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What Hockey Came From
What hockey came from is believed to be from stick and ball games like hurley, banty and shinty. Also several similar winter games, such as shinney and ice polo. These games used informal rules that were made. An example of what one of these games are is that shinney was a game for women, but men still played it. People playing would travel while using sticks to try to shoot a ball or balls over or under the nets. A shinney ball is made of buffalo hair, sand, suede and sinew. -
Why Hockey Is Called Hockey
The name "hockey" has no clear origin. Its first known mention and the most probable place we got it from is from a book Juvenile Sports and Pastimes, where chapter XI was titled "New Improvements on the Game of Hockey" and talked about hockey. Also, there is believed to be a proclamation written by a king in 1363, that mentions something about hockey but nobody knows if it is true because because when some historian translated it in 1720 he didnt use the word hockey, but he may have been wrong. -
First Game Of Hockey
On March 3, 1875, the first organized indoor game was played at Victoria Skating Rink, which is a rink in Montreal, Quebec. It was played between two nine-player teams. Instead of a ball or bung which is what they used for other games, they used a flat and circular piece of wood. The used a wooden puck to keep it in the rink and to protect spectators. The goal posts they used were 8 feet apart,(today's nets are six feet wide). The rules they used were the ‘Hockey Association’ rules. -
First Team
In 1877 the first hockey team, The McGill University Hockey Club, was founded. It was then followed by the Montreal Victorias, organized in 1881. -
First Tournaments, Seasons, ETC.
The game became so popular in 1883, that the first world championship of ice hockey was featured in Montreal's annual Winter Carnival. The McGill team captured the Carnival Cup. The game was divided into thirty-minute halves. Since the players changed from 9 at a time on the ice to 7, the positions were now left wing, right wing, centre, rover, point, cover point and goalie. In 1885, the Montreal City Hockey League was made. In 1886 the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) was created. -
Stanley Cup Creation
In 1888 the Governor General of Canada, Lord Stanley of Preston, whose sons and daughter were huge hockey fans, attended the Montreal Winter Carnival tournament and was impressed with the game. In 1892, realizing that there was no recognition for the best team in Canada, he purchased a decorative bowl for use as a trophy. The Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, which later became known as the Stanley Cup. -
Stanley Cup Creation (Part 2)
It was first awarded in 1893 to the Montreal Hockey Club, champions of the AHAC. It continues to be awarded annually to the winner of the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs winner, but is much bigger today. Lord Stanley's son Arthur helped organize the Ontario Hockey Association. which would eventually turn into the NHL. -
Professional Hockey
In 1902, the Western Pennsylvania Hockey League (WPHL) was the first to employ professionals. The league joined with teams from Michigan and Ontario to form the first fully professional league, the International Professional Hockey League (IPHL). In 1904, the WPHL and IPHL hired players from Canada. Since this happened, Canadian leagues began to pay players. in 1907, the IPHL lost more then half of their players and broke up. By then, several professional hockey leagues were operating. -
The Start Of The NHL
In 1910, the National Hockey Association (NHA) was formed in Montreal. The NHA would change the rules dropping the rover position, dividing the game into three 20 minute periods and introducing minor and major penalties. After re-organizing as the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1917, the league expanded into the United States, starting with the Boston Bruins in 1924. -
Hockey Today
Today the NHL has 32 teams, the equipment has changed, the rules have changed, and many other things have changed. There is now thousands of hundreds of rinks arounds the world, and thousands of leagues for professionals, adults and kids. The game has changed a lot since back then and will continue to change throughout the years.
