The history of ice hockey is far older than most people realize, but the general culture of ice hockey as we know it, most probably starts with soldiers from Great Britain playing a type of field hockey on the ice in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Pucks were first recorded as being used in Ontario at the Kingston Harbor in 1860. The exact persons, place or event that is considered the first Ice Hockey game ever played is a matter of debate and most likely impossible to ever know for sure. However, the one thing people can't argue with is the exact date and place of the very first organized indoor ice hockey match that ever occurred!



March 30, 1875 at Montreal's Victoria Skating Rink. The very first indoor hockey match that was ever played was organized by a man named James Creighton, whom is widely considered by many to be the father of ice hockey as we know it today.

The first organized game of Hokey had nine men per team. The size of the ice was 80ft. x 204ft. Creightons team managed to win the game by a score of 2-1, which is a good thing considering that you probably wouldn't want to lose the very first game of a sport that you created!

Fighting has also been part of the game of Hockey since day one. The wire dispatch from Kingstons Daily British Whig in Montreal reported the following "Shins and heads were battered, benches smashed, and the lady spectators fled in confusion!" Our ice gladiator sport was born!

Competition sports like ice hockey are reminiscent of ancient Rome. Sports have existed in recorded western cultures as early as Egypt; from Egypt to Greece, to Rome, to Northern Europe to Canada to the US, and across the globe; games like hockey have existed in one form or another. But the Gladiators of Rome are what best describe our culture today. A sport of ice gladiators. A game of battle and war, of strategy and tactics, ice hockey comes naturally to those who need to move their muscles in achievement of physical goals.

Ice hockey is about competition, winning, skill and power, the fundamentals. From these Beginnings, Ice Hockey eventually evolved as it's own separate sport starting with the formation of various amateur leagues, which then lead to the eventual creation of the professional leagues of today.

We may not be able to agree between ourselves with absolute certainty on any one particular place or time when ice hockey first appeared in the world, but the culture of Ice Hockey as we know it today is played all over the world seems to be gaining in popularity every year due to the Internationalization of the sport thanks to events such as the Olympics, and the huge influx of European born players now playing in the National Hockey League.