Skates: the history of their appearance and the origin of the word “skate.” Why are skates called that? Decorated with a horse head scroll

As a child, I really loved watching figure skating with my parents. And if my mother empathized with the failures of the athletes, full of some specific terms denoting the elements that the skaters performed, then I, a little girl, looked at the costumes of the performing girls with all my eyes. Shiny dresses, just like real princesses, and jumps and take-offs - like magic. The magic of figure skating still lives in that little girl who wakes up in an adult when this sport comes into my field of vision. And, it seems to me that if theater begins with a hanger, then figure skating begins with skates.

How a person first came up with the idea of ​​ice skating is unknown. It is possible that a certain Cimmerian (historians attribute to the representatives of this nomadic people the creation of the prototype of modern skates) went out one day, and in place of the usual surface of water of the river flowing next to the house, he did not see this very surface. Actually, the surface was there, but it changed its structure: it was impossible to swim, and walking was slippery. What should our Cimmerian do? After all, he urgently needed to get to the other side of the river for his nomadic affairs! Why he did not use a method more familiar to him for this purpose - we will never know. Maybe this Cimmerian had the nature of a true inventor? Otherwise, it would not have occurred to him to create the world’s first bone skates to quickly and easily move along the frozen Dnieper estuary.

Bone skates similar to the Cimmerian ones were used much later: skaters moved along the mentioned estuary on them back in the 8th-7th centuries BC, and Europeans skated on approximately the same ones in the 12th century. There is a mention of this in the “Chronicle of the Noble City of London”: its author, monk Stephanius, writes about the skaters like this:

When the large swamp that borders the city ramparts at Moorfield to the north freezes over, whole groups of young people go there. Some, walking as wide as possible, simply glide quickly. Others, more experienced in playing on ice, tie the shin bones of animals to their legs and, holding sticks with sharp tips in their hands, at times push off from the ice with them and rush as fast as a bird in the air or a spear launched from a ballista...

It is difficult to imagine the skill of these “others” who managed to ride on bones. To offer such a means of transportation to modern athletes now - I think, at best, they will twirl the bones with straps in their hands, and at worst, they will simply refuse to pick them up. However, they may be interested in other options: for example, in the North, craftsmen used walrus tusks to make skates, and in China, in the absence of them, they took bamboo for the same purpose. We skated according to the same principle, pushing off the ice with bamboo sticks. The first skaters had access to not only the direct skating technique: they could also move sideways, with slipping. Modern techniques became available only with the advent of steel skates, which did not slide on the ice, but cut it thanks to sharply sharpened edges.

In the 13th century, wood replaced the tibia. A metal strip, pointed on one side, was inserted into a wooden block, and on such a structure they slid along the ice. Only by the 18th century did the skates become completely metal, and their shape was the same as the customer himself desired. Anyone who wanted to ride would draw a rough sketch and bring it to the blacksmith. He assessed the complexity of the work, named the price, and if the customer and the performer were satisfied with each other’s conditions, then soon the future skater would receive the finished product. Hence the difference in the appearance of the skates: made according to individual drawings, they were practically never repeated. Some people preferred the toe of their skate to be smooth and neat, others, on the contrary, wanted to get skates with a dashing spiral, and others, guided by their aesthetic sense, asked to decorate their “transport” in the style of a ship. Most often, miniature horse heads appeared on socks, which decorated the bows of ships. Maybe this is where their modern name came from - “skates”?

The decorations were varied, but the shape, as well as the method of fastening, were standard. Thus, Peter I, having arrived in Europe, not only observed the entertainment of the Europeans, but also wished to join it himself. However, local skaters, having tied the blades to their shoes with a rope while skating, then untied their skates and continued on their way in the same boots or boots. Peter found this very inconvenient and tightly screwed the pair given to him to his shoes. Of course, he is a king - he has any number of pairs of spare boots, any of which you can attach skates to. I rode it to my heart's content and put it away in a dark corner until next winter so that it wouldn't become an eyesore. The Europeans did not appreciate the noble idea of ​​their royal guest, and continued to tie their skates with ropes.

