Home international passport History of ice hockey. Do you also think that hockey was invented in Canada? Which country is considered the birthplace of ice hockey?

History of ice hockey. Do you also think that hockey was invented in Canada? Which country is considered the birthplace of ice hockey?

Hockeywith washer is a sports team game on ice in which the goal is to throw the puck into the opponent’s goal more times than the opposing team can do in a set time. The puck is passed from player to player across the ice court using special hockey sticks. The team that scores the most goals into the opponent's goal wins.

The International Ice Hockey Federation is an international organization that develops ice hockey and unites national federations.

History of the emergence and development of ice hockey

The debate about where and when hockey appeared continues to this day. Montreal (Canada) is considered to be the official birthplace of modern hockey. Another popular point of view is that hockey originated in Holland. There are paintings by Dutch masters dating back to the 16th century that depict people playing a hockey-like game. But whatever happened in Holland, in Montreal at the Victoria skating rink, on March 3, 1875, the first officially recorded hockey match was played.

Where and when did ice hockey originate?

In Canada in the middle of the 19th century.

Two years later, the first seven rules of the game of hockey were invented. In 1879, the wooden washer was replaced by a rubber alternative. In 1886, improved rules of the game were streamlined and printed:

  • the number of players was reduced to seven;
  • the entire match was played from start to finish by one line-up;
  • Substitutions were allowed only for injured players and after the consent of the opposing team.

The first professional hockey team was created in Canada in 1904. That year the teams were reduced to six players. A standard site size was established - 56 × 26 m, which has changed little since then. Substitutions of players became possible not only due to injuries.

Later, the Patrick brothers introduced a system of assigning a number to each player, a new scoring system, and marking the court into certain zones. In 1945, multi-colored lights were installed behind the goals to more accurately count goals scored.

Ice hockey rules (briefly)

The modern rules of the game of ice hockey define the following important points:

  • An ice hockey match consists of three periods, each period lasting 20 minutes;
  • each period begins with a puck drop and ends with the referee's whistle;
  • the puck is thrown in by the referee;
  • between periods there are 15 minute breaks, which are accompanied by a change of goal;
  • six players can be on the field at the same time, a full hockey team consists of 20-25 people;
  • players are replaced both during pauses and during the game;
  • in hockey, power wrestling is allowed;
  • During a power fight, the following are prohibited: tripping, delaying the opponent, elbowing, as well as attacking a player who does not control the puck;
  • the main time of the game may end in a draw and extra time will be assigned, after which a series of shootouts may follow;
  • For violations, athletes are sent to the penalty box.

Hockey field

The size of hockey rinks varies depending on the rules (NHL or IIHF). According to the IIHF, the dimensions of the site can vary from 56 - 60 meters in length and 26 - 30 meters in width. In the NHL, the dimensions of the court are strictly fixed: 60.96 meters long and 25.90 meters wide. It is believed that a smaller court leads to more colorful play, namely power play, shots on goal and play along the boards.

The corners of the court must be rounded by an arc of a circle with a radius of 7 m to 8.5 m according to the rules of the IIHF and 8.53 m in the NHL.

The site must be fenced with a side with a height of 1.20 - 1.22 meters. On the front sides behind the goal, along the entire width of the field (including curves), a protective glass fence 1.6-2 m high is attached.

The hockey rink is marked as follows:

  • the end lines (goal lines) are drawn at a distance of 3 - 4 meters from the sides;
  • at a distance of 17.23 meters from the goal line, blue zone lines are drawn, thanks to which the court is divided into 3 zones: the central and two zones of the opponents;
  • in the center of the field there is a red line dividing the court in half, and a throw-in point located in the middle of the red line;
  • On both sides of the goal, at a distance of 6 meters, there are throw-in points with a throw-in zone with a radius of 4.5 meters.

There are nine throw-in spots on the hockey rink in total:

  • center point;
  • four final faceoff spots (two in each zone);
  • four faceoff dots in the neutral zone.

