Where did the name hockey come from?

Over the years, hockey has changed from several early versions to its current condition. A history of the events leading to the formation of hockey, specifically ice hockey, is provided in the publication The Beginning of Hockey by Canadian Jean Patrice Martel and Swedish games enthusiasts Carl Giden and Patrick Houda.

Where did the name hockey come from? Hoquet, a twisted shepherd’s hook in French, is the major source of the term hockey. Hoque, a French ball and stick outdoor sport, was introduced to England and occasionally performed on the ice there.

The history of the NHL concentrates on three nations: the US, Scotland, and Ireland. This is not enough information as there is a lot more to read about it. Let’s have a look at the details.

Hockey came from outdoor stick-and-ball games

For many years, there have been known cases of individuals from numerous nations playing a variety of stick-and-ball activities with twisted sticks.

Below is an example of NHL origin:

Egypt: There are photos of Egyptians participating in a game with a ball and a twisted stick that go back hundreds of years.

Ireland: It is claimed that hurling is a sport that is still performed in Ireland and is older than Ireland’s written history. In the arena, players use a puck and a looped stick to participate in the match. By the 1700s, other clubs that involved competitions between locations would emerge. It is still performed today.

Greece: Hockey of any kind is not popular in Greece. Thus, the Athens Archaeology Gallery has paintings on tablets from 510 BC that illustrate a sport similar to hockey called Keretizein origin.

Mongolia: The sport of beikou is comparable to outdoor hockey. This sport has been popular for a millennium. It is translated as “stick with a curled base,” beikou.

Related Post: Who Were The Original Six Hockey Teams In The NHL?

Ball and stick games on the ice 

It must come naturally for them to participate in a game with a stick and a ball. As you can see, teams of varied individuals from every nation on Earth came up with the concept of using a stick to strike a ball on the ground.

But when did they start playing stick and ball on the ice instead on the ground? You can better understand how the game of hockey developed by glancing at this.

J. Alexander Poulton connects the beginnings of the hockey sport to some other ball and sticks league match on the ground. He has explained this one from France in his book Everything About Hockey.

France: A shepherd’s whip or curved stick is referred to as an Hoquet in French. Hoque was a ground sport that was played in France as well. Hoque was introduced to England around 1066 but it was never performed on ice before. Hoque would gradually shift to hockey, which is the name you use today.

England: As late as the 1400s, there are traces of the French game that would gain some traction in England. The terms used to describe them included Hawkey, hawkie, Horkey, hooky, hoky, and hockey. Again, there was no ice yet, but these activities were commonly performed with twisted sticks and a ball at festivals and celebrations.

Dutch: The Dutch were the ones who initially portrayed hockey that was performed on ice. Dutch artworks from the 16th century showed people participating in an ice hockey-like sport. They might say “Hokkie” for the Dutch. As you will see, the term was utilized in a wide variety of ways. So, by the middle of the 1800s, the term “hockey” had come to be utilized for all puck and bending stick activities.

Hockey – ice or field? 

Different pictures will come to their minds when you question someone about what goes to mind when they think about hockey. It is based on where in the country you are living. 

A Canadian child will surely mention ice hockey if you ask them. Thus, a Dutch child will surely mention field hockey if you ask them.

You can read the post: Ice Hockey Vs Field Hockey

In the 1800s, the various forms of hockey, ice, or field began to develop their preferences and regulations. For example, there are countless instances of military men engaging in the sport of ice hockey in the 1800s.

There is a statement from an 1843 entry in a notebook by a British military officer stationed in Kingston, Ontario. It states “Began to skate this year that developed swiftly. I had great pleasure at hockey on ice.”

When was ice hockey invented?

As you know, ice hockey was created in Canada in the late 1800s and early 1900s. In the late 1800s, the Halifax regulations were developed, and this is where hockey originated. 

Thus, Montreal would host the initial matches in a planned way in 1875. Montreal would serve as the focal point for the spread of hockey throughout the remainder of the world. It was hosting the initial competitions and taking part in all of the original league formations. In 1917, the NHL was founded in a Montreal hotel. 

Additionally, Montreal-based clubs have undoubtedly earned the most Stanley Cups in the history of the sport.

Conclusion: Where did the name hockey come from?

Each sport has a start. It is challenging to determine where it all started. So, where the name hockey came from is also a common question asked by many fans. The term hockey originated from the French word Hoquet which was the shepherd’s twisted hook.