The origins of ice hockey can be traced back to stick-and-ball games played during the medieval period, and even in ancient Greece and Egypt.
Ice hockey. (Photo: Internet)
Some believe that this game evolved from the ancient Irish game of hurling. However, like many sports, the exact beginnings of ice hockey remain uncertain.
Phil Pritchard, curator of the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, stated: “There is a painting from the 1500s depicting people playing something on ice that looks like hockey. By the mid-1700s, a game called bandy was being played on ice in the eastern plains of England. In winter, players competed with iron skates on ice formed over flooded meadows. That game spread to London and was played by British soldiers. In the 19th century, Indigenous Americans in Canada played a similar game with sticks.”
Winter river scene with skaters, horse-drawn sleds, and ice hockey players. (Photo: Getty)
The term “hockey”, according to the Canadian Encyclopedia, originated from a book published in 1773 in England titled Sports for Young Men. A version of the game played on land – field hockey – also developed during this time.
In England, newspapers from the 1840s mentioned the game of ice hockey. A Scottish newspaper reported in 1842 about a fatal incident during a hockey match involving around 20 participants skating on a canal.
In 1949, a magazine in the Soviet Union claimed that this sport was invented and perfected in Russia in the mid-19th century, but these assertions have yet to be substantiated with clear evidence. The first recorded ice hockey match took place on March 3, 1875, featuring two teams of nine players each from the Victoria Skating Club in Montreal. However, there is also evidence that similar games were played earlier in Canada and the United States.
Photo of the Montreal Hockey Club taken in 1893. (Photo: Internet)
By 1899, ice hockey had become popular in the Northeastern United States. “There was no special effort made to promote participation in this sport, yet it steadily grew, with the number of enthusiasts reaching into the thousands,” reported the Montreal Gazette regarding the public’s interest in hockey in the New York City area.
Although ice hockey did not originate in Canada, it has become the national sport of the country. By the late 19th century, leagues were formed in Canada. Rules for the sport were also established, including the size of the nets and the number of players on the ice at one time. The rules of the sport in Canada were eventually adopted worldwide.
In 1920, a team from Canada won the first world hockey championship held at the Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium. In 1917, the National Hockey League (NHL) was founded in Canada with four teams. In 1924, the Boston Bruins became the first American team in the NHL (North American ice hockey league). For over 100 years, the NHL has been the premier professional hockey league in the world.
