Hockey wasn't invented by on specific person or group. However, it is generally accepted that Scottish settlers were the first to play it in Nova Scotia in the late 1700s. At this time there was mass migration to Canada of people from the Highlands of Scotland who imported many of their traditions, culture and pastimes. Ice Hockey became a Winter version of a game known as Shinty which has been played in the Highlands of Scotland for centuries. There are many similarities, most notably the stick or caman. The word 'puck' is also derived from old Scots, meaning to hit. There is also an unofficial game still played in Canada which is known as Shinny, a name derived from Shinty. There is also a claim that Hockey is a relation of Hurling which started in Ireland as the sport of Hurley.
However, the connections are tenuous as mass emigration to Canada form Ireland did not occur until the mid to late nineteenth century. The equipment also differs considerably. Of course, there are other stories.Some say the MicMac indians played a form of hockey in Nova Scotia when the Europeans arrived. In Windsor, Nova Scotia, there is a school called Kings View Academy. A teacher there supposedly took his students out to the pond behind their school and asked them to make up a sport. The game they played became hockey.Another interesting story says that ice hockey was first played in 1885 by British soldiers stationed in Canada. Guards who were guarding the Parliament building in Canada used to sneak off to a nearby field and play ice hockey. Some say they started by whacking rocks with a stick to stay warm.
Two towns claim that the first game of hockey was played there. The first is Kingston, Ontario, and the second is a small town in New Brunswick, both of which are in Canada. It is generally accepted that the current rules for hockey evolved from students at McGill University in Montreal ("the McGill Rules") in 1875. Around 1920 the NHL was formed by Canada. It grew. Rules evolved. For example in the 1920's you were aloud to pass forward.
