History Of Ice Hockey In Canada

The game of ice hockey has its roots in the various stick and ball games played over the centuries in the united kingdom and north america.

History of ice hockey in canada. In addition ice hockey is the most popular winter sport in belarus croatia the czech republic finland latvia russia slovakia sweden and switzerland. Ice hockey gained a place where it rightly deserved the winter olympics. Ice hockey is the official national winter sport of 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.

In canada the broadcast of hockey makes its television debut in the show hockey night that was produced by cbc television. Ice hockey is most popular in canada central and eastern europe the nordic countries russia and the united states. Canada made important contributions to the game from the 1870s on. The rules of modern ice hockey were devised by canadian james creighton.

Ice hockey as we know it today is definitely the product of canada. In the 1850 s the first logged games of ice hockey were played and in the 1870 s the first set of ice hockey rules were written by a group of students at mcgill university in montreal canada. Beginning in 1930 the international ice hockey federation holds the world championship in non olympic years and over the course of the decade canada wins eight gold medals including a fourth olympic title in 1932. Research then turned up mention of a hockeylike game played in the early 1800s in nova scotia by the mi kmaq micmac indians which appeared to have been heavily influenced by the irish.

From prior to the establishment of canada europeans are recorded as having played versions of field hockey and its relatives while the mi kmaq indigenous peoples of the maritimes also had a ball and stick game and made many hockey sticks used. Many also consider ice hockey s first rules to have been published by the montreal gazette in 1877. This was a major landmark in the history of ice hockey. In 1879 the first organized team the mcgill university hockey.

Until the mid 1980s it was generally accepted that ice hockey derived from english field hockey and indian lacrosse and was spread throughout canada by british soldiers in the mid 1800s. However research reveals that organized ice hockey bandy games were first played on skates in england and that the earliest rules were also published in england. The development of hockey. 1960 this was the first time a goalie mask was introduced in ice hockey.

A more definitive history of hockey can start from the mid 1800 s.