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Grown Men Chase Puck in Icy Water

How could we miss one of the world's most important sporting events? Somehow the Underwater Ice Hockey World Championships slipped under our radar this past weekend. Weissensee, Austria, hosted the eight nation event, which was pretty tough:

Players competed under 12 inches of ice in 35 degrees Fahrenheit water and without oxygen tanks. The players, decked out in wetsuits, masks and flippers, chased a styrofoam puck around a "rink" six metres wide and eight metres long, having to resurface every 30 seconds for air.

While underwater hockey, in nice warm water, has been around for a while (but never quite caught on for spectators), putting everybody under ice is really a bit extreme. For the record, the Finnish took the crown this year, which makes sense given the temperature component.

[Photo: kyusap]

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