The hockey rink is equipped with two benches for fined players.

Ice hockey goal size

Ice hockey goals consist of two posts (vertical posts) that are on the goal line at an equal distance from the sides and connected at the top by a horizontal crossbar. The distance between the bars (width) is 1.83 m, and the distance from the lower edge of the crossbar to the ice surface (height) is 1.22 m. The diameter of the crossbar and both bars is no more than 5 cm.

Hockey equipment

Hockey is a very traumatic sport, so much attention is paid to protective equipment.

Hockey equipment consists of:

  • An ice hockey stick is a sports equipment used by athletes to move the puck around the court. The size of a hockey stick is approximately 150-200 cm.
  • Ice hockey skates are boots with metal blades attached to them. Used to move on ice.
  • Helmet to protect the head.
  • Knee and elbow pads. Knee pads are designed to protect the knee joint and shin of the hockey player, elbow pads to protect the player's elbow joint.
  • The chest piece provides protection to the player's chest and entire back.
  • Gloves protect the player's hands, wrists and lower forearms when hitting the hands with a club or hitting the puck.
  • Mouth guard to prevent dental injury.
  • Hockey shorts are designed to prevent injury to a hockey player during falls, collisions, puck hits and other cases.
  • Throat Guard - A semi-rigid piece of plastic or Kevlar that protects the player's throat, neck (front and back), and collarbones.
  • A sweater is an obligatory part of an ice hockey player's sports equipment, worn over protection.
  • Gaiters.
  • Hockey puck. The maximum recorded speed of a puck in hockey is more than 180 km/h. Hockey puck dimensions: thickness 2.54 cm, diameter 7.62 cm, weight 156-170 g.

The goalkeeper's equipment consists of:

  • Goalie stick.
  • Goalkeeper skates. They have a long, wide blade; plastic impact-resistant external structure; shortened back; special holes in the ridge cup for attaching the shields.
  • Helmet and mask.
  • Throat protection.
  • Bib.
  • Shell to protect the groin area from pucks and other injuries.
  • Hockey shorts.
  • Blocker (Damn) - a wide goalie glove with places for fingers on the inside.
  • A catcher is a glove similar to a baseball catcher, but designed specifically for catching the puck, taking into account the specifics of hockey.
  • Shields.
  • The top uniforms and helmets of players on the same team must be the same color (the goalkeeper is allowed to have a helmet of a different color from the helmets of other players).
  • Washer.

Ice hockey referees

The following referees are present at a hockey match:

  • one or two chief judges;
  • two linesmen.

The duties of the head referee include monitoring violations of the rules and recording goals. Linesmen are responsible for monitoring offsides, puck passes, manpower violations, and conducting puck throw-ins. In addition to the on-ice referees, there is an off-ice refereeing team present at every match.

Hockey leagues

Kontinental Hockey League

Europe

Hockey Champions League

Continental Cup

Spengler Cup

Russia

International Hockey League

Superleague of the Russian Hockey League

Superleague of the Professional Hockey League

Kontinental Hockey League

Elite League

Major League of the Russian Hockey League

Major League of the Professional Hockey League

Major Hockey League

First League

Second League

Russian Hockey League

Youth Hockey League

Youth Hockey League, class "B"

Junior Hockey League

2016-06-30

We tried to cover the topic as completely as possible, so this information can be safely used when preparing messages, reports on physical education and essays on the topic “Ice Hockey”.

Ice hockey is a team game on ice in which two teams compete. Each team has 6 players on the rink: a goalkeeper, two defenders and three forwards. The match consists of three periods, each lasting 20 minutes.

The emergence of hockey

The game's origins originate in Canada, although some 16th-century Dutch paintings show a group of people playing a hockey-like game on ice. Some sources say that it originated in Montreal. And others argue that Ontario is considered the birthplace of hockey. The exact year of the appearance of this sport remains unknown.

