History of Hockey Part 1: Before the NHL

With the Seattle Kraken joining the NHL there are a lot of new fans joining as well. knowing the history of hockey can help bring context and appreciation for what is happening today. I never liked history class, but when its about something actually fun its not so bad! I couldn't fit the entire history of hockey into one video (although I might try again at some point) so here is part 1, hockey before the NHL! From just people with sticks skating on rivers to organized leagues to the PCHA vs NHA all the way to the NHL. There are rich men acting like children, a pandemic and 1 amazing sport.
More on the 1917 Stanley cup:
• 1917 Seattle Metropoli...
More on the 1919 Stanley cup and Pandemic:
• The 1919 Stanley Cup F...
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[@jeffreyirabernstein]

Great series! As an avid Hockey fan since 1969, and someone who unlike the present NHL Commissioner has read many, many books on the game, I found this synopsis very valuable for those out there with limited knowledge on the History of the NHL. In a time when Garry Bettman is trying his best to make pro Hockey an Amercian sport instead of the Canadian game that it really is, it is very important to know the History of how it started. BTW, a series on the History of the game in Europe would also be a welcome contribution.

[@TheDroc1990]

How does this very high quality video not have more views??? Good work!

[@howtube7634]

GREAT VIDEO!! So Much Historical Information! Keep it up!

[@C-mac_in_the_6ix]

This was very well done. As Canadian and die hard Leafs fan, I've never really taken the time to look into the history of pre-original six. This was great. Thank you.

[@CheapSeatsSports]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@notapplicable531]

Sadly, very few do. So many hockey fans are fixated on the game as it is today, not caring about its roots and history.

[@GoYouDeepSeaMonsters]

Grateful for this excellent video.

[@hypolith9833]

It's so great to hear about antique hockey lore. Especially gratifying to hear that Portland and Seattle played a role. Love the rest of your videos too, keep up the good work. And go Kraken d(o_o

[@karmavores]

Awesome video. But should be noted hockey began in Nova Scotia. McGill’s first hockey team wore Starr hockey skates made in Dartmouth, NS

[@edpz85]

Cheap Seats Sports, Great way to explain the how Lord Stanley's came to be brother keep it it up !

[@alau5643]

Great listen hockey is sick seems like almost every sport is just running back & forth trying to get a ball into a goal but hockey takes it to the EXTREME 💪💪

[@RumAndWhiskey]

Meanwhile, in the southern hemisphere... Canadians who came with the gold rush brought the concept of ice hockey to Australia. First game was played in 1906 and the AIHL was established in 1908, so we have one of the oldest hockey leagues on the planet.

[@CheapSeatsSports]

I actually didn't know it was that old. I am going to do an episode on hockey outside north American eventually

[@RumAndWhiskey]

@@CheapSeatsSports ok, well if you do decide to look into our league I should warn you: we really, really suck.

[@sweiland75]

"Los Canadians" I didn't know they were Spanish!

[@notapplicable531]

Well, half Spanish, half English. "Canadians" is English. "Canadiens" is French. The correct form is "Les Canadiens" with the "s" silent in both words.

[@markmatthews7202]

Joe Hall, Staffordshires (My home county in England) only ever NHL player.

[@mckennalynn1916]

Super cool thank you! I am new to hockey! My fav team is the Panthers!

[@CheapSeatsSports]

Good time to be a Panthers fan

[@mckennalynn1916]

@@CheapSeatsSports yeah this play off with the Oilers is gonna be amazing!

[@kielross572]

Good video but the first paid professional hockey players came in 1904 and that team was the portage lake lakers in houghton Michigan making them the first ever professional hockey team

[@theGDmenace13]

But the content man keep up their work

[@kjwinston77]

good Seattle history. Now, lets talk about who will be coach of Seattle. Lots of good choices now. Who is your chose and show their history. Get Kraken!

[@CheapSeatsSports]

There will be a video coming, I want to wait until we hit the off season and see what the coaching situation looks like after the inevitable coaching changes in the early off season

[@CheapSeatsSports]

On Second thought, I'm going to do it soon, because that is when I want the Kraken to make their decision.

[@sampicano]

NHL 94 (Genesis) Intro Theme

[@patrickedinger8592]

Nice Metropolitans/Sockeyes(?) sweater, mate!

[@CheapSeatsSports]

Metropolitans and thanks!

[@DevilFish69]

I was a huge Renfrew Creamery Kings fan. They used to call us Cream-Heads.

[@CheapSeatsSports]

Nice haha

[@kalyptro123]

Great video but the Spanish flu did not come from Europe. US soldiers brought flu there from Kansas.

[@CheapSeatsSports]

Originally yes it did start in the US, but a number of them got sick over there and brought it back. There was a spike in North America as soldiers returned.

[@SSSSoulSkater]

So… honest question… How/when we’re forward pass/blue line (Patrick bros rules changes) played out when competing against eastern teams for Lord Stanley’s Cup ? Asking for a friend …

[@CheapSeatsSports]

When the PCHA and NHA/NHL played for the Stanley cup they would alternate which rule set they used each game. For example PCHA rules games 1, 3, 5 and NHL rules 2 & 4.

[@SSSSoulSkater]

@@CheapSeatsSports so like… blue lines for every other game… ?? so that’s where the refs got it from.🤷🏻‍♂️

[@boomerny1]

How can you not mention the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes? Completely skipped over the contributions those players made to today's game...😢

[@CheapSeatsSports]

I made this a while ago and in hindsight I wish I had included that. That said the intent was for this series to focus on the history of the NHL and what directly preceded it, then once I'm caught up to present day go back and do more on other major hockey history that I didn't have time to mention. Other examples would be European leagues, women's hockey, Olympic hockey, ect. It's impossible to include everything and not have each episode be hours long. Still I do wish I had mentioned that one specifically.

