Robert Gordon Orr
Registered User
- Dec 3, 2009
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I made a short timeline of some significant “firsts” in the history of hockey.
This way we’ll have a better overview on what’s been found so far.
Feel free to add new things to the timeline, corrections are also welcome. The cut-off point here is the year 1900. I only want the early stuff. A separate timeline can be made from 1900 and onwards. New things are discovered all the time, and we’re pushing things further back all the time.
1797 - First use of a bung/puck - England
There are many accounts of hockey on ice being played with various type of bungs, some made of wood, some of cork and some of india rubber. The oldest evidence that we have of so far is the great Joseph Le Petit engraving from 1797 (London). Unfortunately the original is trimmed so we don’t know what the name of the engraving is.
1822 - First use of the word hockey (on ice) - England
The word hockey in connection with the game appeared for the first time in 1773 (London), but that was field hockey of course.
The 1527 Galway Statues mentioning “hookie sticks” most likely referred to “hooked sticks”. So what is the earliest found article on hockey being played on the ice? Probably the drowning of Fred Leatherbarrow in St.James’s Park in London, reported in 1822.There are of course earlier instances of bandy or shinty on the ice being mentioned (in England and Scotland).
1827/1858 - First use of referees - England
The information about 1827 came from Richard Brown who was a referee that year, as told to Charles Goodman Tebbutt more than 60 years later. The first contemporary evidence of referees was told by George Frederick Pardon in the 1858 book Games for All Seasons where he described the game on the ice with an umpire calling play.
1827/1871 - First identified goaltender - England
The first identified goalie that we have is John Jackson from Earith who was in goal in 1827. That information however came from interviews of participating players more than 60 years later by Charles Goodman Tebbutt. Another first hand recollection came from an 1894 book written by John Dugdale Astley who vividly recollected how the Prince Consort and Lord Listowel were goalies in a game played 1853. The oldest contemporary note that I have is from a game played in 1871 in Bury Fen where one of the Tebbutt brothers was in goal.
1827/1871 – First identified captain(s) in a game - England
The first known captain was William Leeland in 1827. However that was not a contemporary observation, but we know that for example Glossary of North Country Words, in Use from 1829 described that a game was headed by two captains, so we know through a contemporary source that captains were in use at that time. First known contemporary reference so far is from a game played on January 3, 1871 with William Meadows (Bluntisham) and Christopher Smith Billups (Chatteris) as captains.
1831 – First organized game - England
Organized means that the game was planned ahead of time. The first such game that I am aware of was played on a field of ice in Colne Fen between nine players from Bluntisham and nine players from Colne on February 4, 1831.
1847 - First stick manufacturer - England
The earliest hockey stick manufacturer as far as I’ve been able to find, was John Owen Byles in London who advertised them in Bells Life as early as 1847. These were of course primarily made for field hockey, but no doubt could be used for playing on the ice as well. Conover & Walker, a hardware and sporting goods store on Broadway in lower Manhattan sold “Shinny sticks” as early as 1860, unclear though if they also manufactured them, or only sold them.
1850/1857 – First recorded medical injury - England
In 1857, the Medical Chronicle published a clinical lecture by prominent London surgeon Dr. William Lawrence, who discussed an ice hockey-related injury that he had treated in England seven years earlier. "In the winter of 1850, it appears, the patient was playing on the ice; while engaged in some game, the precise nature of which I do not understand, and termed 'hocky' -- a game, as I learn (and you will correct me if I'm wrong,) where there is hard hitting of a ball, or hard hitting of a hard ball, which struck the side of the leg, or tibia, of this poor young man. He says he did not make anything of it at the time, nor did he interrupt his playing; he even went on in the excitement of the game till he unluckily got a second blow, but this time with the 'hocky' stick, on the identical same spot.”
1868 - First written rules for ice hockey - England
Of course, we are all aware of the rules that were published in The (Montreal) Gazette on February 27, 1877, pretty much verbatim from the 1875 field hockey rules. But in 1868 the Boy’s Own Book listed six rules, saying that “with a party of good skaters, this game affords fine sport, but of course can only be played on a sheet of ice of great extent.”
1870 – First game with rosters and goalscorers - England
The ice hockey game between Spetchley and Worcester on December 27, 1870 is the earliest known game with all players identified (ten aside), as well as the goalscorers. Spetchley won the game 4-3.
