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Modern Ice Hockey is believed to be evoled from the game of field hockey that had originally been played in Northern Europe for centuries. Although the location is still argued over, we do know for sure that the country of Canada is the home of the first modern hockey game.
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The first rules for the game were established by Canadian J.G.A. Creighton. In 1875, the first game of ice hockey with Creighton's rules was played in Montreal, Canada.
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The first artificial ice rink, that was mechanically-refrigerated, was built in 1876, in Chelsea, London, Englan near the King's Road in London by John Gamgee. The rink was named the Glaciarium.
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The first known rules for the game of modern ice hockey are published by the Montreal Gazette.
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The Amateur Hockey Association of Canada was an amateur mens ice hockey league formed in 1886. The league played with the rules of that time and had four teams in Montreal, one in Ottawa and one in Quebec City, Canada.
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The first women's hockey game was played in Ottawa or Barrie, Ontario.
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Frederick Arthur, Lord Stanley of Preston and Governor-General of Canada, donated a trophy to be called the "Stanley Cup" which would be
a challenge cup, held from year to year by the leading hockey club in Canada. The first winning team of the Stanley Cup was a team from Montreal that beat out the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada. -
From 1895-1898, the Montreal Victorias win the Stanley Cup.
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The goal net was introduced to the game of hockey in 1900 soon after the introduction of two goal posts.The Niagara players of the Southern Ontario Hockey Associationhad had, in order to avoid arguments over fair goals, tied a fishing net between the two goal posts to form the first true hockey net and the idea quickly spread.
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The Ottawa Silver Seven win the Stanley Cup in 1904 after tying for it the previous year. After this, they win the cup the next year and tie again in 1906.
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A group of teams in Western Canada form the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. This league introduces several innovations: Blue lines are added to divide the ice into three zones, goaltenders are allowed to fall on the ice to make saves, forward passing is allowed in the neutral zone, and the 60 minute game is divided into three 20 minute periods.
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The number of players allowed on the ice for each team is reduced from seven to six.
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The Toronto Blueshirts from the National Hockey Association win Toronto's first Stanley Cup.
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The National Hockey League (NHL) was formed on a November 22nd, 1917 but, it wasn't until four days later, on November 26th, that five clubs officially joined the league. The Ottawa Senators, the Quebec Bulldogs, the Montreal Canadiens, the Montreal Wanderers, and the Toronto Arenas made up the league at that time.
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The Olympic Summer Games in Antwerp, Belgium hosted the first international ice hockey tournament with North American participation. The games were played on a very small rink and Canada's team the Winnipeg Falcons won the gold.
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Ice Hockey officially joined the Olympics in 1920 but wasn't actually seen there until 1924.
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In the first game played in the United States, the Motreal Maroons loose to the Bostin Bruins by 2-1.
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The first offsides rule was introduced in 1929.
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The NHL season starts in October for the very first time.
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Referees begin using hand signals to indicate penalties and other rulings during the game. Also in 1946, Babe Pratt becomes the first NHL player to get suspended for betting on the games.
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First television debut of "Hockey Night" in Canada.
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The first NHL Player's Association is formed in 1957. Detroit's very own Ted Lindsay was president of the association. Soonafter, the owners crush the organization and the Red Wings trade Lindsay to the last place Chicago Black Hawks.
Also this year, CBS becomes the first U.S. television network to carry NHL games. -
The Boston Bruin's player Willie O'Ree was the first black player in the NHL.
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Fibreglass Canada worked with the Canadiens Goalie Jaques Plante to develop the first-ever hockey goalie mask in 1960.
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The Hockey Hall of Fame opens in Toronto.
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By this time in history, the NHL doubled in size by adding franchises in Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Oakland, St. Louis and Philadelphia.
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The World Hockey Association begins to play, outbidding NHL teams for several star players. Bobby Hull becomes hockey's first million-dollar man when he leaves the Chicago Black Hawks and signs a 10-year, $2.75 million contract with the WHA's Winnipeg Jets. Also, the Atlanta Flames and New York Islanders join the NHL and the Summit Series puts up the best Canadian professionals against the best from the Soviet Union for the first time.
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Starting in 1984, the Soviet Union doesn't lose a game for over four years and sweeps through the Sarajevo Olympics undefeated. They then claim their sixth Olympic gold. Canada makes up for its 1981 defeat by winning this year’s Canada Cup.
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Women's ice hockey became a true Olympic medal sport for the first time at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
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2010:
One of the most dramatic final games in Olympic hockey history occured when Canada beat the USA 3-2 in overtime and Sidney Crosby's goal stole the gold medal for the win on the home ice in Vancouver.
