THE HISTORY OF ICE HOCKEY

The modern game of ice hockey that is played today has evolved from many crude forms of the game played for hundreds of years. While it is impossible to say for certain who invented the game, its roots can be traced back over 300 hundred years to many different cultures, including Europeans, Scandinavians, Asians, and North American Indians, who all engaged in similar athletic activities involving skating on frozen lakes, ponds, rivers, or streams. However, when it comes to the modern game of ice hockey as it is played today, Canada is recognized as its originator.

The modern game is played on a large, smooth sheet of ice with the object being to use a stick to shoot a 3" by 1" rubber puck into the opponents goal. Each team is allowed to use six members during game play, with one of those team members serving as the goalie (the goalie uses his or her stick and body to keep the puck out of the goal). While numerous rules and rule variations exist, this is the basic format of the game.

While the sport became increasingly popular in Canada through the mid to late 1800s, hockey also began to take hold in the northern most states of the US. Minnesota was among the first states to start playing hockey in America, and the small mining town of Eveleth soon after exploded onto the American hockey scene. Over its incredible hockey history, Eveleth has produced its own youth, collegiate, amateur, and professional hockey teams that have competed not only locally within their own state, but also on a national stage. It truly is remarkable how such a small town contributed so much to a sport enjoyed by many people throughout the world.