Ice Hockey

REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK

The Canadiens’ 28-year road back to the Stanley Cup finals

In hockey-crazed Montreal, the Habs’ first shot at a championship since victory in 1993 has set off a frenzy among fans.

Winter Olympics: Unified Koreas play first hockey game

Combined South and North Korean women’s team draws thousands of cheering fans but fall to Sweden 3-1 in warm-up match.

02:22

Can a concussion legal case threaten the NHL’s future?

More than 100 former professional ice hockey players are preparing to sue the National Hockey League (NHL) in the US and Canada. They are accusing the NHL of concealing scientific evidence of long-term damage caused by head injuries to players.

The sun rises over the Himalayas behind the town of Leh, in Ladakh. The remote community lies at a head-spinning altitude of 3,500 metres along India’s border with Tibet. People here are renowned for their obsession with ice hockey. [Karishma Vyas/Al Jazeera]

Ice hockey players compete in a local tournament in Leh. With no access to an ice rink, people wait for ponds and lakes to freeze over in winter to play their favourite sport. [Karishma Vyas/Al Jazeera]

Female ice hockey players rest between games at Karzoo rink in Leh. The sport is hugely popular in this remote region of India but girls have had to fight for their right to get on the ice. [Karishma Vyas/Al Jazeera]

Ice hockey player, Tsewang Gyaltson (far left), poses with his family in their home in Leh. Since his father died two years ago, the family has to frequently borrow money from friends and family to finance Gyaltson’s hockey career. [Karishma Vyas/Al Jazeera]

Ice hockey players drink tea during a break in a tournament in Leh. There are currently no full-sized ice hockey rinks available in India so the athletes can only play for a few weeks each year in winter when lakes in Ladakh freeze. [Karishma Vyas/Al Jazeera]

Canadian and Indian ice hockey players compete on the ice during the Indo-Canadian Friendship Cup in Leh in January 2016. Each year dozens of ice hockey fans from Canada and America travel to Ladakh to play against local teams. [Karishma Vyas/Al Jazeera]

Players from India’s national ice hockey team relax by a campfire in Leh. In April 2016, the squad plans to compete in the Challenge Cup of Asia in Kyrgyzstan. But with no government funding, the team currently doesn't have the resources to travel to the competition. [Karishma Vyas/Al Jazeera]

Children practise their ice hockey skills on a makeshift rink in Leh. The sport is virtually unheard of in India but in the remote northeastern region of Ladakh it is the most popular activity in winter. [Karishma Vyas/Al Jazeera]

American coach, Adam Sherlip (in the blue and green beanie) addresses players before the trials for the national team. Ice hockey was declared a national sport in India in 2002. Most of the players in the squad come from the remote border region of Ladakh. [Karishma Vyas/Al Jazeera]

Ice hockey players in Ladakh prepare for trials for the national team. India’s squad has been competing internationally since 2009 but so far have recorded only one victory – against Macau in the Challenge Cup of Asia in 2012. [Karishma Vyas/Al Jazeera]

Ice hockey player Tsewang Gyaltson consults a physiotherapist at Leh’s SNM Hospital about a recurring injury. The sport is fast-paced and physical and athletes have to maintain a high level of fitness to compete. [Karishma Vyas/Al Jazeera]

Tsewang Gyaltson, 23, sits with his hockey gear next to Karzoo ice rink in Leh. He dreams of playing in the Winter Olympics but with only second-hand equipment and no full-sized rink to practise on, he and the other players on the national team find it difficult to win tournaments. [Karishma Vyas/Al Jazeera]