In the mid-18th century, the British Empire conquered Canada from France and brought field hockey to the continent, which did not take root due to the cool weather. From time immemorial, Canadians have preferred winter sports. On March 3, 1875, the first hockey match took place in Montreal.

Ice Hockey World Championships

World championships occupy a special place in the history of hockey. The tournament was first held in 1920. The event was organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation. In 1920, 1924 and 1928, the world championship was held only as part of the Olympics, but since 1930 the tournament has become an annual event. The exception was the period from 1940 to 1946, when the Second World War took place.

The World Hockey Championship is held in two stages. Teams first play in the group stage to determine who will advance to the playoff round. A total of 16 national teams are participating in the tournament. They are divided into two groups of 8 teams. Four teams from each group advance to the second stage of the competition.

In a group, the team meets each other once. In the entire history of the Ice Hockey World Championships, the competition regulations have changed only once. This happened in 2007, when it was decided to hold a five-minute overtime before the puck was scored if the main time of the match ended in a draw. If after overtime there is no winner, shootouts are played. Before this, a draw was acceptable.

The playoff round consists of three stages: quarter-finals, semi-finals and the match for 3rd place (final). There is only one meeting at each stage. The match for 3rd place involves teams that lost in the semi-finals. If the score is tied in the final, overtime lasts 20 minutes. If a tie is recorded early in the playoffs, the extra time will last 10 minutes.

World Championship winners before the outbreak of World War II

The first world hockey champion in history was the Canadian team, which beat the United States of America in the 1920 final. Four years later, the same teams became the protagonists of the decisive match and again the Canadians were able to win. In 1928, Canada won its third gold, beating Sweden.

From 1930 to 1932, the wedge leaf team won 3 tournaments in a row, defeating the Germans and twice the Americans in the final matches. In 1933, the US team managed to take revenge on its northern neighbors and won its first gold medals. And for the first time, Canadians failed to become world champions.

Between 1934 and 1939, Team Canada won 5 of 6 tournaments. First, the “red-whites” repaid the debt to the US team, then beat the Swiss. In 1936, Great Britain took the title of world champions from Canada, but the founders of fashion in hockey regained it a season later, defeating those same British in the final.

World Championships between 1947 and 1954

The first post-war world champion in hockey was the Czechoslovakian national team, which beat Sweden at a home tournament. The competition took place in 1947 and became the first championship in the history of hockey in which Canadian hockey players did not play in the finals. The next two finals were played by Canadians and Czechoslovakians. In 1948, representatives of North America won, and in 1949, Europeans won.

In 1950, 1951 and 1952, the only winners were again the Canadians, who beat the USA, Sweden and the USA again respectively. In 1953, the Swedish team won the tournament for the first time, defeating the Germans in the final.

Appearance of the USSR national team at the World Cup

In 1954, one of the most important events in the history of hockey took place. The World Championship was won by the Soviet Union team, defeating the founders of hockey in the final. From that moment on, USSR hockey players began to annually take high places at world championships.

A year later, Soviet athletes took second place, and in 1956 they again became world champions. Since 1957, over the course of three years, the USSR national team became the silver medalist three times, and then at two more world championships the Soviet Union took third place. In those years, the Americans and Canadians became champions. In 1962, the tournament was won by the Swedes, who became three-time world champions.

USSR hegemony

Since 1963, for 9 years, the Soviet Union team won all world championships without exception. During all this time, in the final matches the only opponents of the Soviet team were Swedes and Czechoslovaks. For 9 years, only four teams were on the podium: the USSR, Sweden, Czechoslovakia and Canada. Their North American team won three bronze medals between 1966 and 1968.

In 1972, Czechoslovak hockey players were able to interrupt the hegemony of the Soviet Union by beating them in the final of their home world championship. But they managed to move the USSR from first place only for one year. Already at the 1973 World Cup in Moscow, Soviet hockey players again became world champions. They repeated their achievement in 1974 and 1975, beating the Czechoslovakian national team twice.

