Hockey is the subject of the latest edition of Fast Facts, sponsored by BMO Harris Bank.
-Historical records show that a crude form of the game was played in Egypt 4,000 years ago and in Ethiopia around 1,000BC, whilst an ancient form of the game was also played in Iran in around 2,000BC.
-The modern game of ice hockey emerged in England in the mid-18th century.
-The name hockey—as the organized game came to be known—has been attributed to the French word hoquet (shepherd’s stick).
-The first all-female hockey game was in Barrie, Ontario, Canada, in 1892, and the first world women’s championship was held in 1990. The International Olympic Committee added women’s ice hockey to its 1998 schedule at Nagano, where the sport made its first Winter Games appearance. Team USA took home the gold after a 3-1 win over Canada.
-A standard-size ice hockey rink is shaped like a round-cornered rectangle that is 200 feet (61 meters) long and 85 feet (26 meters) wide.
-The Amateur Hockey Association Illinois was founded as the governing body of Illinois amateur hockey in 1975. The AHAI season ending state tournaments known as the Blackhawk Cup are for the Red Division, Combined Division and the Girls Division. The three Blackhawk Cup championship games are played at the United Center in Chicago.
-Naperville Central, Naperville North, Neuqua Valley and Waubonsie play in the Illinois West Conference, which was originally known as the Metro West until 2012. Naperville North was the Red Division Blackhawk Cup runner up in 1980. Naperville Central was the Red Division Blackhawk Cup runner up in 2000.
-Benet Academy plays in the Chicago Catholic League. The Redwings finished as the Red Division Blackhawk Cup runner up in 2015 after a 3-2 overtime loss to Glenbrook North.
