Fun with Maps ISSUE 2025-40

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (March 3, 2025) – In today’s edition of Fun with Maps, we celebrate the return of Steve Kovacs with fresh new FwM and 150 years of the greatest game on ice.

LIGHTING THE LAMP

Today is the 150th anniversary of the first organized ice hockey game.  This is considered to be the beginning of the sport as we know it today.

The game was held at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal.  Two teams of nine players faced off in a particularly Canadian version of other British stick-and-ball games like Scottish shinty and bandy.  The Native American precursor to lacrosse was also an influence.

Amateur leagues formed across Canada in the 1880s, and professional teams were popping up by 1900.  The Stanley Cup became the championship trophy for Canada in 1892 and was later adopted by the National Hockey League.  Ice hockey was introduced as an Olympic sport in 1920 and has become a mainstay and prized spectator ticket since then.

The national winter sport of Canada has become popular all over the world, but there are 6 countries who dominate the play today: Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, Sweden, and the United States.

This map of Quebec is from 1887 by Bradley – created 12 years after that infamous hockey game.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.