Page:Hockey, Canada's Royal Winter Game.djvu/21

 air in their expanded lungs, strength in their limbs, and with a keen, bright eye, "seeking what they might devour."

As time wore on, the gradual development of rules and regulations wrought, in this warlike pastime, the important changes, that were, in time, to give birth to the science that characterizes hockey as the peer of clean, exciting, fascinating games.

Twenty-five years ago, hockey, as played to-day, was an unknown sport. Shinny was played on the lakes, rivers and canals throughout the country, but only a discerning eye could discover in this crude, but infatuating amusement, the grand possibilities that a refined game could offer. Without restrictions as to the proportions of the stick, the nature or quality of the puck, the size of the playing space on the ice, or the number of the players, the sport could not develope into a scientific game, until such time as it would be discussed and regulated, by those who sought its advancement.

To the McGill College and Victoria Hockey teams of Montreal the game of hockey owes its present state. These two were the first regularly organized hockey clubs in the world, the former preceding the latter by a very short time. Previous to the formation of the above organizations about 1881, teams existed