The Pat Kenny Show The links between Ireland and ice hockey
Nov 6, 2025
Cameron Hill, a sports journalist and commentator for Off The Ball, dives into the fascinating links between Ireland and ice hockey. He reveals how ice hockey evolved from an 18th-century form of hurling, thanks to William Cochrane in Nova Scotia. Hill explains the influence of Irish immigrants in shaping the sport and highlights notable figures like Olympic star Geraldine Heaney. The conversation also touches on the formation of the NHL and the cultural ties that continue to connect Irish heritage to this thrilling ice sport.
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Origin Story Of Ice Hockey From Hurling
- Cameron Hill recounts William Cochrane, an Ulster-born schoolmaster in Nova Scotia, adapting hurling into an ice game in winter.
- Local players used narrower sticks and a leather "puck" derived from the Gaelic word for strike, creating early ice hurling.
Playgrounds To National Sport In Canada
- The sport grew from King's College playgrounds into a wider Canadian pastime through students' accounts and spread to Halifax and Montreal.
- Documentary and contemporary writings (like Halliburton's) provide clear evidence of hurley on ice evolving into organized hockey.
James Creighton Helped Formalize Hockey
- Cameron Hill describes James Creighton moving from Nova Scotia to Montreal and organizing some of the first indoor team games in the 1870s.
- Creighton's 1875 match is framed as an important step toward modern team hockey rules and structure.
