Do you want to know the real story of modern Ice Hockey’s birth and early evolution? If so, remember the four flags that we raised at Montreal’s Victoria Skating Rink. They represent four communities that we call “Stars” because their contributions to your modern ice hockey are truly in a league of their own.
Hockey historians know that these Stars are the real deal. You can‘t hope to understand the origins of modern Ice Hockey without knowing their back stories. And here’s why you might want to know about the Fab Four of the Early Game:
It’s because these days, whenever “ice hockey history” is discussed, the narratives that dominate search engines almost always suggest that the origins of modern hockey are “mysterious.”
There is no mystery.
Today’s widespread confusion exists because all of today’s dominant narratives either ignore or downplay the contributions of modern Ice Hockey’s first two Stars. They forged the foundation that the Third and Fourth Stars relied on to become the other two pillars of modern Ice Hockey.
Ice Hockey’s true lineal narrative is restored in the free PDFs below.
Please consider sharing. Mark Grant, The Four Stars of Early Ice Hockey
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These PDFs are best for desktops. For the best reading experience on cell phones, open these documents using a free app such as OpenDocument Reader or any PDF viewer. https://play.google.com/store/games
1 of 6 : Our ESSAY Crafted with classrooms in mind, this 30-minute essay summarizes the Four Stars thesis, revealing the true lineal history of the game through primary source documents that have gone lost to the general public until now.
2 of 6 – Our FREE BOOK: This Encore version of The Four Stars of Early Ice Hockey includes the Four Stars book – the deep dive – as well as more primary documents and some other reference materials we made.
3 of 6 –: A Viewer’s Guide to Ice Hockey. Print-ready, informative and fashioned with classrooms, office lunch rooms, and TVs in mind, this short guide explains the origins of many modern Ice Hockey fixtures.
4 of 6 – A HOCKEY HISTORY TIMELINE Designed for sharing, this one-page expandable flow chart reads like a manifesto. It details the journey of a single stick game that conquered all others, from its birth to the unfolding ‘modern’ Ice Hockey present.
5 of 6 – The Birth of Montreal hockey Arguably, the most important, least discussed episode in 19th century ice hockey. See how the 1943 testimony of one participant resolves many unnecessary “mysteries” regarding Ice Hockey’s pre-Montreal origins.
6 of 6 – A MUSIC PIECE . 1972: Ode to the Original Team Canada: Foster Hewitt and Phil Esposito sing lead, Brian Conacher on back-up.
The History of Early Ice Hockey 