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Glossary: Ice Hockey Terms A – N

Alchamadijik – Name given by natives to the new game of Ice Hurley as it
developed.
Bandy – An English stick-ball game played on ice, similar to Ice Hockey. The ice surface is the size of a soccer field. Eleven players on each team play two, fourty-five minute periods.

English Bandy Players beginning game with "Bully
English Bandy Players beginning game with “Bully
Blacksmith – A tradesman who makes implements and appliances like skates from heated iron. Block Skates – Iron skate blades imbedded in blocks of wood, held to feet with ropes or straps.

bsmith
Bartlet Print of Basil’s Blacksmith Shop, Grand Pre, Nova Scotia
Boards – The vertical fence built around the ice surface of outdoor / indoor rinks to protect spectators from players and the action of the Ice Hockey game.

A Great Example of Boards - Gord Kuhn 1934
A Great Example of Boards – Gord Kuhn 1934
Nova Scotia Box Net –  The first Ice Hockey Net –
invented in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in January 1899.
Nova Scotia Box-Net
Bob Skates – double bladed stable runners, used in early 1900s as children
learned to skate.

Bob Skate - Eaton's Catalogue - 1925 ad
Bob Skate – Eaton’s Catalogue – 1925 ad
 Bully – The first method of beginning an Ice Hockey game. Opposing centre players banged sticks on ice beside ball, next banged each other’s sticks above the ball, then went for the ball. In Ice Hockey replaced by Face-Off in Winnipeg in 1893.

Drawing of Early Hockey 1890s Players in foreground involved in a "Bully"
Drawing of Early Hockey 1890s Players in foreground involved in a “Bully”
 Camogie – Name for form of Hurley played by women in Ireland.

Irish Women's Camogie Team 1904
Irish Women’s Camogie Team 1904
 Cricket – An English stick-ball field game, popular since the early 1800s. Had an effect on the developing game of Ice Hockey. Played in Windsor, N.S. by King’s College teams and military teams which traveled from Halifax in the 1800s.

Cricket Match on Moulsey Hurst, by Richard Wilson (1714 - 1782)
Cricket Match on Moulsey Hurst,
by Richard Wilson (1714 – 1782)
Face-Off – A new way
of beginning the game of Ice Hockey, devised in Winnipeg in 1893, and quickly adopted across Canada and still used to this day.

Blaine Sexton - face off
Blaine Sexton – face off
Felts- Strips of harness felt 1″ thick X 2″ wide, placed beneath skate laces to allow for tighter fitting of skate boots to feet. Commonly used by hockeyists in the 1950s. Felts - Strips of harness felt 1" thick X 2" wide, placed beneath skate laces to allow for tighter fitting of skate boots to feet wiht the added bonus of protecting the front of your boot.
Gas Lamps – Mounted on high poles, they burned coal gas. Used to light streets and inside of skating rinks from 1860s, prior to the invention of electric lights in the 1890s.
Gauntlets – Leather padded gloves used to protect hands of Ice Hockey players. First invented and used in 1904. Not immediately accepted for use by all.

1925 Eaton's Hockey Gauntlet Ad
1925 Eaton’s Hockey Gauntlet Ad
Goal Umpire / Goal
Judge
– Stood on goal line and rang bell to signify a goal in early days of
Ice Hockey.

Goal Judge Behind the N.S. Box Net - Outdoor Ice Hockey
Goal Judge Behind the N.S. Box Net – Outdoor Ice Hockey
Halifax Rules – The first rules of Ice Hockey known to be used in Nova Scotia and Montreal.
Hockeyist – Early name for
Hockey or Ice Hockey player
Hockeyite – Early name for Hockey or Ice Hockey Player
Hockey – English family name and also name of English stick-ball game known also as Field Hockey since 1400s.
(Short) Hockey Pants – Replaced longer pants when players began using knee and shin pads which wouldn’t fit beneath legs of pants. Long stockings introduced at the same time, in the 1915 era.

Short Hockey Pants
Short Hockey Pants
Hockey Stick – The stick used to play Field Hockey or Ice Hockey

Mi'kmaq Making "MicMac" Hockey Sticks - Full Picture
Mi’kmaq Making “MicMac” Hockey Sticks – Full Picture

Hoquet – French field stick-ball game

 Hornbeam – Name of tree native to Nova Scotia used to make early Ice Hockey
sticks. Scientific name: Ostrya Virginiana.
 Horse Apples – Frozen horse droppings, often used by young boys as Ice Hockey pucks. Also called horse puckies.
 Hurley – Irish national stick-ball game.

Early Irish Hurley Players
Early Irish Hurley Players
 Hurley Stick – The stick used by players of Irish national field game of Hurley
or Hurling.
Old Hurley Sticks and balls/sliotars from the National Museum of Ireland
Hurling – Another name for the game of Hurley.

Modern Hurley Action!
Modern Hurley Action!
 Ice Carnival – Fancy dress costume skating parties popular in 1800s-1950s. Often followed by an Ice Hockey match or skating race, as prime community
entertainment when skating and Ice Hockey began in covered natural ice rinks across Canada.
 Knickers – Over-the-knee trousers used by football players and the early
hockeyists. Replaced with short padded pants as shin and knee pads were nvented in the 1890s.
 Lacrosse – Stick-Ball Field Game. Canada’s National Summer Sport. Developed by Canada’s First Nation People.
 Lantern (Skater’s Lantern) – used either candle, or oil and wick. Carried by skatists during evening hours for outdoor skating. Skaters Lantern 1890s
Medallion – A decorated metal disc, used to signify championship of competitors in sport and pinned to jersey or hung with cord around neck, prior to the use of trophies in the 1890s.

Medallion 1900
Medallion 1900
 “MicMac” – Name given to indigenous peoples of Nova Scotia (late 1700s) by
English. In 1995 the spelling was changed to Mi’kmaq. (See Also History of Windsor, Nova Scotia)
Natural Ice (as opposed to ‘artificial’ ice) – Ice formed from water during freezing temperatures. The covered rinks of Canada used natural ice for many years until artificial ice making plants became available.