After that, Czechoslovakians triumphed at the world championships twice. But since 1978, the USSR has not given world championship gold to anyone for 5 years. From 1985 to 1992, gold medals were won twice by the USSR national team, three times by the Swedes, and once by the hockey players of the Czechoslovak national team.

World Championships of the last 25 years

After the collapse of the USSR, the first World Cup for the Russians was the 1992 tournament, in which they lost at the quarter-final stage. A year later, the Russian team became the world champion, beating Sweden in the final.

A year later, Team Canada was able to win its first gold in 33 years. In 1995, the Finns became champions for the first time. In 1996, as well as from 1999 to 2001, the Czechs won victories at the tournaments. Between their first and second triumphs, Canadians and Swedes were able to win gold medals. In 2002, the Slovaks won the champion title for the first time in their history.

Over the past 15 years, Canadians have won the world championship 5 times, Russians have won the tournament 4 times, Finns and Czechs have celebrated victory once each, and Swedish hockey players have returned home with gold three times. It is the Swedish national team that is the current world hockey champion.

World Cup statistics

The national teams of the Czech Republic/Czechoslovakia and Sweden are the most frequent participants in the tournament in the history of hockey. They took part in 75 championships. Canadians are in second place with 70 visits to the Hockey World Cup. 3-4 places are shared by the US and Finnish teams, who played in 68 championships.

The Russian national team became the world champion in hockey the greatest number of times in the history of the competition (taking into account the performance of the USSR) - 27 first places. The second place is occupied by the Canadian team with 26 gold medals. But the North Americans have more medals overall - 49 versus 46 for Russia (including USSR medals).

World Hockey Championships: history of meetings between the USSR and Canada

The matches between the national teams of Canada and the Soviet Union have become classics not only of world hockey, but of all sports. They met for the first time at the 1954 World Cup in the final match. Soviet hockey players defeated their eminent rivals with a score of 7-2.

In 1972, against the USSR national team, the Canadians fielded a team that consisted only of professional hockey players. It was from this year that irreconcilable hostility began between these hockey teams. Unfortunately, Canada stopped performing well when the Soviet Union began to dominate world hockey. Since 1954, these teams have met in the finals only 5 times. The Canadians won three times and the USSR hockey players enjoyed success twice.

World Hockey Championships: history of meetings between Russia and Canada

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia became the legal successor of the USSR, and the confrontation between the two hockey states moved to a new level. The teams first met on ice at the World Championships in 1992, when the Russians won with a score of 6-4. A year later, the Canadians got even, beating the Russian team with a score of 3-1 in the group, but lost in the semifinals. At the 1994 World Cup, Canada again won, and again the score was 3-1.

In 1995 and 1996, the Russians won the world championships, but after that the next victory for a fan of the Russian national team had to wait until 2008. In 2015, in the final of the world championship held in Prague, the Canadians beat the Russian team in the final with a score of 6-1. At the 2017 World Cup, the “red-whites” met the Russian team at the semi-final stage and beat them 4-2.

Millions of loyal fans from all over the world watch the battles of the best hockey teams with great interest. Famous athletes are real idols for many men and women. Vivid emotions, amazing combinations, and spectacular goals have long been an integral element of competitions. From this article you will learn everything about hockey.


Versions of occurrence

Canadians are considered the founders of the game; it was in the country of the maple leaf that sports matches on ice were popular entertainment. The Dutch also claim the right to call themselves ancestors. Historians have found several ancient paintings by European artists that date back to the 16th century. In these images you can see people playing with sticks on the ice. The big brother of this sport is field hockey with a small ball. It was popular among British military personnel who remained in Canada after the war with the French. The long winter and harsh climate of the northern part of the continent caused the game to be adapted to new weather conditions. Matches began to take place on frozen bodies of water.


