moundhockey.com

Q:

Where did hockey begin?

A:

Until the mid-1980s, it was generally accepted that ice hockey derived from English field hockey and Indian lacrosse and was spread throughout Canada by British soldiers in the mid-1800s. Research then turned up mention of a hockey like game, played in the early 1800s in Nova Scotia by the Micmac Indians, which appeared to have been heavily influenced by the Irish game of hurling; it included the use of a “hurley” (stick) and a square wooden block instead of a ball.

The name hockey–as the organized game came to be known–has been attributed to the French word “hoquet” (shepherd’s stick). The term rink, referring to the designated area of play, was originally used in the game of curling in 18th-century Scotland.

Early hockey games allowed as many as 30 players a side on the ice, and the goals were two stones, each frozen into one end of the ice. The first use of a puck, instead of a ball, was recorded at Kingston Harbour, Ontario, in 1860.

source: Travel International Sports

The term “Hat Trick” is used when one player scores three goals in a single game. A “Natural Hat Trick” occurs when a player scores three goals in a row in the same period, with no opposition goals between. A “Gordy Howe Hat Trick” is when a player has a goal, an assist and a fight during one game.

There are several ideas about the origin of the “Hat Trick”. Dozens of “ideas” exist about the origin of the term, but some of the most often told stories follow:

1. Hockey borrowed the term from Cricket. In 1958, a Cricket player in England took three wickets with consecutive balls, an incredible trick. As a reward, his club gave the bowler a new hat, hence the name “Hat Trick”.

2. In the early days of hockey history, players earned little money from their teams and fans were not allowed to give the players money. Hats were a sign of wealth and power and worn by all respectable men. As a result, the fans gave players hats instead of money. Because of the number of goals scored, it was not possible to give hats after every game, so fans only gave a hat to a player when he accomplished the impressive feat of scoring three goals in one game.

This is a personal favorite, although I doubt it happened this way.

3. When the sport of hockey first began, many aspects of the game were very different than they are today. Players had to knock a puck between two rocks frozen to the ice. The goal judge sat five feet back from the posts and waved a hanky whenever a goal was scored. One windy day, the goal judge had his hanky blow away, so he threw his hat on the ice to get the attention of the players. It just happened to be the third goal in the game for the scoring player. From this point on, fans began throwing hats on the ice after a player scored three goals.

4. “I take my hat off to you.” When a player managed the amazing task of scoring three goals in one game, the fans recognized the achievement by taking their hats off to the player. This evolved into fans throwing their hats on the ice after a “Hat Trick”.