The History And Origins Of Modern Ice Hockey

Ice hockey is a game that has been on the rise for the last few years, with more people and countries adopting it as a new and entertaining pastime. No other country has enjoyed it more than Canada, where the sport is beloved by just about everyone, as well as being home to the world’s biggest ice hockey tournaments.

The true origins of ice hockey are fairly hard to trace back, as it’s a game that kind of popped up as a separation of field hockey, a game that has gained much more popularity worldwide. Ice hockey, then, is something of a modernised mystery that has somehow taken the Canadians by storm and continues to put down anchors in new countries with every passing year. Here, we will explore the origins of the game and how it came to be so well known.

The Rules of Ice Hockey

The rules of the game as we know them today were created by man named James Creighton, a Canadian that was living in the country in the late 19th century. The very first game that took place using these new rules was played in the city of Montreal, specifically at the Victoria Skating Rink. It was comprised of two teams, each made up of 9 players, including Creighton himself, as well as a number of other players, many of which were from McGill University. Instead of making use of a bung, the game instead featured a piece of wood that was flat and circular, and proved to be the ancestor of today’s hockey puck.

The First Ice Hockey Club

The players from McGill University decided to create the very first ice hockey club, which was known as the McGill Ice Hockey Club, and it was founded officially in 1877. Its creation was then followed by the Quebec Bulldogs, put together around a year later, and then not long after the Montreal Victoria’s entered the scene as a new team.

The Stanley Cup

Lord Stanley of Preston was the governor of Canada in 1888 and was one of the most prominent members of the public who attended the Montreal Winter Carnival event. He was completely taken by the game, and a few years later he recognised that the teams in Canada were not able to compete against each other. He then bought a silver bowl that would be used as the trophy, and created the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, an event that is still going to this day, although the name was alter changed to the Stanley Cup, and it’s become part of the large range of fun games online enjoyed at https://onlineroulette.net.nz/review/river-belle/.

The first Stanley Cup tournament was won by the Montreal Hockey Club in 1893. The trophy is still very much a part of the modern games and is given away annually the teams that win the National Hockey League championship. Stanley’s son, Arthur, continued the legacy, organising the Ontario Hockey Association which oversee the world-famous event.