Hockey
History of Hockey
The game of hockey as we know it today, was developed in Canada. The first official rules of hockey were also Canadian. These rules were published in 1877 in the Montreal Gazette newspaper. But hockey has its roots in a wide variety of similar sports, played long ago in many different countries.
These early versions of hockey had many different names, depending on the country that the player came from. People from England called their version "bandy" or "field hockey", the Irish referred to it as "hurling". To Scots it was "shinty" and to Americans "ice polo". Native Canadians played a game called "baggataway". Canadians called it "shinny".
Read more about the history of hockey.
History of Women's Hockey
Earliest known photograph of women playing hockey, taken at Rideau Hall, Ottawa, circa 1890. Isobel Stanley, Lord Stanley's daughter, is wearing white
Source
London's Wimbledon Skating Club, 1893
Source
You may be surprised to learn that girls and hockey go back over 100 years. Around 1890, Lady Isobel Stanley, daughter of Canada's Governor General at the time, was one of the first females to be photographed playing hockey. She wore a long white dress when she played "shinny" with other ladies on the ice rink beside Government House in Ottawa.
Isobel had visited the Montréal Winter Carnival in 1888 and watched a men's hockey game. She and two of her brothers fell in love with the game and they began playing it themselves. They even convinced their father, Lord Stanley, to donate a trophy for hockey, which became known as the Stanley Cup. Had he realized that women's hockey would become so popular, Lord Stanley probably would have provided a second trophy, perhaps called the Lady Stanley Cup.
Rules of the Game
The world's greatest and most exciting game is easy to follow once you know a few basic rules and practices. Here is a brief guide to the essential ice hockey rules.
The Playing Surface
- The ice sheet is commonly known as the rink.
- The rink is divided into zones by a red line at center ice and two blue lines
- A standard North American rink measures 200 feet by 85 feet.
- European ice surfaces are slightly larger.
- The ice is enclosed by boards and Plexiglas
A standard North American rink measures 200 feet by 85 feet. European ice surfaces are slightly larger.
Continue reading for more detailed explanation of the rules of hockey.