Big debut

The modern stage in the history of ice hockey began back in 1875, when local athletes held an official match at a small skating rink in Montreal. Many Canadians wanted to know everything about hockey and find out what it is. Newspaper columns were devoted to the first competitions, fans came to the skating rinks. Each team consisted of approximately 9 people, a wooden disk served as an analogue of a puck, and stones were used as goals. Beginning athletes did not think about protection, they most often used light baseball equipment.



First rules

At first, matches could be played according to different rules, everything depended on specific cases. Several students from the local university in Montreal managed to record a number of laws of the game. 7 simple points became fundamental for the further development of the competition. Soon the first rubber washer was developed, and a couple of years later several teams created a common sports association. The rules gradually became more perfect; they were streamlined and published only in 1886.

The following players were on the field at the same time:

  • 3 forwards.
  • 2 defenders.
  • 1 goalkeeper.
  • 1 rover (a strong athlete who moved all over the court and scored the most goals).
At first, the teams played without substitutions. It was only possible to make adjustments to the lineup due to an injury to one of the athletes.


Stanley Cup

More and more men began to get involved in the newfangled game. Lord Frederick Stanley (the local governor general) acquired a large goblet at the end of the 19th century. The trophy resembled a pyramid, which was made entirely of silver rings. This award was presented annually to the winners of the next tournament. Since 1927, the top players in the National Hockey League have taken home the trophy. Currently this competition is considered the most prestigious in the world.


New rules at the beginning of the 20th century

In the 2000s, many people wanted to know everything about hockey - who invented it and what to do with the puck on the ice. Great spectator interest was the reason that the game was improved at a rapid pace. For the first time, a net appeared on the goal. Thus, almost all disputes about the correctness of the goal were eliminated. A metal whistle turned out to be impractical in the cold Canadian realities; referees used a bell for a long time.

The spectacular performance still had several drawbacks. The players' speeds were still slow, and the athletes tired quickly. After some time, members of the hockey association approved the following innovations:

  • Legalization of replacements.
  • The appearance of numbers on sweaters.
  • Allowing goalkeepers to lift their skates off the ice.
  • The rule that prohibited passing the puck forward has been abolished.
  • The recommended duration of the match has been established (3 periods of 20 minutes each).
At first, the goalkeepers did not even use the usual masks; for the first time, protective equipment appeared on the head of a team member from Montreal, Clint Benedict. Soon, shootouts (penalty kicks for gross violations) were also introduced, and sirens were installed behind the goal.

Construction of arenas



The matches took place mainly in open space. Initially, the hockey rink was an ordinary skating rink; the ice was natural and not always perfectly smooth. After some time, fights began to take place in specially built buildings. When designing the buildings, workers deliberately left small holes in the walls so that the high temperature would not interfere with the competition.

The skating rink with an artificial cooling system was built in the birthplace of ice hockey. Large arenas appeared only in the 1930s of the twentieth century. Canada is not the only country where sports infrastructure has developed. In the American city of Chicago in 1938, a fifteen-thousandth “Palace of Sports” was built, where various fights of international scale were regularly held. Europeans also began to get involved in competitions. The International Federation was founded in May 1908.

The emergence of professional teams and leagues

Many fans ask the question of where professional hockey originated and the rules were invented. A similar team was created in Canada in 1904. During this period of time, the match organizers decided to switch to a new format of the game. Each club had 6 hockey players on the field at the same time, and a standard field size was approved: length - 56 m and width - 26 m. The first leagues appeared exclusively for professional athletes.

It was clear that soon the newfangled sport would conquer the whole world. In 1908, in France, representatives of the athletic elite founded the International Hockey Union, whose members were the British, Belgians, Swiss and French.

Competitions and matches

The intercontinental fight was organized in 1920. The team from Canada coped with the athletes from Great Britain without any problems. The first World Championship was held only in 1992; previously, the strongest team on the planet was determined only within the framework of the Winter Olympic Games. Currently, the best sports representatives of 16 nations compete annually for the title of the most skilled hockey players on the planet.

