Hockey Evidence Unveiled
Nova Scotia Sport Heritage Centre, Halifax, Nova Scotia

The Nova Scotia Sport Heritage Centre in conjunction with the bicentennial celebrations of King's-Edgehill School, Windsor, Nova Scotia, today announced new documented evidence which once again names Windsor, Nova Scotia, as the birthplace of Canadian hockey in the early 1800's.

Spokesperson A.J. Sandy Young, well known sport historian from Dalhousie University issued a two page release. Historian Leslie Loomer, Windsor, Nova Scotia, discovered in his research for the bicentennial book on King's-Edgehill, that the famous Canadian author Thomas Chandler Haliburton had graduated from King's-Edgehill in 1810. To verify the date on his later references of hurley on Windsor's Long Pond during Haliburton's school days at King's-Edgehill, Mr. Loomer uncovered supportive evidence from the Windsor Mail, 1876. This account is as follows: "The Devil's Punch Bowl and Long Pond, back of the College, were favorite resorts, and we used to skate in winter, on moonlight nights, on the ponds. I recollect John Cunard ... having his front teeth knocked out with a hurley by Pete Delancey of Annapolis." (Anonymous writer, Windsor Mail 1876, describing his days at the school from 1816-1818.)

The "Long Pond" which appears to have been the venue of the first substantiated hockey in Canada, can still be seen on Howard Dill's property just off the campus of what is now King's-Edgehill School.

J.G.A. Creighton (1850-1930) of Halifax, Nova Scotia is credited with introducing hockey to Montreal with Halifax rules where the first game under organized rules was played in 1875.



Thomas Chandler Haliburton, famed author of Sam Slick, wrote about the days at King's Collegiate. In an 1844 London, England periodical called Attache, Haliburton, who was born in 1796 and who graduated from King's College School in 1810, said that:

".. the boys let out racin', yellin', hollerin', and whoopin' like made with pleasure, and the playground, and the game at bass in the fields, or hurley on the long pond on the ice.. "


[ Hockey Evidence | Site of First Hockey Evidence | Hockey Re-enactment | School Re-enactment Teams | Long Pond - Birthplace ]

Contact: Howard Dill   Tel: 902-798-2728 | Fax: 902-798-0842
400 College Road, Windsor, Nova Scotia, B0N 2T0




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