There are historical evidences of the fact that hockey originated in the ancient time. In Athens, the native land of the Olympic games, on beys-reliefs sportsmen played with the sticks reminding today’s sticks. Ancient Indians — inhabitants of Northern America played the so-called “icerocket”, and Chinese played the game similar to hockey, Englishmen and Dutches also apply that hockey originated in their countries, and Frenchmen insist that the word hockey-hoke in French is the shepherd’s staff similar to a modern stick. But anyway, all data say that the games reminding hockey, existed since the most ancient times.
In Finland the first championship on hockey took place in 1928, and the command «Viipurin Reipas» became the first. Reipas means brisk, proof, combative. National championships on hockey passed every year, except for 1930, 1940, 1942, 1944. Basically, it is because these were military years. In 1939 the Finnish national team took part for the first time in the World championship, and took the last place.
Certainly, official hockey was engendered much earlier, than the first hockey match was held in Finland, almost after half a century after the first match in Montreal, and twenty years later after creation of the International federation of hockey in Europe in 1908.
Finns have shown the first notable result in the championship in 1962, they have taken the fourth place, but the Finnish command declared itself up to the present in the late eighties of last century. It was 1988 when Finns were on the second place. In 90th years the Finnish command on superiority of the world wins prize-winning places, occupying places of honor on the podium. Jari Kurri, Teemu Selanne), Sauku Koivu and many others become one of the best players and not only in the Finnish hockey.
Traditional national championship is spent annually on ice arena Hartvall in capital Helsinki which was constructed in 1997. Here other large international competitions, for example, in 2002 — on football competitions, are constantly also spent. There is still the largest sports arena in a city of Tampere — the Ice palace. In the same nice Finnish city there is also the Museum of the Finnish hockey which millions of townsmen are proud of.
The sports season begins in September and comes to an end in March. Hockey in northern country is really national sport. Ice halls, arenas and thousand skating rinks are filled by fans of this sport from younger schoolboys to solid national teams which annually hold competitions among the country’s best teams.
Hockey in Finland is a national pride. Now 14 commands of the country strongest of which are Karpat, Blues, Tappara, Jokerit, Ilves, TPS struggle for the title of the strongest.
In each hockey club there are heroes and fans. Next time we will take several well-known hockey clubs to observe..