When Peter I returned home, one of his first orders was to organize his own production of skates, which was soon established in Tula factories. The Moscow and St. Petersburg nobility quickly became interested in the new product (I admit that not of their own free will, because after the death of the monarch the hobby lost its popularity, and the show skating to the delight of the innovator was just an attempt to suck up). Soon, on the frozen rivers and lakes, a cheerful noise was heard coming from the townspeople having fun. There is even a memory of how Muscovites, Peter’s contemporaries, embraced European entertainment:

Muscovites diligently learned to skate, and they repeatedly fell and were seriously hurt. And since they, through carelessness, sometimes skated on thin ice, some of them fell neck-deep into the water. Meanwhile, they tolerated the cold well and therefore were in no hurry to put on a dry dress, but continued to ride for some time in a wet one. Then we changed into dry clothes and went for a ride again. They did this so zealously that they made progress, and some of them could skate perfectly...

Maybe the Muscovites’ passion for skating was really just for show, out of fear of angering the hot-tempered ruler, but for the most part they liked the entertainment. Despite its decline after the death of Peter I, a century later Pushkin noted how fun it was to slide along the mirror of standing, flat rivers with sharp iron on your feet. Looking ahead a little, I will say that the “mirror” mentioned by Pushkin was not so smooth, and its unevenness caused skaters a lot of inconvenience, but the first skating rink appeared only in 1842: it was filled by British resident Henry Kirk.

What about Europe? And there - in particular, the Scots were the pioneers - in 1604 the first skating club was opened, the participants of which even organized competitions. Their essence was not just a race over a certain distance: along the way, they also had to jump over three hats placed on the path of the skater and pick up one coin. And, of course, arrive at the finish line first. The prize, with the exception of hats, went to the winner, and therefore the gambling Scots had at least a small, but still financially motivated. The Norwegians went even further: it was there, in 1888, that the first thin blades appeared, thanks to which racing skates could already be called professional. However, in the fight for the title of world champion in speed skating in the classic all-around, which began in 1889, it was not a Norwegian at all, but a descendant of those same Muscovites who not so long ago first started skating - Alexander Panshin. Around the same period, the St. Petersburg Society of Skating Fans was founded.

The 19th century comes with a “gift” for both amateurs and professionals of speed skating: three new models of skates. Both tubular and tubular, but with a blade inserted into the tube, and consisting of two separate parts attached to each other. A prototype of a modern skate appeared, created by the famous American figure skater Jackson Haynes. According to his individual order, craftsmen created skates without any tubes - just a straight thin blade, the end of which was sharply bent. Haynes was so confident in the superiority of his chosen form that he performed in these skates in front of the Russian imperial family. According to the recollections of eyewitnesses who were on February 7, 1865 in the garden of the Tauride Palace, the Romanovs were delighted with the art of the American speed skater, who very naturally depicted all the difficulties of a beginner in this sport, and then explained in detail how the skates invented by Haynes himself would help him. The praise of the crowned family was very flattering. But the name “Haines skates” did not catch on in Russia: in our country this form was dubbed “snow maidens”. They can be seen on any New Year's card, the plot of which develops around the Snow Maiden skating.

And then... then the skates develop rapidly. For several sports in which they are an integral part of the participant’s equipment, their own forms have appeared. For figure skating, for hockey, for running and for ice dancing, and, as an apotheosis - roller skates, for those who do not want to part with their favorite activity even in the hot season.

- shoes with attached blades, intended for walking or sports competitions on ice. Runners are made from various alloys; in past centuries they were made from steel, and even earlier - from animal bones. The blades are either permanently attached to the boot or removable. It’s interesting that there is no one who invented skates, because they were invented back in the Bronze Age.

Who invented skates?

Here we will find out when and where the first skates appeared, in what century. This inventory does not have a specific inventor. The oldest bone product was discovered in 1967 on the coast of the Southern Bug near Odessa. The age of the find is 3200 years. The first mentions of certain devices worn on the legs for walking on ice are found in ancient Greek sources.

