Hockey History Notes

Origins of Hockey

The Birth of a Nation's Game

• A winter night experiment in a Montreal skating rink led to the official hockey match, forging a bond between the game and Canada.
• Hockey is portrayed as a game of survival against winter, embodying both life and the season of death.

The Essence of Hockey

• Hockey is described as tough, dangerous, and wonderful, a source of hometown dreams and epic quests.
• It's a story of miners, mill workers, and a stage for anyone to become king, including the struggles and triumphs of women in the sport.
• The speaker notes that in the past women's hockey was not very popular, and recounts that only the Zamboni driver watched their match.
• Hockey's story spans two centuries in a vast country, filled with heroes, victories, and betrayals.
• It's a game that both divides and unites Canadians, deeply ingrained in their culture.

Hockey's Enduring Appeal

• The speaker emphasizes the deep connection people feel with hockey, describing it as being "in their blood."
• Although Canada may face challenges, its association with hockey will remain permanent.
• Hockey belongs to Canadian children and is integral to their lives, representing the story of the nation.

Early Days of the Game

Origins of Sticks

• Early hockey players required good sticks, not umbrella handles, leading them to seek small trees on steep mountain slopes with curved roots.
• These roots, when trimmed and dried, made ideal hockey sticks, marking the passing of seasons and the beginning of winter.

Early Hockey Experiences

• Players took every opportunity to play, skating as hard and as long as possible until exhausted.

Ancient Origins

• The speaker notes that the roots of hockey-like games can be traced back to ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Persia, and Greece.
• A marble relief from ancient Athens depicts two teams with crooked sticks and a ball, resembling a center ice face-off, but without skates.
• The speaker emphasizes the human instinct to play and create games, using the analogy of kicking a rock.

Evolution Through Europe

• As civilizations spread, stick and ball games evolved in Europe and the British Isles, including bandy, hurley, and shinty.
• The addition of skates distinguished hockey from its ancestors.
• By the 1600s, the Dutch perfected metal blades but played a game called Kofen, resembling ice golf.
• The English and Irish adapted hurley to ice, but it wasn't quite hockey yet.

Influence of Indigenous Games

• Immigrants to Nova Scotia encountered native stick and ball games, such as La Crosse (or "little brother of war").
• Aboriginal people viewed sport as a rehearsal for battle, emphasizing winning at all costs.
• Immigrants likely imitated the seriousness of these games, contributing to the rough nature of early hockey.

Development of Hockey

• Hockey evolved rather than being invented, with stories of schoolboys playing it on frozen ponds in Nova Scotia and British soldiers scrimmaging on Lake Ontario in the early 1800s.
• Canada's contribution to hockey is unmistakable.

Innovations and Cultural Impact

Star Skates

• In 1866, the Star Manufacturing Company of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, produced revolutionary skates that clamped firmly to boots with rounded blades.
• Star skates became the gold standard for the next half-century, desired even by Leon Trotsky.

Mi'kmaq Hockey Sticks

• Star also sold hockey sticks handmade by Mi'kmaq carvers from hornbeam trees (ironwood or stink wood).
• These sticks were sold all over the continent for 45¢ a dozen and were considered unique like Stradivarius instruments.
• The speaker compared these sticks to a Stradivarius because each were unique due to the different piece of wood and the nuances of the carver.
• The hockey stick is a metaphor for Canada, rooted in the forest industry and becoming a sporting symbol.

Naming and Early Gameplay

• The name "hockey" may come from the old French word for shepherd's crook or the Iroquois word for tree branch.
• In the mid-1800s, hockey was a wild affair with no set boundaries, time limits, or rules, and the number of players was only limited by the ice size.
• Games resembled scrums or rugby, with players clustering around the puck like Pac-Man.

Formalization of the Game

James Creighton and the McGill Experiment

• James Owen Creighton, born in Halifax in 1850, moved to Montreal to work as an engineer on the Lachine Canal.
• He played rugby for McGill University and saw the potential for a new sport.
• In 1874, he recruited rugby teammates, equipped them with Mi'kmaq sticks and star skates, and established rules, including prohibitions against charging from behind, tripping, collaring, kicking, or shinning, and raising sticks above the shoulder.

The First Indoor Hockey Game

• On March 3, 1875, Creighton organized a game at the Victoria Skating Rink, marking hockey's move indoors.
• The game was squeezed into a space resembling a gladiator ring, with nine players per side and no substitutions.
• They used rugby rules, so they could not pass the puck forward, so stick handling was the primary means of attack.
• Goal posts were eight feet apart, and goalies could not fall or kneel to make saves.

Defining Moment

• While hockey's evolution was gradual, Montreal in March 1875 marked a significant shift in the game's development.

Early Challenges

• The first official hockey game ended early due to a fight, demonstrating the game's capacity to ignite passions.

Boutique Sport

• Eight years later, hockey was still exclusive to English Montreal gentlemen, many from McGill University, with fewer than 100 league players in the country.
• Journalists like Petey Ross were early enthusiasts.
• Wealthy sporting clubs developed the game's rules and played in universities and social clubs, eventually spreading it to the wider population.

