All About Hockey - By Felicia
Most of you know that sports are the LAST thing on my mind. Let’s just say that I prefer sitting at a computer all day, writing articles for CookyLela News. Now, you might think: Me, writing about SPORTS? Yeah, I’ve taken the challenge.
For decades, hockey has been considered as Quebec’s national sport. It’s part of our conversations, is a pastime for many young Canadians and also makes our youngsters dream of becoming professional. Yet, this popular and famous sport started small and worked its way to the top.
Hockey’s Modest Beginning
Hockey originated from many similar sports, played in many different countries. However, it took its basic shape in Canada, and its first rules took shape in Montreal, in 1877. In this time period, people played in natural ice rinks, outdoors. In 1886, amateur hockey teams were reunited in the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada. In the 19th century, it was actually deemed bad to be paid for playing a sport! Luckily, this belief didn’t last very long. In 1917, a professional hockey group, the NHL, was born.
How the NHL Began
The NHL moved forward because of major historic events. After two years, just when World War I came to an end, the world was touched by the Spanish Flu. Many players were too weak and too sick to play, so the finals just had to be cancelled, and the Stanley Cup wasn’t given out. In 1930-1931, the NHL had ten teams, but the Great Depression, from 1929 to 1939, started to have an effect on Canada, bringing on the bankruptcy of many teams. In 1939, when the Great Depression finally came to an end, guess what? Boom! World War II started and many hockey players decided to join the army. When the NHL celebrated its 25th anniversary, in 1942, there were 6 remaining teams that are now considered as the founding NHL teams.
The NHL Grows
As the years passed, some more small teams decided to join the NHL. Pretty soon, the NHL admitted six more teams in 1967. Many people believed that this would only decrease the quality of the game, but the new teams improved every day. In the 1980s, there were 21 teams, then, in 1991, the number was 30. 30 has always been the magic number and this is the NHL we know and love today.
Conflicts
In 1992, the hockey season was shortened because of a work conflict. In 1994-1995, the exact same thing happened, but this time, the conflict lasted longer. Those years, there were only 48 matches instead of the usual 82. In 2004 and 2012-2013, there were also more conflicts.