1871 – First known assist in a game - England
Neville Goodman (Chatteris) in a game against Bluntisham
1871 – First known hat-trick in a game - England
The ice hockey game between seven aside of Moor Park and Oxfordshire (5-2) on February 2, 1871 is the earliest known game where a player scored a hat-trick. 24-year old Algernon Henry Grosvenor scored three goals in the win. Grosvenor played into his early 50s, playing for Princes ice Hockey Club in the late 1890s. The entire family loved hockey and played the game whenever they could.
1871 - First account of a game being timed - England
A game between Elsham Club and Brigg Club (eight aside) is the first known game where the time of all goals were noted.
1875 - First indoor game - Canada
The late Dartmouth historian, Dr.John P.Martin, wrote that the newspapers did report about indoor hockey games in the new Halifax rink 1863. This has never been substantiated. I know that eight different local Halifax newspapers were checked in order to find any evidence of it, but nothing was found. Montreal on the other hand definitely played indoors 1875, so that is an undisputed fact.
1876 – First use of the word “puck” describing the playing object - Canada
The first time it appeared was in The (Montreal) Gazette on February 7, 1876 in a game between Victoria Skating Club and Montreal Football Club. “a scramble, the puck is away and glides to the feet of two young ladies…”
1876 - First identified skater positions - Canada
Added by Iain Fyffe
The February 7, 1876 edition of the Montreal Gazette describes the Montreal FC team playing four forwards, two half-backs and two backs (plus a goalkeeper). I'm not aware of any earlier references, which would probably have to come from England if there are any.
1880 - First lecture on the sport - England
A Scotsman by the name of Charles Carnegie held a course of lectures in Kirriemuir (Scotland) 1861. One of them titled "Games and Amusements" touched on the game of Lacrosse on skates, even though he called it hockey. The first to hold a lecture and talk about hockey on the ice was Neville Goodman at St.Ives in 1880.
1881 – First specific skate made for the sport - England
The "Standard Hockey Skates" authorized to be used by the National Skating Association were in use in 1881 at the latest. These were manufactured in Sheffield by Colquhoun & Cadman and the Marsden Brothers. These were the first specific ice hockey skates. They had the letters S.H. (Standard Hockey), upon the blade and upon the straps, they also had a symbol of two crossed sticks and a ball.
1883 – First tournament - Canada
The Montreal Winter Carnival in 1883 had the first tournament. It was played on the St.Lawrence river between January 26 and January 27. Three teams participated: Montreal, McGill and Quebec.
1883 – First rules drawn up by a national association - England
The National Skating Association (NSA) adopted a set of rules for the Fens and Metropolitan District. These rules are the earliest known ice hockey rules to have been published by a structured sports organization, pre-dating the Canadian AHAC rules by more than four years.
1886 - First international tournament - USA
Added by Iain Fyffe
When the Montreal winter carnival was cancelled in 1886, two Montreal clubs (AAA and Crystals) traveled to the Burlington, VT carnival to play in a tournament with a local team representing a hotel called Van Ness House. The Vermonters managed no goals and lost both of their games, while the AAA won the title with their victory over Crystals.
1886 – Formation of the first league - Canada
Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) was founded on December 8, 1886 in Montreal.
1891 - First goal nets – USA
Ok, so it was ice polo, but the photos of the Starrs Agricultural School in Connecticut, using nets as early as 1890/91 qualifies in my book. This area obviously needs further research. The Rink Hockey Association (ice hockey) in London had goal nets in their rules as early as March 26, 1897. I know that goal nets were used in Canada within a year or two as well. The earliest use of goal nets in Canada that I am aware of was in early January 1899 (Niagara Falls).
I even think the CAHL adopted nets to their rules that same year.
1896 - First book written on ice hockey - England
The first known book written on ice hockey was A Handbook of Bandy; or Hockey on the Ice, written by Arnold Tebbutt.
It was first published on January 15, 1896 and had 57 pages.
Added by Iain Fyffe
Art Farrell's 1899 work Hockey: Canada's Royal Winter Game is the earliest known work on the subject in Canada.
1899 - First goalie mask - Canada
The earliest instance that I am aware of is from January 1899 when Edgar Hiscock of the Kingston Frontenacs probably used one.