Basic Rules

Modern hockey is about very fast speeds. The following features of the action can be highlighted:
  1. The hockey ice is tidied up before the start of each game period.
  2. The match consists of three periods of 20 minutes.
  3. Any stoppage of time ends with a throw-in.
  4. Break duration is 15 minutes.
  5. Only 5 field players and a goalkeeper can be on the field, in total the club consists of approximately 25 athletes.
  6. Powerful wrestling is allowed.
  7. Tripping, elbowing an opponent, or trying to restrain an opponent by force is strictly prohibited.
  8. For each violation, the athlete can be removed from the game for several minutes, while his team will be forced to defend in the minority.
The width of the goal is 1.83 meters, and the height is only 1.22 m. The match is closely monitored by the chief referee and his 2 assistants. The hockey rink consists of several zones, which are separated by three blue lines. The field is surrounded on all sides by protective borders. Also on the ice you will find 9 different points where face-offs take place.

Equipment

A special uniform is designed for playing hockey. Beginning players are required to purchase the following items:
  • A stick made of aluminum or wood.
  • Skates.
  • Elbow pads.
  • Helmet.
  • Bib.
  • Groin protection.
  • Special shorts and sweater.
  • Gloves (gaiters) and shields.
Goalkeepers are required to additionally have a mask and a trap. It is very important to purchase high-quality equipment, since it is this that can protect the player from unpleasant injuries and damage. You will find the best deals on winter sports suits in the Stayer online clothing store. All products have an affordable price, and the products will last you for several years.

Modern competitions

The most prestigious championship is the National Hockey League, in which leading teams from the USA and Canada take part. All young athletes dream of one day entering the NHL field to take part in the next Stanley Cup. The KHL is trying to compete with this tournament, within which leading clubs from Russia, Europe and even China compete. Russian hockey has always occupied leading positions in the world rankings. The USSR championship was first held in post-war 1946. Just 10 years later, the country's main team made a triumphant debut at the world championship when it managed to beat the Canadians in the final. Currently, our compatriots are the leading team on the planet, and also annually claim the title of World Champion.
  1. Before the start of each match, the puck is frozen so that it does not bounce around the court.
  2. Dental problems are a common occurrence among hockey players. Many of the athletes lost them right during the fight.
  3. The speed of a rubber projectile sometimes reaches 200 kilometers per hour.
  4. Sports equipment is an integral part of sports. Previously, players played without special protection; many goalkeepers were simply “strewn” with scars. At the moment, you can choose your equipment in one of the popular online stores. Stayer comfort clothing outperforms its competitors in many ways. Overalls and jackets are made from modern, water-wicking synthetic fibers. They store heat well and are ventilated.

Other versions of the game



This type of competition first became popular in the middle of the last century. Which country invented bandy? Initially, the matches took place on the territory of Great Britain, the official match was held on the territory of the Russian Empire. In 1898, St. Petersburg sports fans took part in the competition. At the moment, the team game is taking place on a rectangular site measuring 110 by 65 meters. The main goal is to hit a small ball with a stick into the opponent’s goal. The rules are quite simple and similar to football ones. The winner is determined after two halves of 45 minutes. 11 athletes play on the field at a time, the number of substitutions is not limited. This type of competition is less popular than its “Canadian brother”. In this article we tried to disclose information about the history of hockey and its features. Remember that this is a dangerous sport, so you need to be careful and attentive when on the ice.

You will find out where ice hockey was invented by reading the material in this article.

What is hockey?

Hockey is a sports team game with a puck and sticks, the goal and content of which is to score the ball as many times as possible into the opponent’s goal, using maneuvers of passing the ball or puck between playing partners and individual dribbling. The term “hockey” has English roots “hockey”, or Old French “hoquet”. Translated, it means “shepherd’s crook with a hook.”

Where did hockey originate?