According to ancient books, the first bone skates were used by the Cimmerians, a people who lived on the coast of the Dnieper estuary, where the first archaeological finds were found. In parallel, similar structures were used in other parts of the Earth: in Russia, England, China and other parts of the world.

What were the first skates made of?

In Siberia they were made from walrus tusks, and in China - from bamboo. In most regions of the world, wood and animal bones were used, often femur bones due to the length, strength, and characteristic curve of the hip joint at one end.

How were the first skates made from wood and animal bones?

To do this, bone or wood was ground down on one side to form a flat surface for the sole. Holes were made on both sides through which fasteners for shoes were threaded. On the other side of the bone, an oblong notch was often made, into which a flat bone or wood was inserted, acting as a blade.

Such devices did not slide well, so people pushed off with sticks. Bone implements were used until the 13th century, since iron in those days was very expensive, and bone coped with the task perfectly. The transition to iron took place only with the expansion of metalworking.

Mention of bone skates was found in the book “Chronicles of the Noble City of London,” written by Stephanius, a 12th-century monk. He said that when the swamp that washed the northern part of the city rampart near Mufield froze, the child skated on the ice, putting animal thigh bones on his shoes and pushing off with his hands using wooden sticks.

When did the first skates appear?

Now let’s look at who brought skates to Russia? We can be proud that the classic look - steel blades on a boot - appeared thanks to the Russian Emperor Peter I. Before this, the blades were attached either to wooden blocks or to steel tubes, but this was inconvenient for riding. Peter I, with appropriate decisiveness, attached the wooden skates to his boots, nailing them tightly with nails.

He also brought skates to Russia, along with potatoes, fashion for new clothes and balls, shipbuilding and iron casting. By decree of Peter I, the production of skates began in Tula. After the death of the emperor, a reaction set in, and the new fashion was forgotten for some time. Alexander I, who saw Europe during the Napoleonic Wars, succeeded in renewing it.

The rapid growth in the popularity of ice skating began in 1842, when the first skating rink was built. The surface of a river or lake freezes in uneven lumps, as water expands when it freezes, which greatly hinders beginners from mastering the art of ice skating. Since the emergence of smooth surfaces, a sports boom has begun.

In the Russian Empire, a speed skating organization opened in 1864, and already in 1887 the first international speed skating competitions were held, where the famous Russian speed skater and figure skater Alexander Panshin won. After the October Revolution, skating rinks for figure skaters were built throughout the country.

The evolution of racing skates

The history of racing skates begins in the middle of the 19th century. Originally, the steel blade was mounted on a wooden sole and tied to the leg with straps. This design gave some mobility to the boot on the foot, which was a significant drawback. In 1880, the first tubular skates were created. They were attached to the boot at the back and front using four and six screws, respectively.

In 1887, after the victory of Alexander Panshin, his version of skates became popular, where the blade was lengthened and became very narrow, and the front part was slightly bent, while the interfering curl was cut off. The next improvement occurred thanks to the Norwegian H. Hagen, who made a steel tube and inserted an iron runner into it.

Subsequent inventions occurred with the blade material. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, serious development of chemistry began. Alloying of steel was invented, which doubled the strength of the skids. This made it possible to reduce the thickness of the blade and make it lighter.

The last radical change came in 1990, when skates with a drop-down heel were created, attached only to the toe, which made them look like flip-flops. This structure improved gliding and made running easier, since it was no longer necessary to lift the entire structure.

The evolution of figure skates

Performing jumps and complex movements on ice was popular even before figure skating. The first association of amateurs opened in Edinburgh in 1742. The start of classical figure skating was given by the American Haynes, who in the middle of the 19th century first performed a skating dance to music.

The new fashion quickly gained popularity, and in 1871 figure skating became a sport. In 1908, competitions were held in this type of sports at the first Summer Olympic Games. The program included performing difficult jumps, turns and other tricks on ice.