Hockey as a Spectacle

Montreal Winter Carnival

• In 1883, the Montreal Winter Carnival provided a showcase for hockey, attracting tourists and media attention.
• PD Ross reported for the Toronto Daily Mail, highlighting the carnival's attractions, including a winter palace made of ice.
• The carnival featured sports like tobogganing, snowshoeing, and curling, with ice hockey as a new spectacle.
• The newspapers had just started printing the sports pages which helped hockey grow in popularity.

Rise in Popularity

• The carnival legitimized hockey as a homegrown product accepted by all levels of society.

Lord Stanley's Influence

• In 1888, Governor General Frederick Stanley became a key patron of hockey after experiencing it at the Montreal Winter Carnival.
• He and his family embraced the game, building a rink at Rideau Hall.
• Stanley's daughter, Isabelle, played on the government house team, while his sons formed the Rideau Rebels, captained by James Creighton.
• The Rideau Rebels promoted hockey, attracting attention and exposure.

Stanley Cup Investment

• In 1892, before returning to England, the Stanley family invested $50 in a cup that any team in the dominion could challenge for.

Growth and Expansion

Rapid Expansion

• By 1895, hockey equipment was readily available, with star skates costing a dollar and Mi'kmaq sticks 25¢.
• Hockey spread across the country, with games played by various groups in different cities.
• Women's teams formed in universities in Quebec and Ontario.
• The completion of the CPR facilitated travel for hockey fans, leading to rivalries between cities and provinces.

Winnipeg Victorias

• The speaker notes that the Winnipeg Victorias had an advantage due to the long winter ice season.
• The Winnipeg Victorias entered the championship, led by athlete Dan Bain, who excelled in various sports and believed in winning.

Stanley Cup Challenge

• In 1896, the Winnipeg Victorias challenged the Montreal Victorias for the Stanley Cup, representing a clash between the West and the East.
• The Manitoba Free Press emphasized the significance of bringing the Stanley Cup to Winnipeg.
• The game took place in the same rink where James Creighton had introduced hockey indoors.

Historic Victory

• The Winnipeg team, wearing scarlet sweaters with a gold bison, played a fast and tough game.
• Goalie Cecil Merritt used white cricket pads for protection.
• Dan Bain led the team in penalty minutes and assisted on a winning goal.
• Winnipeg defeated Montreal, and the Stanley Cup went west, celebrated with a parade in Winnipeg.

The Game Evolves

The Impact of the Victory

• The Winnipeg victory symbolized the rise of the West and its growing influence.

French-Canadian Players

• French Canadian players like Louis Hurtubise and Theophile Vio joined the Montreal Shamrocks in 1902, marking a significant moment for Quebec's hockey culture.
• The Francophone press saw this as a nationalist matter for the honor of their nation.

National Pursuit

• Lord Stanley's trophy united the country in a national pursuit, solidifying hockey as Canada's game.

The Klondike Dream

Joe Boyle and the Dawson City Nuggets

• Joseph Whiteside Boyle, a successful gold miner in the Klondike, became involved in hockey in Dawson City and managed a team.
• He built a world-class indoor rink and challenged the Ottawa Silver Seven for the Stanley Cup in 1904.

The Ottawa Silver Seven

• The Ottawa Silver Seven were considered the best and toughest team, led by Frank McGee, who overcame blindness in one eye to become a star.
• The Silver Seven had defended the Stanley Cup multiple times against other teams.

An Unlikely Challenge

• The Dawson City Nuggets, with no stars and an inexperienced goalie, embarked on a 4,000-mile journey to challenge for the Stanley Cup.
• Joe Boyle, with his wealth and connections, convinced the Stanley Cup trustees to accept the challenge.

Grueling Journey

• The Dawson City Nuggets faced a difficult journey by dog sled, steamer, and train to reach Ottawa.

Crushing Defeat

• Despite arriving as national celebrities, the Nuggets were fatigued and lost the first game 9-2.
• In the second game, Frank McGee scored 14 goals, leading to a humiliating 23-2 defeat.
• The Ottawa newspaper criticized the Dawson City team, but praised the teenage goalie, Albert Forrest.

Legacy

• Despite their loss, the Dawson City Nuggets had their name etched on the Stanley Cup, symbolizing the cup's accessibility to challengers from anywhere in the country.
• The Stanley Cup was a challenge cup, which allowed for teams from all over the country to compete for it.
• The following year, the rules were tightened to exclude unproven challengers.

Maturing of the Sport

Evolution of Hockey

• Thirty years after the first organized game, hockey had become faster, more exciting, and more violent.
• The violence only seemed to have helped grow the popularity.
• The game was becoming a business, drawing large paying crowds.
• Hockey sold newspapers, filled taverns, and fueled betting halls, but players were not fairly compensated, leading to demands for pay.

Professionalism

• Hockey's transition from a leisure activity to a profitable business set the stage for a new breed of player and the rise of professional hockey. The players wanted to get paid because there was money being exchanged all around them and felt it was hypocritical that they were not being paid.