Learn the History of Ice Hockey

The origin of ice hockey is unknown; however, ice hockey probably evolved from the game of field hockey that has been played in Northern Europe for centuries. The rules of modern ice hockey were devised by Canadian James Creighton. In 1875, the first game of ice hockey with Creightons rules was played in Montreal, Canada.  This  first organized indoor game  was played at Victoria Skating Rink  between two nine-player teams, including  James Creighton  and several other  McGill University  students. Instead of a ball or bung, the game featured a flat circular piece of wood. The  McGill University Hockey Club, the first ice hockey club, was founded in 1877  (followed by the  Quebec Bulldogs  named Quebec Hockey Club and organized in 1878 and the  Montreal Victorias, organized in 1881). In 1880, the number of players per side went from nine to seven.  The number of teams grew, enough so that the first world championship of ice hockey was held at Montreals annual Winter Carnival  in 1883. The McGill team won the tournament and was awarded the Carnival Cup.  The game was divided into 30-minute halves. The positions were now named:  left and right wing,  center,  rover,  point and cover-point, and  goaltender. In 1886, the teams competing at the Winter Carnival organized the  Amateur Hockey Association of Canada  (AHAC) and played a season comprising challenges to the existing champion. Stanley Cup Origins In 1888, the  Governor-General of Canada,  Lord Stanley of Preston  (his sons and daughter enjoyed hockey), first attended the Montreal Winter Carnival tournament and was impressed with the game. In 1892, he saw that there was no recognition for the best team in Canada, so he purchased a silver bowl for use as a trophy. The Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup (which later became known as the  Stanley Cup) was first awarded in  1893  to the  Montreal Hockey Club, champions of the AHAC; it continues to be awarded annually to the  National Hockey Leagues championship team.  Stanleys son Arthur helped organize the  Ontario Hockey Association, and Stanleys daughter  Isobel  was one of the first women to play ice hockey. Todays Sport Today, ice hockey is an Olympic sport and the most popular team sport played on ice. Ice hockey is played with two opposing teams wearing ice skates. Unless there is a penalty, each team only has six players on the ice rink at a time. The puck is a vulcanized rubber disk. The aim of the game is to knock the hockey puck into the opposing teams net. The net is guarded by a special player called the goalie. The first artificial ice rink (mechanically-refrigerated) was built in 1876, at Chelsea, London, England, and was named the Glaciarium. It was built near the Kings Road in London by John Gamgee. Today, modern ice rinks are kept clean and smooth by the use of a machine called the Zamboni. Fibreglass Canada worked with Canadiens Goalie Jaques Plante to develop the first-ever hockey goalie mask in 1960.