Provinces and Territories · Drawing 41 of 42
Backyard hockey
Canada
Ice hockey is Canada’s national winter sport. In the backyard, the children skate, pass the puck and aim for the net!
Look together
Find the puck. Where will it go next?
An idea to try
Draw a sweater for an imaginary team: choose its colours, a simple picture for the front and a team name.
For the adult reading along
A little more to discover
Since 1994, a federal law has recognized ice hockey as Canada’s national winter sport, and lacrosse as its national summer sport. On March 3, 1875, the first organized hockey game was played at the Victoria Rink in Montréal, under rules proposed by McGill University students. In Nova Scotia, Mi’kmaw artisans hand-carved hockey sticks, which the Starr company of Dartmouth distributed before making its own in a factory. Famous for its skates, the company helped make skating and hockey Canada’s favourite winter pastimes.
In a backyard or at the park, a helmet and a nearby adult make the game safer. Talk with your child about fair play: passing the puck, taking turns in net and congratulating the other team.
Sources and context (3)
These links lead to other websites. Explore them with an adult. Source titles appear in their original language; some linked pages are in French.
- Justice Canada — National Sports of Canada Act (S.C. 1994, c. 16)The game commonly known as ice hockey is recognized and declared to be the national winter sport of Canada, and lacrosse the national summer sport (assented to May 12, 1994).
- The Canadian Encyclopedia — Sports timeline (March 3, 1875)The first organized hockey game took place at Victoria Rink, Montréal, on March 3, 1875, based on a set of rules proposed by a group of McGill University students.
- Parks Canada — Starr Manufacturing Company National Historic EventThe Dartmouth company, a pre-eminent skate maker, also distributed hockey sticks hand-carved by Mi’kmaw artisans, precursors of its factory-made products; its equipment and marketing helped establish ice-skating and hockey as Canada’s favourite winter recreations.
Source review: 2026-09-24. Illustrations simplify places and scenes; they are not historical documents.