Ice Hockey History

Ice Hockey is a team sport that is played by two teams in an ice rink where skaters use their shooting sticks to move a rubber puck aiming it at the opponent’s net to score points. This sport is known to involve a lot of body contact between the players with each team consisting of six players each, five onfield players and one goaltender. While Canada is known to be the country where ice hockey has greatly developed, other countries in Europe have also adopted the sport, making it a popular winter sport in a number of European countries. The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) is the body that governs Ice Hockey competitions and activities, and there are currently 76 countries with Ice Hockey federations in the world.

The History

Though the origin of Ice Hockey remains a mystery, many Ice Hockey enthusiasts believe that the game evolved from the traditional field hockey game that is played in Northern Europe. Modern rules of Ice Hockey were, however, written by a Canadian James Creighton back in the year 1875. The first Ice Hockey team played in Montreal, Canada, with Creighton rules being applied in the game. The first Ice Hockey club McGill University Hockey Club was founded in 1877 by McGill University students, who, together with James Creighton, helped write the rules of the game and contribute towards the growth of the game in Canada and to other parts of the world.Today, Ice Hockey has grown to be the most popular ice sports, with Ice Hockey being included as an Olympic event. Women Ice Hockey teams have also come up with Ice Hockey now being recognised as a professional men’s and women’s sport. The first artificial ice rink, which was mechanically refrigerated, was built at Chelsea, London, back in 1876 by John Gamgee.