The ideal shape of the blade and boots was gradually found. At this time, the skates became much shorter, since otherwise the partners would interfere with each other. At the same time, the rear part was lengthened, while teeth were made on the runners in front, which made it possible to perform complex numbers while standing on the fingers.

In 1976, ice dancing was added to the list of the Olympic Games, at the same time the USSR figure skaters Lyudmila Pakhomova and Alexander Gorshkov were recognized as winners of the first competitions in the new sport. By this time, the boot of the skates had become much softer.

The evolution of hockey skates

Ice hockey appeared in 1879. However, it did not become popular in Russia by the October Revolution. After the proletariat came to power, athletes began to play hockey with an inflatable rubber ball, but the plastic puck was introduced only in 1946. At that time, the old skates became extremely uncomfortable.

First the blades were shortened, and later they were made much stronger thanks to steel alloying. Later the boot became more stable and more mobile. A fuse appeared at the front end of the runner. The latest innovation is the mobility of the blades, which, when pushed off, lag behind the shoe, and return to the sole using a spring.

The evolution of rollers

Antique roller skates from the mid-18th century have large metal wheels (much larger than a foot) with spokes. The invention did not gain much popularity, as it was practically uncontrollable. The first successful design, made in 1819, consisted of two-runner wheels mounted in pairs. Such antiques can now be seen in the Louvre.

Modern roller skates appeared at the end of the 20th century, when the wheels were placed in one line. Although the device was more difficult to master, it greatly reduced friction. The skating speed instantly increased. In 1995, the last improvement took place - the roller boot became soft.

Did you know?

The blade of the skates is very narrow, which creates extremely high pressure in a small area. Under this pressure, the ice melts, resulting in excellent lubrication, which greatly reduces the coefficient of friction. This makes it easier to glide.

The first blades had a strongly curved toe, which is why the front of the runners resembled a horse's head. That is why the device got its name - skates.

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The oldest reference to the term "horse" is found in the English-Dutch Dictionary. The word “skates” came into international sports from the Russian language. Usually, the front of the runners was decorated with a wooden horse's head. That's what they called it - “skates”.

But of course, skates are not the first device for moving on ice. Through archaeological excavations and ancient literature, scientists have discovered that the first such devices were made from animal bones. By the way, skates are one of the most ancient inventions of man. When there was ice on the ground, ancient people carved skates from wood or bone and attached them to their boots. Residents of Siberia rode on ice on walrus tusks, and the Chinese rode on bamboo trunks. The British Museum displays bone skates that were used for skating almost two thousand years ago. And they were found only in the last century. Only in 1967, on the banks of the Southern Bug River near Odessa, archaeologists unearthed the oldest skates ever found. They belonged to the Cimmerians, who lived in the Northern Black Sea region 3200 years ago.

Ancient skates

The emergence of figure skating

Scientists are delving into the very distant past to search for the first facts of the emergence of figure skating. Most historians believe that the birthplace of figure skating is Holland. After all, it was in this country that the first iron ice skates were created in the 13th - 14th centuries. In the Dutch book “The Life of Lidvina” you can even see what a horse with an iron blade was like. In the engraving depicting a group of skaters near the city wall, we see skates of that time.

"St. Lidvina, who fell on the ice" (1498)

Many people do not agree with the primacy of Holland and believe that it is difficult to name a pioneer, because skating began in different countries at approximately the same time. The creation of a new type of skates made it possible for the development of figure skating as a whole. But at that time it was different from the sport that we know today.

Initially, figure skating was the ability to draw various intricate figures and patterns on the ice, and at the same time try to maintain a beautiful pose. This is what attracted many people in the arts. In particular, the great German writer J. W. Goethe was a passionate fan of skates. Even paintings have been preserved that depict the poet on ice, gliding in an elegant pose. In general, not a single sport that exists to this day is devoted to so many paintings, engravings, drawings and even caricatures as speed skating and figure skating.

