Fred Taylor, at age five, lives in Terra, Ontario, next to the Sobel River.
Jack Riggs, a 21-year-old barber and local speed skating champion, gifts Fred his skates.
Fred views Jack Riggs as an important and influential figure in his life.
The early 1900s in Canada are marked by confidence and enterprise.
Urbanization leads to the growth of factories and mass production, making hockey equipment more accessible.
Mail-order catalogs enable wider distribution of hockey equipment, spreading the sport across the country.
Hockey's development mirrors Canada's own growth, with factories producing equipment and mail order making it widely available.
Young players across Canada discover hockey on frozen ponds and rivers, using mail-order equipment.
Fred Taylor hones his skills on the Maitland River, developing speed and strength.
He gains recognition in his mid-teens for his hockey talent.
Taylor's skill is compared to that of Wayne Gretzky due to his vision and scoring ability.
By 1901, Taylor is a key player for the Listowel Mintos.
He works at the Morris Piano Factory to support his family, who are of modest means.
Billy Hewitt, secretary of the Ontario Hockey Association, seeks Taylor for the Toronto Marlboros.
Taylor declines due to his job and attachment to Listowel.
Hewitt blacklists Taylor from playing in Ontario in 1904 as a result.
Copper Country, Michigan experiences a boom due to the demand for copper.
Canadian John "Doc" Gibson, a dentist and hockey player, joins the Portage Lakers.
James R. Dee builds the Amphidrome, the largest enclosed ice rink in America.
Dee establishes a professional hockey league, the International League, in 1902.
Open professionalism.
Doc Gibson recruits Canadian players by offering them pay in Michigan.
Players like Jack Laviolette, Didier Pitre, and Edouard "Newsy" Lalonde join the league.
Lalonde gains fame for scoring an unusual goal.
Fred Taylor is recruited from Ontario after being banned.
Canadian amateur hockey officials are concerned about losing players and revenue to the U.S. league.
John Ross Robertson, a member of parliament, threatens banishment for players joining American teams.
The lure of money entices players to continue joining the American league.
From 1904 to 1907, the pro hockey league in Michigan is very popular, but it declines due to recession and the collapse of the copper market.
The Amphidrome burns down years later.
Pro hockey's genie is out of the bottle.
The Kenora Thistles win the Stanley Cup in 1907, marking the end of small-town teams competing at the highest level.
Professional hockey in the U.S. forces Canadian teams to adopt the "money game".
Ottawa is a working-class town divided along class lines, but hockey unites its residents.
From 1903-1905, Ottawa's Silver Seven are a dominant team.
Ottawa recruits Fred Taylor after the collapse of the Michigan league.
Taylor's contract includes 500 for 10 games and a civil service job, not the highest salary offered.
Taylor's impressive play earns him the nickname "Cyclone" after Governor General Earl Grey witnesses him score four goals.
Taylor meets Thurza Cook, but faces social class obstacles due to his background.
He vows to earn 10,000 before proposing to Thurza.
Senator MJ O'Brien aims to win the Stanley Cup with his Renfrew Creamery Kings but is excluded by big-city owners.
O'Brien's son, Ambrose, and Jimmy Gardner create the National Hockey Association (NHA) after being rejected by the hockey establishment.
O'Brien recruits star players like the Patrick brothers for 5,000 plus expenses.
O'Brien signs Cyclone Taylor for 5,250 for 12 games, more than the Prime Minister's salary.
The Renfrew Creamery Kings become known as the "Millionaires" due to their high payroll.
The NHA aims to create a rivalry, focusing on the French-English dynamic in Montreal.
O'Brien finances a new French Canadian team, Les Canadiens, with 15,000.
The team acquires top French players like Newsy Lalonde, Jack Laviolette, and Didier Pitre.
Initially, the team is disliked in the French community because it was created by the English team, but they eventually win them over.
Joe Patrick sells his company for a reported $1,000,000 and invests in hockey on the West Coast.
His sons, Lester and Frank, plan a new hockey league.
In 1911, they open the Denman Arena and launch the Pacific Coast Hockey Association.
The Patrick brothers recruit players from the East, including Lalonde and Pitre.
Frank Patrick convinces Cyclone Taylor to join by arranging for his civil service job to be transferred to Vancouver.
The Patrick brothers introduce innovations such as jersey numbers, allowing goalies to fall, and the penalty shot.
They introduce the forward pass, it enables a faster-paced game.
They also implement points for assists, line substitutions, farm teams, and a playoff system.
In 1915, Cyclone Taylor leads the Vancouver Millionaires to a Stanley Cup victory.
Taylor marries Thurza Cook after overcoming social class barriers.
Fred Taylor, along with other stars, is inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.