He broke his nose in a game and it was said that he would be forced to wear a baseball mask in future games. It is still unclear if he did, but it is highly probable.
This way we’ll have a better overview on what’s been found so far.
Feel free to add new things to the timeline, corrections are also welcome. The cut-off point here is the year 1900. I only want the early stuff. A separate timeline can be made from 1900 and onwards. New things are discovered all the time, and we’re pushing things further back all the time.
1797 - First use of a bung/puck - England
There are many accounts of hockey on ice being played with various type of bungs, some made of wood, some of cork and some of india rubber. The oldest evidence that we have of so far is the great Joseph Le Petit engraving from 1797 (London). Unfortunately the original is trimmed so we don’t know what the name of the engraving is.
1822 - First use of the word hockey (on ice) - England
The word hockey in connection with the game appeared for the first time in 1773 (London), but that was field hockey of course.
The 1527 Galway Statues mentioning “hookie sticks” most likely referred to “hooked sticks”. So what is the earliest found article on hockey being played on the ice? Probably the drowning of Fred Leatherbarrow in St.James’s Park in London, reported in 1822.There are of course earlier instances of bandy or shinty on the ice being mentioned (in England and Scotland).
1827/1858 - First use of referees - England
The information about 1827 came from Richard Brown who was a referee that year, as told to Charles Goodman Tebbutt more than 60 years later. The first contemporary evidence of referees was told by George Frederick Pardon in the 1858 book Games for All Seasons where he described the game on the ice with an umpire calling play.
1827/1871 - First identified goaltender - England
The first identified goalie that we have is John Jackson from Earith who was in goal in 1827. That information however came from interviews of participating players more than 60 years later by Charles Goodman Tebbutt. Another first hand recollection came from an 1894 book written by John Dugdale Astley who vividly recollected how the Prince Consort and Lord Listowel were goalies in a game played 1853. The oldest contemporary note that I have is from a game played in 1871 in Bury Fen where one of the Tebbutt brothers was in goal.
1827/1871 – First identified captain(s) in a game - England
The first known captain was William Leeland in 1827. However that was not a contemporary observation, but we know that for example Glossary of North Country Words, in Use from 1829 described that a game was headed by two captains, so we know through a contemporary source that captains were in use at that time. First known contemporary reference so far is from a game played on January 3, 1871 with William Meadows (Bluntisham) and Christopher Smith Billups (Chatteris) as captains.
1831 – First organized game - England
Organized means that the game was planned ahead of time. The first such game that I am aware of was played on a field of ice in Colne Fen between nine players from Bluntisham and nine players from Colne on February 4, 1831.
1847 - First stick manufacturer - England
The earliest hockey stick manufacturer as far as I’ve been able to find, was John Owen Byles in London who advertised them in Bells Life as early as 1847. These were of course primarily made for field hockey, but no doubt could be used for playing on the ice as well. Conover & Walker, a hardware and sporting goods store on Broadway in lower Manhattan sold “Shinny sticks” as early as 1860, unclear though if they also manufactured them, or only sold them.
1850/1857 – First recorded medical injury - England
In 1857, the Medical Chronicle published a clinical lecture by prominent London surgeon Dr. William Lawrence, who discussed an ice hockey-related injury that he had treated in England seven years earlier. "In the winter of 1850, it appears, the patient was playing on the ice; while engaged in some game, the precise nature of which I do not understand, and termed 'hocky' -- a game, as I learn (and you will correct me if I'm wrong,) where there is hard hitting of a ball, or hard hitting of a hard ball, which struck the side of the leg, or tibia, of this poor young man. He says he did not make anything of it at the time, nor did he interrupt his playing; he even went on in the excitement of the game till he unluckily got a second blow, but this time with the 'hocky' stick, on the identical same spot.”
1868 - First written rules for ice hockey - England
Of course, we are all aware of the rules that were published in The (Montreal) Gazette on February 27, 1877, pretty much verbatim from the 1875 field hockey rules. But in 1868 the Boy’s Own Book listed six rules, saying that “with a party of good skaters, this game affords fine sport, but of course can only be played on a sheet of ice of great extent.”
1870 – First game with rosters and goalscorers - England
The ice hockey game between Spetchley and Worcester on December 27, 1870 is the earliest known game with all players identified (ten aside), as well as the goalscorers. Spetchley won the game 4-3.
