Today, it is known as the sport of Canada. Even with stiff competition at the international level, Canadians still say that ice hockey is a product of their country. But what if it wasn’t? What if researchers were able to provide evidence to the contrary?
Some may argue that the findings are controversial, stretching to find some sort of precedent for Canada’s first claim to the sport. However, as many people wonder where hockey began, evidence points to the United Kingdom as the home of hockey’s earliest roots.
Did Canada Invent Hockey?
While the discussion of who invented hockey usually involves Windsor, Nova Scotia – the first recorded indoor hockey game takes us to Montreal, Quebec, in 1875. But the Canadian controversy does not stop there. In fact, when it comes to where the game started in that country, there is no real consensus.
Jean-Patrice Martel is one of the three co-authors of the book titled The Origins of Hockey – a book we will discuss later. As part of a team that researched the history of the game’s origins, Martel noted that Windsor and Montreal are not alone in claiming hockey as their own when it comes to Canadian cities.
“Everybody wants to know where hockey came from,” said Montrealer, Martel, in an interview with National Post writer Joe O’Connor. (from ‘Why hockey isn’t really our game: Canada’s national sport was born on frozen ponds in England, book reveals,’ National Post, 05/24/2014) “It has been an endless debate in Canada. Windsor, Nova Scotia, even managed to get the Department of Transportation to put up a sign on the highway that says it is the birthplace of hockey. Kingston is said to be the birthplace of hockey. Halifax, Deline – Northwest Territories – all these places call hockey.
Montreal is where the first organized game took place, in 1875
“The people of Montreal say, Montreal is where the first organized game took place, in 1875, so it is the only important day. Everyone in Canada has a hockey claim, and you can find one, two, or three references to support each claim. But then you look at England, and suddenly there are hundreds and hundreds of references to hockey being played across the country – some dating back to the 1790s.”
But for the sake of argument, let’s say Montreal was the first scheduled game. It took place at the Victoria Skating Rink on March 3, 1875, with two teams of nine players each. James Creighton organized the game and became the captain of one of the teams.
Although it is listed as the first organized indoor hockey game in Canada, all signs point to Europe as the birthplace of the popular sport – controversial or not.
Reading aloud The Origins of Hockey
This book is written by three members of the Society for International Hockey Research (SIHR). Along with Martel, a full-time computer analyst, Swedes Carl Giden (doctor) and Patrick Houda (journalist) join Martel in uncovering the truth about who invented hockey.
As mentioned, their research suggests that the first game may date back to the 1790s in Britain.
They discovered that the word – hockey – may have come from the cork they used as a puck. Hocks were used as stoppers in beer casks and at the time, Hock Ale was a popular drink, according to Adam Proteau.
As for the participants, they can be shocking. Charles Darwin is a well-known name in the field of science and evolution, but no one associates the famous scientist with the game of hockey. However, three SIHR researchers found a connection between the two and included King Edward VII and Albert (Prince Consort to Queen Victoria) as two of the game’s first participants.
How does Darwin relate to this?
However, researchers found a letter dated March 1, 1853, from Darwin to his son William. In it, he wrote:
“My Dear Willy… do you have a very nice swimming pool? I loved playing ice hockey on skates.”
Darwin was actually referring to the games he took part in in the 1820s in Shrewsbury, England, east of the Welsh border. Although some may think that “hocky” was a misnomer, it is not. It was the way it was written in 19th century England. In fact, at first it wasn’t called hockey at all. The game of hockey is said to be similar to what was called hurley, hurling, bandy, shinty or shinny – according to SIHR.
So if 1875 Montreal was not the first game of hockey and Darwin’s participation in the 1820s was not the first of its kind, how far back can we trace the game of hurly?
Europeans Are The Answer To Who Invented Hockey
As in Canada, researchers found a number of sports indicators similar to today’s hockey game. In fact, it dates back to the 17th century in Scotland.
But first, let’s start by referring to a play that took place in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1803. The Aberdeen Journal reported on February 9, 1803, that two little boys of about 14 were playing in the snow when the sky opened. The boys fell and unfortunately did not survive.
The play was also mentioned in a painting (which can be seen on the SIHR website) by an artist believed to be Benedictus Antonio Van Assen. This painting is of two young men playing ice hockey from 1796. According to the SIHR, the city of London was hit by a freezing cold in December 1796, which could explain the painting and where it was made.
Also, hockey is referenced in many books between 1780 and 1791, when Admiral Charles Stewart provides one anecdote in the Life of Stephen Decatur, Commodore in the Navy of the United States that reads:
“In the middle of winter, when the glass of the Schuylkill begged the boys to skate over it, no one passed it. [Decatur] fast, prisoner base, and other games of the season.”
Historian George Penny published anecdotes from Perth, Scotland, that spoke of a glittering game played “on the ice in large groups” and “in the streets.” These tales are estimated to have taken place between 1745 and 1809.
But the earliest reference, according to SIHR is a Scottish document from 1607-08. In The Historie of the Kirk of Scotland, published in 1646, a passage about the Great Post in the winter of 1607-08 refers to the game of chamiare, another word for shinty according to the Scottish National Dictionary and SIHR. It reads as follows: “The sea became so strong that it subsided, and the sindrie entered the ships upon ye, and played in the chariot one kilometer from the seashore.”
Irish input
Although not the first reference to the game of hurly, a book on the Great Irish Famine of 1847 by the Reverend John O’Rourke contains material from the Dublin Evening Post dated January 19 and February 2, 1740. The passage reads: “ Gentlemen’s parties they played hurling on the ice of the river Shannon near Portumna.”
With SIHR research to support the similarities between hurling and hockey, former All-Ireland winning hurling manager Ger Loughnane was part of a documentary looking at Irish immigration to Canada, the connection between hurling and hockey and how Celtic culture influences national sports.
The movie is called Poc and Gael and in it, Loughanane takes a trip to Canada to discover the similarities between the two sports. The film’s director Eamonn O Cualain explains that like the two shows, their fans are the same.
“We found out that 250 years ago an Irish school principal in Nova Scotia was practicing hurling at the school…After hurling on the ice it became snow, and a new life began. A new game. Canadians really love ice hockey as much as we love hurling.”
While some would argue that the game of hockey is more Canadian than anything else, the evidence is there for those interested in learning about it. Similarities exist between the European game of hurling or hurling or whatever you want to call it and the game of hockey today.
Regardless of who says it, evidence points to its origins in Europe 200 years before the first recorded hockey game in Canada.
* first published in September. 2017
Sign up for our NHL Substack newsletter
Source link
