History of Ice Hockey

The roots of modern day hockey are widely debated amongst hockey historians so in this article I have read all the theories and compiled them into one timeline.

Historical records show that various versions of hockey has been played all throughout history with the earliest known record showing an ancient form of hockey to be played Iran and Egypt around 2000BC. Other early records show that the game was also played in Ethiopia around 1000BC. Modern day museums offer evidence that hockey was played by the Romans, Greeks and the Aztecs a few centuries prior to Columbus' arrival in the 'New World'.

There is clear evidence hockey was played in medieval Europe in the Speculum Maius (a 13th century encyclopedia compiled by Dominican friar Vincent of Beauvais (France)) which contains an illustration of four men playing choule à la crosse, where players used curved sticks to move a ball towards a target.

Modern day hockey was derived from stick and ball games common throughout the British Isles such as hurling (Ireland), shinty (Scotland) and bandy (England) which were similar in nature and have been documented from the 14th century. Hurling was an ancient Irish stick-and-ball game that at the time, resembled modern field hockey and was later adapted into the aerial game played today. The Scottish played a similar game called shinty which also resembled modern day field hockey. In England, they called their version of the sport “bandy” or “bandie-ball.” As a side note, the origins of the word 'bandy' is widely accepted to have come from either the verb “to bandy” meaning to strike back and forth or, the word was derived from the bent stick they used to play bandy. The bent sticks used in bandy are reminiscent of instuments used in early versions of cricket and golf. There is a famous painted painted by Pieter Bruegel titled 'Hunters in the Snow' in 1565 where he depicts the early version of golf, kolf which was played on ice. In this painting, modern people mistook this painting for ice hockey originally, however upon analysis of the photo historians stated that it was unlikely that a team sport was being depicted.

The first reported instance of a stick-and-ball game played on ice was a game of shinty played on the ice of the Firth of Forth in Scotland in 1608, during what was known as the “Great Winter.” It is unsure of the footwear players wore as iron skates were not introduced to the British Isles until 1660 which Dutch drainage workers introduced (primarily in the canal dense area known as 'The Fens'. That same year, the British royal family returned from exile in the Netherlands, bringing a passion for skating back with them which rapidly became a popular pastime.

In the mid 1700's, bandy was adapted to be played on ice with ice skates primarily in the Fens where according to historians the concept of speed skating originated. The concept of these ice hockey games been played in the Fens on ice spread throughout Scotland and other parts of England and before long the modern game of hockey emerged in the mid-18th century and the first Hockey Association was formed in the UK (1876). They drew up the first formal set of rules survived for just six years but, in 1886, it was revived by nine founding member clubs. According to historian Charles Goodman Tebbutt 1892 “It is certain that during the last [18th] century the game was played and even matches were held on Bury Fen, and the local tradition that the Bury Fenners (a team made up of players from the twin villages of Bluntisham and Earith) had not been defeated for a century may not be an idle boast. But it was not until the great frost of 1813–14 that tradition gives place to certainty.” One of Tebbutt’s sources was William Leeland, the former captain of the Bury Fenners, who confirmed that bandy had been played on ice in 1813. He also spoke to Richard Brown, who had been the umpire of a game between Willingham and Bluntisham-cum-Earith in 1827.

Research by hockey historians Gidén, Houda and Martel, therefore, reveals that ice hockey is not a Canadian invention as we have discussed previously. There is clear evidence that the game was being played in Canada in the 19th century, prior to the famous game played in Montreal on 3 March 1875. Popular belief is British/Irish ciitizens and soldiers brought their home sport with them as they emigrated to or were stationed in Canada.

The earliest evidence for ice hockey in Canada was recorded by British officers, who brought the sport with them. This evidence consisted of two letters written by Sir John Franklin in 1825, during one of his attempts to find the Northwest Passage. Both letters mentioned hockey being played on ice although it was not stated if they played it wearing skates. Franklin’s diary of that expedition indicates that the crew had been equipped with skates. There is also evidence that in 1839, games of ice hockey were played by British soldiers on Chippewa Creek in the Niagara region. Sir Richard George Augustus Levinge, a lieutenant of a light infantry unit stationed in Niagara, wrote in his memoirs, “Large parties contested games of hockey on the ice, some forty or fifty being ranged on each side.” He mentions the use of skates during the games.

Hockey was also played in Kingston, Ontario, in 1843. Sir Arthur Freeling, then a first lieutenant stationed in Kingston, organised games for his men and wrote about them in his diary. Like Franklin and Levinge, Freeling was a British officer who would have learned the game in his home country. Freeling was recalled to England in 1844, and it would be a few decades before ice hockey was played again in Kingston. Despite this, Kingston was long held to be the birthplace of ice hockey in Canada, owing in large part to efforts by Captain James T. Sutherland. In 1943, Sutherland convinced the National Hockey League to adopt Kingston as the site for the Hockey Hall of Fame, based on this claim. The decision was later rescinded, and the Hall opened in Toronto.