1871 – First known assist in a game - England
Neville Goodman (Chatteris) in a game against Bluntisham
1871 – First known hat-trick in a game - England
The ice hockey game between seven aside of Moor Park and Oxfordshire (5-2) on February 2, 1871 is the earliest known game where a player scored a hat-trick. 24-year old Algernon Henry Grosvenor scored three goals in the win. Grosvenor played into his early 50s, playing for Princes ice Hockey Club in the late 1890s. The entire family loved hockey and played the game whenever they could.
1871 - First account of a game being timed - England
A game between Elsham Club and Brigg Club (eight aside) is the first known game where the time of all goals were noted.
1875 - First indoor game - Canada
The late Dartmouth historian, Dr.John P.Martin, wrote that the newspapers did report about indoor hockey games in the new Halifax rink 1863. This has never been substantiated. I know that eight different local Halifax newspapers were checked in order to find any evidence of it, but nothing was found. Montreal on the other hand definitely played indoors 1875, so that is an undisputed fact.
1876 – First use of the word “puck” describing the playing object - Canada
The first time it appeared was in The (Montreal) Gazette on February 7, 1876 in a game between Victoria Skating Club and Montreal Football Club. “a scramble, the puck is away and glides to the feet of two young ladies…”
1876 - First identified skater positions - Canada
Added by Iain Fyffe
The February 7, 1876 edition of the Montreal Gazette describes the Montreal FC team playing four forwards, two half-backs and two backs (plus a goalkeeper). I'm not aware of any earlier references, which would probably have to come from England if there are any.
1880 - First lecture on the sport - England
A Scotsman by the name of Charles Carnegie held a course of lectures in Kirriemuir (Scotland) 1861. One of them titled "Games and Amusements" touched on the game of Lacrosse on skates, even though he called it hockey. The first to hold a lecture and talk about hockey on the ice was Neville Goodman at St.Ives in 1880.
1881 – First specific skate made for the sport - England
The "Standard Hockey Skates" authorized to be used by the National Skating Association were in use in 1881 at the latest. These were manufactured in Sheffield by Colquhoun & Cadman and the Marsden Brothers. These were the first specific ice hockey skates. They had the letters S.H. (Standard Hockey), upon the blade and upon the straps, they also had a symbol of two crossed sticks and a ball.
1883 – First tournament - Canada
The Montreal Winter Carnival in 1883 had the first tournament. It was played on the St.Lawrence river between January 26 and January 27. Three teams participated: Montreal, McGill and Quebec.
1883 – First rules drawn up by a national association - England
The National Skating Association (NSA) adopted a set of rules for the Fens and Metropolitan District. These rules are the earliest known ice hockey rules to have been published by a structured sports organization, pre-dating the Canadian AHAC rules by more than four years.
1886 - First international tournament - USA
Added by Iain Fyffe
When the Montreal winter carnival was cancelled in 1886, two Montreal clubs (AAA and Crystals) traveled to the Burlington, VT carnival to play in a tournament with a local team representing a hotel called Van Ness House. The Vermonters managed no goals and lost both of their games, while the AAA won the title with their victory over Crystals.
1886 – Formation of the first league - Canada
Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) was founded on December 8, 1886 in Montreal.
1891 - First goal nets – USA
Ok, so it was ice polo, but the photos of the Starrs Agricultural School in Connecticut, using nets as early as 1890/91 qualifies in my book. This area obviously needs further research. The Rink Hockey Association (ice hockey) in London had goal nets in their rules as early as March 26, 1897. I know that goal nets were used in Canada within a year or two as well. The earliest use of goal nets in Canada that I am aware of was in early January 1899 (Niagara Falls).
I even think the CAHL adopted nets to their rules that same year.
1896 - First book written on ice hockey - England
The first known book written on ice hockey was A Handbook of Bandy; or Hockey on the Ice, written by Arnold Tebbutt.
It was first published on January 15, 1896 and had 57 pages.
Added by Iain Fyffe
Art Farrell's 1899 work Hockey: Canada's Royal Winter Game is the earliest known work on the subject in Canada.
1899 - First goalie mask - Canada
The earliest instance that I am aware of is from January 1899 when Edgar Hiscock of the Kingston Frontenacs probably used one.
He broke his nose in a game and it was said that he would be forced to wear a baseball mask in future games. It is still unclear if he did, but it is highly probable.
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