It is believed that hockey appeared in Holland in the 16th century. But scientists claim that even earlier there were games with sticks and a ball on ice. Later, similar outdoor games appeared in Scandinavia and England, subsequently transforming into ice hockey in the 19th century.

Hockey in the modern representation of the sport of puck originated in Canada. The local climate and nature, namely a large number of reservoirs that freeze in winter, and long winters, created excellent conditions for this game. At first, hockey was played with a heavy ball rather than a puck, and the team size on each side could be 50 players or even more.

Since the 1870s, playing with a puck has been mandatory for all sports-themed holidays in Canada. For the first time, the rules of hockey were formed by students from Montreal's McGill University. At that time, the classic hockey goal had not yet been invented. The role of the gate was performed by 2 ordinary posts. They marked the space where the players were supposed to hit the puck during a shot at the goal.

Canadian Robertson formulated the official rules for hockey in 1879 and proposed a rubber puck for the game. The Amateur Hockey Association was founded in Montreal in 1885. A year later, the first official rules of the game were published, authored by R. Smith, a Canadian. They operate almost unchanged today. The changes affected the number of teams - instead of 9 field players in a team, there were 7, and the conditions for the players to be on the field during the game were different - there was a goalkeeper, back and front defenders, two wingers and center forwards and a rover on the ice. The team that entered the field to play was prohibited from changing the composition of the participants until the end of the match. A player could only be replaced in case of injury and only with the consent of the opposing team.

The first international game took place in 1886 between English and Canadian teams. In 1899, the Canadian Amateur Hockey League was founded. The first professional hockey team was created in 1904 in Canada. Hockey came to Europe at the end of the 19th century. In 1914, the NHL, the National Hockey League, was founded. In 1908, countries such as Switzerland, Great Britain, Belgium, France and Bohemia founded the International Ice Hockey Federation.

In 1900, the goal net was invented, in 1929, the goalkeeper was first put on a mask, and in 1945, colored lights were installed behind the goal to accurately count the number of goals scored.

Since 1998, hockey has been included in the Olympic Games program.

We hope that from this article you learned where hockey appeared.

Good afternoon, my dear inquisitive people! Glad to see you on the blog page. Do you love hockey? Maybe you are ardent fans of our team or wouldn’t mind skating with a stick yourself? Winter is ahead, and this means that soon a crowd of children will pour out onto the flooded skating rinks of courtyards and huge stadiums, happily racing the puck on the ice.

Have you ever wondered who invented hockey? And when did this winter sport come into our sports life as an organized game with rules and attributes? Let's look for answers to our questions so that we can talk about this in our next research project.

Lesson plan:

Who started playing first?

The appearance of ice hockey has long been at the center of controversy, no one is ready to give up the palm of parental championship, so in which country and in what year this game appeared - versions of this will probably be circulating for a long time.

According to established tradition, Canada is considered the birthplace of hockey. Undoubtedly, the country of the maple leaf made a huge contribution to the development of this popular winter sport; it was here that hockey was formed as a game. However, many are not ready to consider Canada as the ancestor. And that's why.

Historians say that the origins of hockey go back to the times of ancient Hellas, when they kicked the ball on the grass. A similar game was depicted on the walls at the birthplace of the Olympic Games in Athens.

Something resembling modern hockey existed in Ancient China 4500 years ago. Indians from the American continent were also not averse to passing the ball to each other in their free time using curved sticks, as evidenced by frescoes with drawings that have survived to this day.

The Dutch are ready to call themselves the birthplace of hockey, as some of their paintings dating back to the 16th century depict people skating and playing on the ice of river canals.

They also have an 18th-century engraving in their collection, in which a nobleman is frozen on skates, and in his hands he holds a stick similar to the modern one used by hockey players.

Many argue that similar ice games appeared in both England and Scandinavia by the 18th century. So, after Britain conquered Canada in the country of the maple leaf, many began to observe soldiers who attached cheese knives to their shoes and kicked a wooden ball along frozen rivers and lakes. Sometimes the ball was replaced with ordinary stones.