Fun on the ice in front of the gates of Saint-Geri in Antwerp (Halle, 1553)

The first rules for skating were first published in England in 1772. English artillery lieutenant Robert Jones wrote a “Treatise on Skating,” which described all the basic patterns known at that time. Since all the required figures were described in Great Britain, it was in this country that the first skating clubs were created and the first rules for competitions in this sport were drawn up

Ice skating in New York's Central Park in winter, in a painting from 1862

Development of figure skating

In 1882, the first international competition in Europe was held in Vienna.

Austrian figure skaters, representatives of the Norwegian school, as well as Swedish, German, English and American schools contributed to the development of figure skating as a sport.

The popularity of figure skating in Europe and Russia, according to historians, became possible thanks to a figure skater from America. American Jackson Haynes (in another transcription Heinz; 1840-1875), a dancer and speed skater, combined both of his skills and got his own style of skating: riding to music, dance movements and “spinning tops” on ice. Skates, attached with straps to shoes, were not could withstand such loads, then Haynes was one of the first to screw them tightly to the boots. However, this style was not accepted in Puritan America, and in the 60s of the 19th century the artist went on tour to Europe.

Jackson Haynes

When the artist toured European skating rinks, he aroused the admiration of skating fans. Historians call him the founder of the modern style of figure skating.

February 1890 was marked by the 25th anniversary of the St. Petersburg Yusupov skating rink and a sports competition was organized. Skaters from Europe and America were invited to this competition. Considering the scale and composition of the participants, this could actually be called the first unofficial world championship. For three days, 8 participants competed to determine the best of them, and in all types of skating the winner was Alexey Pavlovich Lebedev, a talented Russian figure skater.

The success of the completed competition in St. Petersburg accelerated the organization of the first European and world championships, and also greatly contributed to the creation of the International Skating Union (ISU) in 1892

In 1896, for the first time, the International Skating Union announced its intention to hold a world championship. To honor Russia's achievements in this sport, the first official international championship was held in St. Petersburg. Only 4 participants skated their programs on the ice: Austrian G. Hugel, German G. Fuchs and 2 Russian skaters G. Sanders and N. Poduskov. The German won that competition.

Participants of the First World Championship in St. Petersburg, 1896.

At the dawn of the twentieth century, famous and talented skaters tried to invent their own unique and beautiful jumps on ice. Masters such as Salchow, Lutz, Rittberger, Axel Paulsen came up with their own original jumping techniques, which to this day bear names derived from their names and surnames.

In the 1960s - after a half-century break - Russia reappeared on the world stage. Lyudmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov were the first to write their names in the annals of history. However, Soviet books preferred to remain silent about their merits - in 1979 they became “defectors”. Irina Rodnina (with two different partners) became a 10-time world champion and 3-time Olympic champion.

The end of the 20th century passed under the complete dominance of the USSR and Russia in figure skating. In pairs skating, Russia was generally out of competition, receiving gold in all Olympic Games from 1964 to 2006. However, having a huge advantage over the rest in pairs and dance skating and strong men, the USSR never won a single gold medal in women's skating . Kira Ivanova came closest to the coveted title (silver at the World Championships, bronze at the Olympic Games). Already in post-Soviet Russia, the women's world championship was won by Maria Butyrskaya and Irina Slutskaya.

And among men, Alexey Urmanov, Alexey Yagudin and Evgeni Plushenko became Olympic champions, world and European champions.

History of speed skating

Speed ​​skating has a very ancient history. Information about the first Dutch skating races on the frozen canals of the country dates back to the 13th century.

In the middle of the 16th century, ice skating competitions began to be held in the Scandinavian countries.

As a sport, speed skating developed in the second half of the 19th century. In 1867, the first official speed skating competitions were held in Norway, organized by the Christiania Skate Club. This sport became widespread in various European countries; in the 70s of the 19th century, national championships began to be held.

Norwegian speed skaters A. PAULSEN and K. WERNER designed tubular racing skates in 1880. The front and rear metal platforms were screwed to the sole of the boot with six and four screws, respectively. This was a revolution in speed skating.

