Submitted by Brian on Thu, 06/03/2010 - 10:20
The origins of the sport of ice hockey are unclear, but it is pretty certain that it began as an organized sport in Canada in the early to mid-1800s. The first organized indoor game took place in Montreal, in the Victoria Skating Rink, on March 3, 1875. There were nine players on each side, including several students from McGill University. The game lasted one hour and the goals consisted of two goal posts standing 6 feet apart.
The popularity of ice hockey grew rapidly. In 1883 a “world championship” in ice hockey was held at the annual Winter Carnival which takes place in Montreal every year. McGill’s team took the “Carnival Cup” becoming the first ice hockey world champions.
The Governor General of Canada, Lord Stanley of Preston, attended the Montreal Winter Carnival in 1888 and was witness to the ice hockey tournament that took place there, enjoying it very much. Lord Stanley realized in 1892 that there was no recognition of the best hockey team in all of Canada, only championship trophies for the several leagues that had been established. Lord Stanley went out and a decorative bowl to play the part of the trophy. Thus, in 1893 the first bestowing of the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, later known as the Stanley Cup, was awarded to Montreal HC.