The archive of Canadian court documents from 1847 contains complaints from Montreal residents about the actions of young people who “chased flat stones with sticks” at a public skating rink. This is the first documentary evidence of the birth of hockey.

The ice squad is waging a harsh battle,

We believe in the courage of desperate guys.

Real men play hockey.

Coward does not play hockey.

They started playing hockey: what next?

As is now clear, ordinary amateurs in Canada began to actively play the game on ice in the mid-19th century. What happened next? How did hockey move from frozen reservoirs to huge ice arenas and grow into a professional sport? A small marathon over the years.


There was another problem with that old hockey. Have you ever stuck to iron in the cold? I do not recommend, it hurts a lot. And the referee’s whistle in hockey at that time was made of metal! So he, poor thing, stuck his lips with every violation or goal scored. The referee's torment ended with the replacement of the iron assistant with a bell, and only then they made a plastic whistle.

By the way, by this year the first artificial ice rink had already been built in Montreal for playing hockey.


This is interesting! The referees did not throw the puck in at first, but placed it on the ice; as a result, impatient players often hit them in the hands with their sticks. Only in 1914 did the rules change, making the traumatic work of arbitrators easier.

How did the puck come about?

Did you know that the familiar hockey puck owes its appearance on the ice to an ordinary ball? At first, the wooden ball was an attribute of playing field hockey, then it gradually switched to playing on ice, but was soon replaced by a wooden disc. But wood is an inelastic material and impractical for these purposes.

In 1879, the round bulges were cut off from the rubber ball, and since then the hockey puck has had a rubber base and a flat shape.

The very first shells did not have clear dimensions and weight requirements. Only later, through trial and error, did those characteristics of the hockey puck appear that it corresponds to today. The main material used for it is rubber or plastic, which can withstand the pressure of the game and excessive loads.

So that the puck is visible to hockey players during the game, soot is used in its manufacture. But it turns out that it comes in different colors. We are all used to seeing the projectile as black. However, during training the following can be used:


Colored ones are understandable, they are still visible on the ice, but why are white ones needed? It's simple: they are intended exclusively for training goalkeepers in order to increase their concentration.

This is interesting! A standard sports equipment should be 2.54 cm thick, 7.62 cm in diameter, and can weigh from 150 to 170 grams. Of course, there are lighter and heavier shells. And before the game, the puck is frozen so that it does not bounce around on the ice like a spring. By the way, the speed of a puck launched from a stick reaches 160 km/h or more.

How did the hockey uniform come about?

Once the puck appeared, we sorted it out. How did hockey players come to the form in which they represent their teams today? After all, as we said earlier, in the first match they “borrowed” uniforms from baseball.

At first, Canadian hockey players wore ordinary knitted sweaters for matches, which differed only in color.

Over time, each team tried to be remembered not only for its game, but also for its appearance. To do this, they began to come up with and apply different emblems so that the players would be “recognized by sight”; their numbers and surnames would be written on their backs.

And the material from which the uniforms for hockey players were made has changed. Today it is a well-known polyester that is breathable, lightweight and durable at the same time.

Each hockey team has at least two sets of uniforms - home and away. As a rule, a home suit is chosen in dark colors, but when going out, like on a holiday, wear a light uniform.

This is interesting! Professional hockey players are superstitious: many of them do not shave before playing. This tradition was introduced by the Americans from New York, who, being unkempt and unshaven, won 4 Stanley Cups in a row in 1980. They began to believe in such a lucky sign, but it doesn’t always help...

Well, we have our own signs on the blog! For example, such

If you prepare well for the lesson, you will definitely get an A!

And yes, I almost forgot, would you like to decorate the defense of your project about the invention of hockey with the release of the film magazine “Yeralash”? I think this will make your classmates very happy, and the teacher will also be interested)

That's all for today!

Success in your studies

Evgenia Klimkovich.

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