A great contribution to the development of the shape of skates was made by the Russian speed walker, an employee of the Nikolaev Railway, Alexander Nikitovich Panshin (1863-1904). In 1887, he made elongated skates based on his own model - all-metal, long skates with a narrow blade and a slightly curved toe - the prototype of today's running skates. For many decades, the model of tubular racing skates has not undergone fundamental changes.

Alexander Nikitovich Panshin

In 1889, the first (unofficial) World Speed ​​Skating Championships took place in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Its winner was A.N. Panshin.

In 1892, the International Skating Union ISU was formed. It declared the competitions held in 1889 in Amsterdam professional and held the first official world championship in Amsterdam in 1893, which was won by Jaap Eden from the Netherlands.

Dutch speed skater Jaap Eden on the ice. 1890-1900.

Even in those days, the program of such competitions included four distances that became classics in this sport for many years - 500, 1500, 5000 and 10,000 m. However, the conditions for winning the title of world champion then differed from the rules of classical all-around that were adopted later. Until 1908, in order to receive the title of world champion, you had to win competitions in at least three out of four distances. Due to such rules, no winners of the world championships were identified in 1894, 1902, 1903, 1906 and 1907.

Speed ​​skating competitions were, and are now, held on a closed track consisting of two straight lines and two turns. The classic length of such a track is 400 m. Skaters participating in the competition run in pairs.

Dutch athletes Lijkle Poepjes and B. van derZee at the start of a speed race in Leeuwarden (Netherlands)

Among the strongest in this sport in the first and second decades of the 20th century, the Norwegian Oscar Mathiesen achieved the greatest success. He won the world championships five times - in 1908, 1909, 1912, 1913 and 1914. Twice - in 1910 and 1911 - the Russian speed skater Nikolai Strunnikov became the world champion.

Strunnikov Nikolai Vasiliskovich (1886-1940)

Since 1926, a system was introduced according to which the champion and the holders of all subsequent places were determined by the sum of all-around points awarded to each skater at each of the four distances, depending on the results shown by him.

Since 1936, the world speed skating championships began to be held not only among men, but also among women. Their all-around championship was determined by the sum of points scored by each athlete in competitions at four distances - 500, 1000, 1500 and 3000 m. The first world champion was US speed skater Kitty Klein. Then the Norwegian Laila Shaw-Nielsen, in 1937 and 1938, and the Finnish athlete Verne Lesche, in 1939 and 1947, won the women's world championships.

In 1956, Soviet speed skaters took to the start line of the VII Winter Olympics for the first time and won 7 medals. The first Soviet world champion was Maria Isakova, she won the world championship three times in a row and won three Olympic medals.

Maria Isakova

In 1957, at the XV Women's World Championships, held in Imatra (Finland), Soviet athletes won 13 prizes out of a possible 15.

In the capital of the 1964 Olympics, Innsbruck, Lidia Skoblikova won all four distances, setting world records in three of them, and as of 2010 she is the only 6-time Olympic champion in the history of speed skating.

Lidia Skoblikova

In the mid-1980s, the first fully indoor speed skating rinks appeared.

In 1997, a new type of skates began to be used en masse - clap skates, which made it possible to increase running speeds.

Clap skates

Variants of this type of skate have been known since 1900. In modern competitions, it has been used periodically by various athletes since 1984, but without much success, and was perceived with skepticism, until in the 1996/1997 season the Dutch women's team, competing in this model, beat everyone like a stand-up. Starting next year, all athletes gradually began to switch to “klap” skates. Today, all athletes in all top-level competitions compete only in klap skates. The classic model with a fixed blade is used for running by beginner athletes and at sprint distances.

History of ice hockey

The history of ice hockey is one of the most contested of all sports. Traditionally, Montreal is considered the birthplace of hockey, although more recent studies point to the primacy of Kingston (Ontario) or Windsor (Nova Scotia).

