Hockey has been around for quite a while, and nobody really knows of its orgins because a lot of regions claim that hockey started here or there which is no suprise because it was an area with natural ice.  Eventually Canada is where Hockey first became popular and where the NHL was first brought up.  The stanely cup was invented in 1893 by Frederick Arthur Stanley who made it to be awarded to the team with the best hockey excellence.  From that day forward the NHL is still very much alive and the Stanley cup is still awarded to the best team of the year.

 

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stanly_Cup_in_Hockey_Hall_of_Fame_(may_2008)_edit1.jpg  /  http://www.lifetimehockey.com/hockey_rink_diagram.htm

    Like any other sport Hockey has rules as well.  For a few of the most called there is offsides, iceing, and a few penalty calls like tripping, and high sticking.
    Offsides is where a player transitioning over to the offensive zone crosses the blue line before the puck does.  For legal play the puck has to crossover first before anybody on the offensive side can crossover.
    High sticking is where a player raises there hockey stick above there waist to knock a puck out of the air.
Tripping is where somebody intentionally causes somebody to fall taking them out of the play.
There are many rules and a set of rules can be found @ http://www.azhockey.com/rules.html.
Keep in mind that all leagues have different set of rules so these don't apply for all Hockey leagues.