Molson Canadian Hockey House

Olympic Hockey Jersey Sale

Mr.Ship — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:43:14 +0000

Here’s a deal for some serious collectors. We’re currently auctioning off the entire international display collection of Olympic hockey jerseys from the 2010 Vancouver Winter games. Each jersey comes framed in a custom collectors box. You better bid now, because this auction closes in just five days!

Own A Piece Of The House!

Mr.Ship — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:08:14 +0000

Olympic hockey may be ending soon, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep those memories alive by bringing a piece of the action home with you!

Up for grabs is a lavish assortment of banners, rugs, displays and unique hockey memorabilia that has been stored in the hallowed cathedral halls of our beloved Hockey House. Some of our favourites are candid banner sized snapshots like Gretzky and Lindros staring down Team USA, Jarome Jagr planting a kiss on the World Championship Cup or a portrait of a toothless Bobby Hull smiling with a rival Russian goal tender.

These items will make amazing additions to your living room, rec room, gym, sports club, office, or even your team locker room. Many are signed by members of Team Canada like Dany Heatley, or hockey legends like Wayne Gretzky, Steve Yzerman, and Martin Brodeur.

Go for the gold, bid now! Auction starts now but only for a limited time. Deals expire Wednesday March 3, 2010.

Hockey House MCHH Oversized Mask

Hockey Canada Lounge 8’x8’ Hockey Canada 2010 Crest

Hockey Canada Logo Custom Rug

Hockey Canada Ice Rink Custom Rug

Hockey Canada IIHF Custom Rug

Team Canada Girls For Gold! – Victory Photo Set

Mr.Ship — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:51:38 +0000

Another ecstatic hockey win for TEAM CANADA! Final verdict over US — 2-0. Gold for us, silver for them.

Head Coach, Mark Messier

A (brief) History of Women’s Hockey

Mr.Ship — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:12:40 +0000

Queen's University Hockey Team (Kingston, Ontario), 1917

As we get psyched for the Women’s Hockey Finals tonight, let’s take a look at how we’ve gotten to this momentous point in Women’s Hockey. According to the Canadian Hockey Association, the first recorded women’s hockey game took place in 1892 in Barrie, Ontario, while “Total Hockey,” the official encyclopaedia of the NHL, places the first game in Ottawa, where the Government House team defeated the Rideau ladies team in 1889.

By the turn of the century, women’s hockey teams were playing across Canada. Photos suggest that the standard uniform included long wool skirts, turtleneck sweaters, hats and gloves.

Isobel Stanley, Lord Stanley's daughter

This first era of women’s hockey peaked in the 1920s and 1930s, with teams, leagues and tournaments in almost every region of Canada and a few areas of the United States. Some of the best Canadian teams met annually in an East-West tournament to declare a national champion. The Preston (Ontario) Rivulettes became the first dynasty of women’s hockey, dominating the game throughout the 1930s.

The organized women’s game declined after World War Two and throughout the 1950s and 1960s was regarded as little more than a curiosity. Hockey was assumed to be the preserve of men and boys, an attitude confirmed in 1956 when the Ontario Supreme Court ruled against Abby Hoffman, a nine-year-old girl who challenged the “boys only” policy in minor hockey. Hoffman had already played most of the season with a boy’s team, disguising her sex by dressing at home and wearing her hair short.

A revival began in the 1960s. Most girls attempting to join boys teams were still rejected. But women’s hockey slowly gained ice time, and as the new generation of players grew up they demanded a chance to play at colleges and universities. Canadian intercollegiate women’s hockey began in the 1980s and the NCAA recognized the game in 1993.

An international breakthrough came in 1990, when eight countries contested the first Women’s World Ice Hockey Championship. Participation grew exponentially in the decade that followed. Women’s hockey made its Olympic debut at the 1998 Games in Japan. In 2002 the Mission Bettys of California became the first all-girls team to enter the Quebec International Pee Wee Tournament, one of the world’s largest youth competitions.

