The History of Ice Hockey
It is believed that the game of hockey originated in England, but ball and stick games go back in time
all the way to Egypt and Greece. Paintings from the Netherlands depict images of the Dutch playing
a version of golf on ice in the 1600s, and there is record of men playing hurling on ice in Scottland in
1642. The Indigenous peoples also had a game of their own, lacrosse, that they too played on ice.
The popularity of the game in England started with hurling, bandy and shinty, which were all ball
and stick games. Hurley was quite popular, and most of us know hurley as field hockey. The games
grew in popularity in England and were used to pass time, and it is believed that soldiers brought
the game to Canada.
After the game of hockey was brought to Canada, there were some major developments made. This
is one of the main reasons that hockey is called Canada’s sport! In 1872, James Creighton moved to
Montreal and decided to bring the game of hockey with him. He brought hockey sticks and skates,
and made friends once in Montreal. The group began to practice playing hockey inside an indoor
rink, and using a flat, circular piece of wood as what would later be called a puck. After practicing
with his friends, Creighton decided to organize the first documented game of hockey in Canada. The
game took place in Montreal on March 3rd 1875 and the “Halifax Rules” were used to play the
game.
Hockey began to take the world by storm, Universities were creating teams and kids were learning
to play in their local arenas. Eventually, leagues were created and teams were formed. The Stanley
Hockey Championship Cup was created in 1893, and is now known by many as the Stanley Cup.
References: We found this information from the following websites, check them out for
more details!
http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/icehockeyhistory.html
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/origins-of-ice-hockey
Table Top Hockey Craft
Materials:
1 aluminum foil container
Water
1 piece of paper fitted inside the container
2 pipe cleaners
2 wooden table spoons
1 black button
Thin red tap
1 medium size blue circle sticker
1 small size blue circle sticker
Scissors
Instructions:
1. Take a piece of paper that fits your container. Mark the middle and goal lines with the red tape. Then
cut the larger blue sticker in half to mark the goals and place the small sticker at the center of the
rink.
2. Place the paper in the container and add water until the paper is under an inch of water. Place the
container flat in the freezer.
3. Next make the goals, twist each pipe cleaner together to form a square. Fold the squares in half at a
90 degree angle and your goals are ready to shoot on! The wooden spoons are your hockey sticks and
the button is your puck. Decorate you hockey sticks however you like.
4. Now your ready to play a hockey game! Don’t forget to keep track of your goals!
Tips:
-You can use plastic or metal spoons
-You can use other decrotive items instead of the red tape and stickers. You can substitute, water resistant
markers, construction paper, yarn, etc.
Reference: We found this craft from the blog Handmade Charlotte who posted the activity created by Natalie
Kramer. Here is the URL: https://www.handmadecharlotte.com/diy-tabletop-ice-hockey/
Target Practice
Materials:
Paper plates
Markers
Net
Puck or Ball
A hockey stick or mini stick
Instructions:
1)Create a target board using cardboard and markers or cardboard and construction paper.
2)Place a target board inside the net area. Have kids stand behind a designated line and shoot for the net.
Players score points according to where puck lands in the target. You can draw your variation of a round,
bullseye-style target or just go with a series of lines with graduating point values per distance, kind of like
the game of shuffleboard.
Tips:
-No Net? No problem, you can always set up the targets along a fence or have them free standing in the
grass.
-Worried about you fence? Use a softer ball (ex. Foam or tennis ball)
-Get creative with your resources to make the targets
Reference: We found this craft from the blog The spruce written by Christine Gauvreau. Here is the URL:
https://www.thespruce.com/hockey-birthday-party-games-2104222
http://www.getcoloringpages.com/coloring/73605