[@Cneph1964]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2O0i6BuodGpn8k

[@kjwinston77]

Ok let's do a poll on who Seattle Fans think the new Coach will be: (Of course with your perspective!) Mike Babcock (173-133-45 in five seasons; John Hynes (150-159-45 in five seasons; Bill Peters (62-37-11 in two seasons; Jim Montgomery (60-43-10 in two seasons; Peter DeBoer (198-129-34 in five seasons; Peter Laviolette (248-143-60 in six seasons; Gerard Gallant (188-113-62 in parts of three season; Bruce Boudreau (158-110-35 in parts of four seasons; Todd Rierden (89-46-16 in two seasons; 41-20-8 this season. I like Mike or Peter L.

[@CheapSeatsSports]

Video coming in the next week or two.

[@CentTV]

Maybe Claude julien now

[@paulwilliams5394]

The video skips over the fact that the Stanley Cup went to the top amateur team from 1892 to 1912. This is important since that era and the cup seeded hockey as a sport in the upper Midwest of the US (Minnesota/Wisconsin/Illinois/Missouri) and New England. Those areas were the mainstay of US hockey from the 1940s to the NHL expansion in the late 1900s. The Manitoba connection via amateur competition for the Stanley Cup is important because it established amateur hockey at both the USA and Canada national level. Without that base of interest, facilities, and player development, there would be no NHL. Now the interest in the sport through pro expansion has expanded to the Southeastern US. Some of the strongest hockey fan interest today is for teams playing from Baton Rouge to Florida and the Carolinas. One interesting fact to know, is that if you look inside the the bowl of the Stanley Cup, you will find a list of names for the Kenora Thistles, Stanley Cup Champions 1907.

[@CheapSeatsSports]

Good info. Yeah, unfortunately I had to gloss over a fair amount of stuff to keep this from being 2hrs long. But I might revisit some of that stuff in future videos!

[@thrashmetaljay666]

I guess I’m the only one what noticed the Halle Berry picture around the <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="397">6:37</a> mark

[@PowwowTimes]

Came way before by Indigenous people playing a game called Ricket, which was first observed in 1600s but came way before that

[@kjbren236]

Second

[@reppepper]

Las Canadiens? Were they Spanish? It’s “Les”, pronounced “lay”.

[@bestia2.063]

I thought natives had a similar game?🤔

[@TyStreets34]

You missed escaped slaves playing hockey in 1815

[@CheapSeatsSports]

I had to skip a lot of stuff but I plan to eventually come back and do a history of just the black and first nations influences so I can spend more time on it.

[@1Yh8HH]

lâââs canadiens.. lol

[@dannyduke666]

So many errors in that video... but in general good!

[@CheapSeatsSports]

Not sure where you think there are errors but glad you liked it.

[@dannyduke666]

@@CheapSeatsSports a few mistakes in the NHA/PCHA/WCHL lineage...just as in example, your Toronto Tecumsehs pic stays up until 1918 in the NHL... the Spokane Canaries stay there for a few seasons too while they only lasted one season in the PCHA... they are the only ones I remember right now... but there are a few in the narration as well. You did dig up a lot for your video... but sadly, not enough!!!

[@codyeakinsbradley]

Sad that KZbin is so horrible to creators like you that they push official NHL videos before we get to the real history of hockey.

[@CheapSeatsSports]

The NHL could definitely do a better job of advertising itself. Hockey is an amazing sport that has never been more fun to watch than it is now but the NHL is too stuck in its ways to spread it effectively. I love it tho so I enjoy making videos like this even if they don't get the attention from the algorithm that I wish they would. Thanks for the comment!

[@madgamer2k7]

First!

[@benjaminwolff1439]

Bro, you entirely disregarded the history of one of the first pro leagues from Novia Scotia who were decedents of US slaves. Great job otherwise but you should have titled it "The history of the NHL and Stanley's cup but as usual, nothing about the oppressed black folks and their accreditation in the Hockey Hall of Fame" ...Who knows , maybe part II. Great job otherwise bro. I never knew about Portland. I used to be on the ice crew at the Moda Center(then the Rose Quarter) Peace to all!

[@Thomas-lg6jx]

Who did this negro league play other than themselves?

[@tommiechristian7851]

Blacks in Nova Scotia 1800’s

[@jordanoshay]

This is a lie ! Black people started this game in Canada!

[@CheapSeatsSports]

Nope it's all true. It didn't start in Canada. It did become popular and changed to the game we now know in Canada tho. I'm sure black people played a role in that, possible a significant one but I don't know for sure. If the game is to survive into the future people of all races will have to be involved, that I can say for sure.

[@jordanoshay]

@@CheapSeatsSports I agree

[@act_sion]

Black people .lol.

[@jordanoshay]

@@act_sion yea

[@act_sion]

@@jordanoshay How ? It was in the 19th century, when black community was very very small , very poor and exploited ! Yes to be able to play hockey , you need to have money ( it is very expensive game ) and have spare time ( A very white privilege in the 19th century) . Lol 😂

[@jordanoshay]

Lies lmao boy oh boy

[@CheapSeatsSports]

Nope

[@sableindian]

Skipped the Colored Hockey League in 1895 Nova Scotia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colored_Hockey_League

[@CheapSeatsSports]

I'm mostly focusing on the NHL and build up to it in this series but I will be doing an episode on other leagues around the world, the colored league, the women's leagues and so on. I thought about including it all along the way, but the videos would've been too long and jumped around too much to keep reasonable continuity. Thank you for the comment and making sure people know about that very important part of the history of the game!

[@Cneph1964]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/q2O0i6BuodGpn8k