A Brief Rundown on the History of Hockey

Whether you religiously follow the NHL or simply enjoy an occasional air-hockey game at a local arcade, people have been hitting pucks for as long as you can remember. But how did this sport really develop? Keep reading to find out.

Hockey’s origins date back to ancient times. A primitive variant of the game was played in Egypt 4,000 years ago and in Ethiopia approximately 1,000 BC, according to historical accounts. Numerous museums provide proof that the Romans, Greeks, and Aztecs all played a variation of the game several centuries before Columbus arrived in the New World.
Hockey as we know it now originated in England in the mid-18th century, owing partly to the rise of public institutions such as Eton. In 1876, the first Hockey Association was created in the United Kingdom, and it drafted the first set of written regulations. The initial organization lasted just six years before being resurrected in 1886 by nine founding member clubs.

In 1908, London hosted the first Olympic Hockey Competition for men, with England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales participating individually. The tournament was expanded to six teams with the inclusion of Germany and France.

Following its debut at the London Games, hockey was excluded from the 1912 Stockholm Games when host countries gained authority over ‘optional sports.’ It was reinstated in 1920 in Antwerp after lobbying from Belgian hockey supporters but was dropped again in Paris in 1924. Although the International Hockey Federation was not formed in time for the Paris Olympics, it did allow hockey to re-enter in 1928 in Amsterdam. Since then, hockey has been featured in the schedule, with women’s hockey being included for the first time in 1980 in Moscow.

Paul Léautey formed the Fédération Internationale de Hockey sur Gazon (FIH) in response to hockey’s absence from the 1924 Paris Games. M. Léautey, who eventually became the FIH’s first president, convened a meeting of seven National Federations to establish the sport’s worldwide regulatory body.

Popularized in the late nineteenth century, the women’s game grew rapidly in popularity in several nations. The International Federation of Women’s Hockey Associations was founded in 1927. Following their respective Golden Jubilees in 1974 and 1980, the FIH and IFWHA merged in 1982 to establish the present FIH. By 1965, the FIH had grown to 49 nations and three Continental Associations — Asia, Africa, and Pan America — with 71 members in 1974. The International Hockey Federation now comprises five Continental Associations and 137 National Associations and continues to develop.