Men’s Hockey Overview
The history of Ice Hockey can be traced back to ancient Egypt. That sounds crazy, since there is no natural ice in Egypt. However, there are carvings over 4000 years that show teams using curved sticks and balls. In the 19th century, Ice Hockey, a variation of Field Hockey was developed in Canada. The first indoor game was played in Montreal in 1875!
The first interscholastic hockey game in Minneapolis was played during the 1902-1903 school year. In those early years, hockey was at the mercy of the weather. There were a number of times the season was cancelled because the winter was too warm and it was not cold enough to make ice outdoors.
Since the creation of indoor rinks, hockey became less reliant on the weather.
At one time, hockey flourished in Minneapolis. In the 1990’s, hockey began declining in the Minneapolis schools. Schools began combining because of lack of people interested in playing. By 2006-2007, Minneapolis was down to two teams called “East” and “West.” By 2010-2011, there was only one varsity program for the Minneapolis high schools.