There is evidence that games reminiscent of hockey (more precisely, field hockey) have existed since ancient times. Some believe that such a game originated in Persia, where polo once appeared. According to other sources, the ancient Greeks also had a game reminiscent of hockey, which was even included in the program of the Olympic Games. She was called "Freyninda". In Athens, bas-reliefs of the famous Wall of Themistocles, which is more than 2,400 years old, depict young men playing what closely resembles modern field hockey. A similar game was played in the 16th-17th centuries in England and France. In the 16th century, a game with a ball on ice, “bandy,” appeared in Holland.

Scene on Ice (Henrik Averkamp, ​​early 17th century)

Then, similar games appeared in Scandinavia, where they later transformed into ice hockey in the 19th century. They also knew such a game in China, five and a half centuries ago. The ancient Indians were also fond of hockey matches. Evidence of this is the frescoes exhibited at the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. They depict athletes playing a small ball with curved sticks. Some sources claim that the birth of ice hockey is associated with the life of the Indians of the far north of America, who competed on ice in a game with sticks.

And if you resort to the help of linguists, you can find out that the word “hockey” is of French origin. "Hoke" is the French name for a shepherd's crook with a curved handle.

But despite this, Canada is still considered the birthplace of modern ice hockey.

There are many versions of the origins of hockey in Canada. One of them is that field hockey appeared in Europe first. When Great Britain conquered Canada from France in 1763, English riflemen brought it to Halifax, whose residents became interested in the new game. Since Canadian winters are very harsh and long, winter sports have always been welcomed in this area. By attaching cheese cutters to their boots, English- and French-speaking Canadians played the game on frozen rivers, lakes and other bodies of water. At first they played not with a puck, but with a heavy ball, and the number of teams reached 50 or more players on each side. In Nova Scotia and Virginia, there are old paintings of people playing hockey.

The first formal game was played in 1855 in Kingston, Ontario, by teams drawn from the Royal Canadian Fusiliers of the Imperial Army. And the first official match took place on March 3, 1875 in Montreal at the Victoria skating rink, information about which was recorded in the Montreal newspaper "Montreal Gazette". Each team consisted of nine people. They played with a wooden puck, and their protective equipment was borrowed from baseball. For the first time, hockey goals were installed on the ice.

1st McGill University Hockey Team

In the 1870s. Ice hockey in Canada was a mandatory game for all sports events. In 1877, several students at Montreal's McGill University invented the first seven rules of hockey. In 1879, a rubber washer was proposed for the game. After some time, the game became so popular that in 1883 it was presented at the annual Montreal Winter Carnival. In 1885, the Amateur Hockey Association was founded in Montreal.

Hockey at the McGill University rink, 1884.

The first official rules of the game of ice hockey were published in 1886, which have been preserved as much as possible to this day. According to them, the number of field players was reduced from nine to seven, on the ice there was a goalkeeper, front and back defenders, a center and two forwards, and in front across the entire width of the field there was a rover - the strongest hockey player who was the best at throwing pucks. The team played the entire match with the same lineup, and by the end of the game the athletes were literally crawling on the ice from fatigue, because only the player who was injured was allowed to be replaced (and then in the last period and only with the consent of the opponents). The author of the new code of rules was Canadian R. Smith. In 1886, the first international meeting was held between Canadian and English teams.

In 1890, the province of Ontario held a championship for four teams. Indoor skating rinks with natural ice soon appeared. To prevent it from melting, narrow slits were cut in the walls and roofs to allow cold air to enter. In 1899, the world's first indoor hockey stadium with an artificial ice rink was built in Montreal, designed for an unprecedented number of spectators - 10,000 people. In the same year, the Canadian Amateur Hockey League was founded.

Montreal team won the Stanley Cup in 1894

The game of hockey became so popular that in 1893, the Governor General of Canada, Lord Frederick Arthur Stanley, purchased a cup, similar to an inverted pyramid of silver rings, for 10 guineas to present to the national champion. This is how the legendary trophy appeared - the Stanley Cup. At first, amateurs fought for it, and since 1910, professionals too.