Ice hockey was played on a regular basis in Halifax and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, prior to 1875. Many written sources mention the activity as “ricket.” Some of them are detailed enough to leave no doubt that these games were very similar to ice hockey. It is therefore clear that games resembling ice hockey were played in Canada in the 19th century, likely brought to the country by settlers or military personnel from the British Isles.

According to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), the first organised ice hockey game was played on 3 March 1875 in Montreal. On that date, the Montreal Gazette made the following announcement:

VICTORIA RINK—A game of Hockey will be played at the Victoria Skating Rink this evening, between two nines chosen from among the members. Good fun may be expected, as some of the players are reputed to be exceedingly expert at the game. Some fears have been expressed on the part of intending spectators that accidents were likely to occur through the ball flying about in too lively a manner, to the imminent danger of lookers on, but we understand that the game will be played with a flat circular piece of wood, thus preventing all danger of its leaving the surface of the ice. Subscribers will be admitted on presentation of their tickets.

The game, played between two teams of nine players, ended in a 2–1 win for the team captained by James George Aylwin Creighton (originally from Nova Scotia) over the team captained by Charles Edward Torrance. In 2008, the IIHF officially recognised this as the first game of organised modern day ice hockey. At the same ceremony, the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, on the recommendation of the IIHF, made James George Aylwin Creighton a “person of national historic significance,” he has widely been accepted as the instigator and organiser of the game.

The newspapers published a roster but did not mention goalscorers or details on goalies, game duration or referees. The team were not wearing uniforms. In contrast, there exist a few detailed reports of games of bandy from English newspapers in the early 1870s, which often included the names of goal scorers, and, in at least one case, even the times of the goals. These were clearly well-organised matches. From this information, the Montreal game does not seem to be the first organised game of ice hockey. Despite this, the sport quickly developed in Montreal following the game on 3 March 1875 and another exhibition game was played two weeks later, this time with uniforms. In 1876, the Montreal Gazette announced that games would now be played according to rules set by England’s Hockey Association. Several of the original English field hockey rules had been directly adapted from English football rules. In 1877, the Gazette published the English rules, with slight modifications, including one of the two instances of the word “ground” being replaced by “ice.” The most notable changes were related to the logistical difficulties associated with playing on an enclosed rink rather than an open field. In addition, Hockey Associations' rules stipulated that no charging was allowed, but in the revised Montreal version, the restriction was limited to “charging from behind,” which may have implied that body checks were allowed from that point on. The Montreal version also omitted several Hockey Associations rules, notably those describing the stick, how goals were scored, the size of the playing area and the number of players on each side. Canadians also brought back the flat disc that had been adopted in the mid-18th century when the word "hockey" itself came into use. In Europe, cork bungs had been largely abandoned by the 1870s, and bandy/hockey was played with balls made of vulcanised rubber. The soft rubber balls lasted longer than cork bungs and were also less damaging to shins and ankles than wood, the traditional material of bandy balls. The name “puck” was another Canadian idea — although the term itself is of Irish origin — as was the decision to produce it using vulcanised rubber.

Canadians made other significant rule changes early on. In 1880, for example, the number of players was reduced from nine to seven. New techniques and styles of play also arose organically as the game grew and organised leagues proliferated. In the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes (1895–1911), for example, techniques such as a goaltender dropping to his knees and what may have been an early form of the slapshot were displayed prior to their use in professional hockey league play.

Canadian rules for ice hockey were gradually adopted overseas. In 1908, the Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace (LIHG) was founded in Paris by four nations including Belgium, France, Great Britain and Switzerland. Bohemia, a region of the present-day Czech Republic, had attended the founding meeting and joined later in the year. The first set of rules were largely inspired by those used in Canadian hockey, and, significantly, mandated the use of a rubber puck, putting an end to the use of balls in hockey in England and the rest of Europe as national federations joined the LIHG. Bandy continued to be played in several countries with a ball, but its popularity declined in comparison to hockey.

In 1911, the National Hockey Association (precursor to the National Hockey League) reduced the number of players to six with other leagues and jurisdictions following suit over approximately a decade. The offside rule was gradually made more permissive and, similarly, bodychecking went from being tolerated to being encouraged. One difference that has persisted over the years is the size of the rink. Those in North America are about 4 m narrower than, but about the same length as, those in Europe and all other countries playing under IIHF rules.

By 1920, Canada had become the dominant power in ice hockey. That year, the first ice hockey world championship was held during the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. It was won by the Winnipeg Falcons who represented Canada, who outscored their opponents in three games by a combined total score of 29–1. Canadian teams dominated Olympic hockey competition for over 30 years, winning six of seven tournaments between 1920 and 1952. They settled for silver in 1936, when Britain won the gold medal with a team largely made up of players who had grown up in Canada. Canada would not win another gold medal in Olympic hockey until 2002, due in large part to the “amateur” rules allowing countries from the Eastern block to send their best players while forbidding Canadian professionals to participate. However, the country has continued to be a powerhouse in international competition and has won the majority of the 12 “best on best” tournaments held between 1976 and 2014.

While it may not be the “birthplace” of the sport, Canada has been the single biggest contributor to ice hockey’s evolution into the popular fast-action sport that it is today.