Most Canadians say that ice hockey and soccer are their two favorite sports. But the National Sports of Canada Act recognizes ice hockey and lacrosse as the country’s official national games. In this article, we’ll discuss Ice Hockey as Canada’s national game.
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How Hockey Became Canada’s Official National Sport
Hockey’s unofficial status as Canada’s national pastime was confirmed in 1964. Similar research was conducted on lacrosse, and a bill was introduced to name lacrosse as Canada’s national sport. A number of factors were considered before Canada settled on recognizing two national summer and winter sports.
Events are held indoors and outdoors all year round, despite lacrosse being the official summer sport and ice hockey being the official winter sport in Canada.
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Canada’s Favorite Winter Pastime is Ice Hockey
Hockey on ice is a national pastime in Canada. Though Lacrosse is a popular sport in the country, ice hockey has far more fans. Every high school, college, and institution in the area also has its own junior ice hockey league and ice skating rink.
There is usually a rush to buy tickets to the big games, and the best ice hockey players in the country quickly rise to national hero status. One of Canada’s national pastimes is hockey.
The Origins of Canada’s National Game
When looking back at ice hockey’s history, we find some interesting paradoxes. Although most people attribute hockey’s beginnings to Montreal, there is evidence to suggest the sport actually originated in Ontario or New Scotland.
It is also well-known that games with identical rules, played on ice with the use of clubs, existed long before ice hockey was officially recognized as a distinct sport. Such games were particularly well-liked in the countries of England, Holland, and Scandinavia.
Canada is the birthplace of the traditional form of ice hockey players all over the world, notwithstanding the various debates surrounding the game’s genesis.
The Canadian Passion for Ice Hockey
Once again, there are various accounts, one of which attributes its inception to the game of field hockey in England. When Britain annexed Canada in 1763, British officers visited Halifax and brought the sport they had stolen from the locals back to England.
The locals embraced the new activity and participated in it at a recreational level. Canadian winters have traditionally been severe, therefore the sport of field hockey naturally evolved into a winter version.
Cheese cutters fastened to boots took the place of skates, while a hefty ball stood in for pluck. Each side may have up to 50 players, and the playing area was no bigger than the frozen river or lake used as a rink.
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More About Ice Hockey in Canada
Hockey on ice quickly gained popularity and began to be seen as a national pastime in Canada. Lord Frederic Arthur Stanley, around the turn of the 20th century, created a championship that is now one of the most important trophies in all of the international sports; it is called the Stanley Cup.
Expert teams have been competing for the Stanley Cup since its inception in 1910. Canada officially adopted ice hockey as their national sport in 1917, the same year the National Hockey League was founded.