What is the difference between bandy and hockey?

Bandy is the forerunner to hockey. It is played on ice but there are differences from the game of hockey. The rink for bandy is considerably larger than a hockey rink. There are 11 players on a team, hockey has 6 players. Bandy uses a small ball, hockey uses a puck. The net in bandy is much larger than the hockey nets. The rules for bandy are similar to soccer and field hockey. There is no full-on body checking allowed.
Bandy is almost unknown in North America, but in Europe, especially Sweden and Russia, there are professional leagues. There is a world championship for bandy held each year.
Someday we may see this sport as part of the Winter Olympics.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandy

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/sports/olympics/29bandy.html?pagewanted=all