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 10, 2022.(Xinhua/Li Ran)

Koyama Remi (L) of Japan vies with Katerina Mrazova of Czech Republic during the ice hockey women's preliminary round group B match between Japan and Czech Republic at Wukesong Sports Centre in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 8, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

A staff member puts ice hockey pucks into a cooling box at Wukesong Sports Centre in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 10, 2022. (Xinhua/Li Ran)

Athletes of Switzerland cheer each on before the start of ice hockey women's Group A match between Switzerland and Finland at National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 7, 2022. (Xinhua/Du Yu)

An athlete stands in for another during the ice hockey women's preliminary round group A match between Canada and the United States at Wukesong Sports Centre in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 8, 2022. In ice hockey games, athletes consume energy faster due to the constant acceleration, sudden stop, and changing directions. Therefore, substitutions in ice hockey games are more frequent and faster than other sports. (Xinhua/Du Yu)

Photo taken on Feb. 6, 2022 shows the high transparent protective plates surrounding the ice rink at Wukesong Sports Centre in Beijing, capital of China.(Xinhua/Li Ran)