Montreal Victoria team 1896

In 1900, a net appeared on the goal, made for the first time from a fishing net; it made it possible to accurately determine whether a goal had been scored against a team. After this, disputes about scoring a puck, which sometimes led to team fights, stopped, and it became much more convenient for referees and hockey players to monitor goals being scored. Then they began to hang a metal net on the gate. It was durable, but after being hit the puck would fly back and sometimes injure the goalie or a player near the goal. This deficiency was corrected by using a second rope net stretched inside the gate to soften the blow. Today's network combines these two networks. The referee's metal whistle, which stuck to his lips from the cold, was replaced with a bell, and soon, with a plastic whistle. At the same time, a puck throw-in was introduced (previously, the referee used to move the opponents’ sticks towards the puck lying on the ice with his hands and, having blown the whistle, moved to the side so as not to get hit with the stick).

The first professional hockey team was created in Canada in 1904. In the same year, hockey players switched to a new system of play - “six on six”. The standard size of the site was established - 56 x 26 m, which has remained almost unchanged since then. After four seasons, there was a complete division into professionals and amateurs. For the latter, the Allan Cup was established, which has been played since 1908. Its owners subsequently represented Canada at the World Championships.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Europeans became interested in Canadian hockey. The First Congress, held on May 15-16, 1908 in Paris, founded the International Ice Hockey Federation (LIHG), which initially united four countries - France, Great Britain, Switzerland and Belgium. From the birth of the game, until 1903, Europeans played on natural ice. The first artificial ice appeared in London, after which the improvement of skating rinks and the construction of new ones began. And soon Great Britain was able to develop hockey to a professional level, but not for long... The war on hockey, like all other sports, had a great negative impact...

To increase the entertainment and speed of the game, the replacement of athletes was allowed in 1910. In the same year, the National Hockey Association (NHA) arose, the successor of which was the famous National Hockey League (NHL), which appeared in 1917

Hockey match, 1922

In 1911, the LIHG officially adopted the Canadian rules of hockey.

In 1920, the first meeting took place in an official tournament - at the Olympic Games, which were also considered the world championships - between teams from the Old and New Worlds. The Canadians confirmed their fame as the strongest hockey power in the world. Canadians also won at the 1924 and 1928 Olympic tournaments. In 1936, Great Britain won the Olympic title from the Canadians, who had held it for 16 years.
Many innovations belong to the hockey players brothers Patrick - Frank and Lester (the latter became a famous hockey figure). On their initiative, each player was assigned a number, points began to be awarded not only for goals, but also for assists (the “goal + pass” system), hockey players were allowed to pass the puck forward, and goalkeepers were allowed to take their skates off the ice. The game has since started to last three periods of 20 minutes each.

Goalkeepers did not wear masks until 1929, when Clint Benedict, who played for the Canadian club Montreal Maroons, first went on the ice wearing one, but it was not officially approved immediately. In 1934, the free throw - shootout - was legalized. In 1945, multi-colored lights were installed behind the goal to more accurately count goals scored (“red” means a goal, “green” means no goal was scored). In the same year, triple refereeing was introduced: a chief referee and two assistants (linesmen). In 1946, a system of referee gestures for specific violations of the rules was legalized.

In 1952, the USSR was accepted as a member of the International Hockey Federation (IIHF) and from that moment until 1991, the USSR national hockey team was the strongest in the world. She took part in 30 world championships, winning 19 of them. She took part in 9 Winter Olympic hockey tournaments, winning 7 of them. It is the only team in the world that has never returned from the World Championships and Olympic Games without a set of medals.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian national team took over the baton from the USSR national team, which did not have such success as its predecessor. Having performed at 5 Olympic tournaments, the team only once became a silver and bronze medalist, never winning the tournament. Participating in 21 World Championships, they won 4 championship titles and the team was a medalist 4 more times. But in recent years, Russian hockey players have been reviving the glory of Soviet hockey, becoming world champions 3 times over the past 5 years.