The History of Hockey
Being
that Canada is the birthplace of the modern game of ice hockey -- its
rules codified in 1877 by five McGill University students -- it is only
fitting that hockey is the country’s official national winter sport.
After its introduction, the game was an immediate success, and in 1880
the first ice hockey club, McGill University Hockey Club, was formed.
Gaining widespread popularity over the next few years, it was even
featured for the first time during Montreal's annual Winter Carnival in
1883.
The advent of the first professional leagues in 1914 would
eventually lead to the creation of the largest premier hockey governing
body, the National Hockey League. Beyond the NHL, there exist many
other tiers of hockey competition, including minor-league and
collegiate-level teams, as well as thousands of local hockey clubs.
After more than 100 years since hockey’s founding, the most
prominent ice hockey nations today are Canada, Czech Republic, Finland,
Russia, Slovakia, Sweden and the United States. However, even though
these seven nations dominate the game in international play, it is
still played and enjoyed by a multitude of fans from nations across the
world regardless of climate or locale.