Ice hockey grew out of older stick-and-ball games played on frozen ponds and rivers in Europe and North America, but the modern, organized sport took shape in Canada in the 19th century. The first recorded organized indoor game was played at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal on March 3, 1875, arranged by James Creighton. From there, Canadian players wrote the early rules, Lord Stanley donated the Stanley Cup in 1892, the international federation now known as the IIHF was founded in 1908, and the National Hockey League formed in 1917. Hockey joined the Olympics in 1920, and women’s hockey was added in 1998. Today the sport is played in dozens of countries at youth, amateur and professional levels.
Early origins
People have played games with sticks and balls on ice for centuries. Dutch paintings from the 1500s and 1600s show skaters with curved sticks, and games such as bandy in England, shinty in Scotland and hurling in Ireland share clear similarities with hockey. When European settlers and soldiers arrived in Canada, they brought these games with them, and Indigenous peoples in the region also played stick-and-ball games. In the long Canadian winters, informal games on frozen lakes and rivers became common. Several places, including Windsor in Nova Scotia, Kingston in Ontario and Montreal, have claimed to be the birthplace of hockey. Historians still debate these claims, largely because early informal games left few records, but most agree that the organized version of the sport developed in Montreal.
Montreal and the first organized game
The game at the Victoria Skating Rink in 1875 is widely treated as the start of organized ice hockey. Creighton, who had moved to Montreal from Nova Scotia, organized the match and used a flat wooden disc instead of a ball, reportedly to keep it from bouncing into spectators. Teams at the time played with more players on the ice than today. Two years later, in 1877, rules associated with McGill University students were published, and they helped standardize the game. Through the 1880s, clubs formed across Montreal and other Canadian cities, and the city hosted winter carnival tournaments that helped spread hockey’s popularity.
Key milestones in hockey history
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1875 | First recorded organized indoor game at Montreal’s Victoria Skating Rink |
| 1877 | Early rules associated with McGill University students published |
| 1892 | Lord Stanley donates the Stanley Cup (first awarded in 1893) |
| 1908 | International federation (LIHG, now the IIHF) founded in Paris |
| 1917 | National Hockey League founded |
| 1920 | Ice hockey debuts at the Olympics in Antwerp |
| 1924 | Hockey included at the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix |
| 1942 to 1967 | NHL’s Original Six era |
| 1967 | NHL doubles from six to twelve teams |
| 1972 | Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union; WHA begins play |
| 1979 | WHA ends and four of its teams join the NHL |
| 1980 | US amateurs beat the Soviet Union at Lake Placid, the Miracle on Ice |
| 1990 | First IIHF Women’s World Championship |
| 1998 | Women’s hockey added to the Olympics; NHL players join the Olympics |
The Stanley Cup
Lord Stanley of Preston, then Governor General of Canada, donated a silver bowl in 1892 as a challenge trophy for Canada’s top amateur team. It was first awarded in 1893 to the Montreal Hockey Club of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association. For its first years, teams challenged the holder for the trophy. As professional hockey grew, the Cup became the prize for professional leagues, and since the 1926 to 1927 season it has been awarded only to the NHL champion. The Stanley Cup is the oldest trophy competed for by professional athletes in North America, and each winning team’s names are engraved on it.
The rise of the NHL
The NHL was founded in November 1917 in Montreal, growing out of the National Hockey Association. Its first seasons featured only a handful of Canadian teams. The Boston Bruins joined in 1924 as the first American team, and US expansion followed quickly. After the Great Depression and World War II reduced the league, the NHL settled into six teams from 1942 to 1967: the Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers and Toronto Maple Leafs. This period is known as the Original Six era. In 1967, the league doubled in size, and further expansion over the following decades brought the NHL to more than 30 teams across the United States and Canada. The rival World Hockey Association operated from 1972 to 1979 before four of its teams joined the NHL.
How the rules and equipment changed
Early hockey looked quite different from the modern game. Teams once played seven players a side, including a position called the rover, before six-player hockey became standard in the early 1900s. Forward passing was restricted in the early decades and was gradually allowed across more of the ice during the 1920s. The center red line was introduced in the 1940s to speed up play, and many years later, in 2005, the NHL removed the two-line pass rule to open up the game again. Equipment changed too. Goalie Jacques Plante helped popularize the goalie mask after wearing one in an NHL game in 1959, and the NHL made helmets mandatory for players entering the league starting in 1979. Sticks moved from single pieces of wood to laminated wood and later to composite materials. Rules continue to be updated, so check the current rulebook of the league you follow for exact details.
International hockey and the Olympics
The Ligue Internationale de Hockey sur Glace, now the International Ice Hockey Federation, was founded in 1908 and organizes world championships. Hockey appeared at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, where Canada won gold, and it has been part of every Winter Olympics since the first in 1924. For decades, Canada and the Soviet Union dominated international play. The 1972 Summit Series, an eight-game series between Canada and the Soviet Union, is remembered as one of the sport’s defining events. At the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, a team of American college players defeated the heavily favored Soviet team in a game known as the Miracle on Ice. NHL players first competed at the Olympics in 1998 in Nagano.
Women’s hockey
Women have played hockey since the late 1800s, with early games recorded in Canada. Women’s hockey grew significantly in the late 20th century. The first IIHF Women’s World Championship took place in 1990, and women’s hockey became an Olympic sport at the 1998 Nagano Games, where the United States won the first gold medal. Canada and the United States have been the dominant teams in international women’s play. Professional women’s leagues have developed as well, including the Professional Women’s Hockey League, which began play in 2024.
How to explore hockey history yourself
- Visit the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, which houses the Stanley Cup and extensive exhibits.
- Read official histories from the NHL, the IIHF and national federations.
- Watch classic games such as the Summit Series and the Miracle on Ice.
- Follow your local team’s history, including past players and championships.
Common misconceptions
- That hockey was invented in one moment. It evolved from many earlier games.
- That the Stanley Cup was always for professionals. It began as an amateur challenge trophy.
- That the NHL started with the Original Six. The league’s founding teams were different, and the six-team era began in 1942.
- That women’s hockey is new. Women have played since the 1800s.
Frequently asked questions
Where was ice hockey invented?
Hockey evolved from older stick-and-ball games, but the modern organized sport developed in Canada, especially Montreal, where the first recorded indoor game was played in 1875.
When was the NHL founded?
The National Hockey League was founded in November 1917 in Montreal.
When did women’s hockey join the Olympics?
Women’s ice hockey was added to the Olympic program at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano, Japan.