Today the number of female hockey teams and leagues is at an all-time high. Mixed gender teams are also more common, especially in youth hockey. The game remains a male-dominated culture, but girls and women face much less of the obstruction and prejudice that frustrated their predecessors.

A few women, including goaltenders Manon Rheaume and Erin Whitten, have played on men’s professional teams at the minor league level. In 2003, Hayley Wickenheiser joined Salamat of the Finnish Second Division and became the first woman to record a point in men’s professional hockey, finishing the regular season with one goal and three assists in 12 games.

Although applauded by most fans, Wickenheiser’s move inspired debate about women’s and men’s hockey. Some say elite women’s hockey will never grow if the best players migrate to men’s leagues. The president of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Rene Fasel, has declared his opposition to mixed teams.

“I don’t understand why anyone should feel threatened,” said Teemu Selanne, the NHL star who is part owner of the Salamat team. “This is the best women’s hockey player we’re talking about. It’s not as if five or six women are going to start appearing on every men’s team.”

The National Women’s Hockey League began in 2000, giving top players on both sides of the border a chance to play outside the college or international systems. The Western Women’s Hockey League was established in 2004.

For a great read and further history lessons on Women’s Hockey, check out “Women on Ice” by Wayne Norton, published by Ronsdale Press.

A (brief) History of Men’s Hockey

Mr.Ship — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 17:51:33 +0000

Hockey has been around for over 4000 years in one shape or form, commonly known as ‘the ball and stick game’ by ancient empires as far reaching as Egypt and Rome. It wasn’t till the late 1800s that skates were strapped to the feet and proper pucks were engineered.

In the 17th and 18th Century in the UK, hockey was played on grass by neighbouring villages with teams of up to 100 players on the field at a time! It was the Irish who first coined the term, “Hockie”. A form of hockey was also played by the native Mi’kmaq people called it tooadijik or wolchamaadijik.

Legend has it that Quebecer Pierre Lapin first introduced the game to the ice. He was said to have used a crooked stick to help him walk comfortably over the surface of the ice, where he swung at a piece of a frozen beaver bladder which fell short of a small bay, or makeshift goal post.

The first recorded hockey games were played by British soldiers stationed in Kingston and Halifax during the mid-1850s. By 1875, the rules of the game were officially laid down by JG Creighton of Montreal. Since there were no proper rinks yet, curling rinks or frozen ponds, were used at first. The rules established the number of players per side to 9 and replaced the ball with a wood puck. In 1892, the current Governor General, Lord Stanley Park, decided to form a league of talented player and offer a prize to the winning team. A decorative cup, fashioned by Boodles and Dunthorne Jewelers of London, was offered as the prize which began to set a trend for future games played.

In 1910, the National Hockey Association (NHA) was formed in Montreal. The NHA would further refine the rules, dropping the rover position, splitting the game into three 20-minute periods and introducing the system of minor and major penalties. After re-organizing as the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1917, the league expanded into the United States in 1924 and took official control of the Stanley cup.

Hockey was first played in the Olympics in 1908 and only men were permitted to play the game. It wasn’t until 1980 that women’s hockey teams were allowed to compete in the Olympics. Oddly, ice hockey was played in early April of 1920 as a part of the Olympic Summer Games in Antwerp, Belgium. The tournament was also famous for being the first World Hockey Championship.

Sam Roberts – Photo Set – Day 11

Mr.Ship — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:11:07 +0000

As promised, The Sam Roberts band played to a horde of jubilant Team Canada fans, anticipating yet another victory over Russia the next evening. Go Canada go!

Behind the Scenes Signing Session @Hockey_House

Mr.Ship — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:05:50 +0000

These guys keep Molson Canadian Hockey House and the players safe! I wouldn't mess with them, would you?

Team Canada signs the mask after defeating Germany 8-2

Shane Murphy – Quebec Day – Photo set

Mr.Ship — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:58:46 +0000

Montreal Blues man Shane Murphy joined us last night to perform during Canada Men’s stunning 8-2 defeat over Germany.

Shane has performed performed and gigged at over 1,000 shows across North America, having opened for the likes of Adele, April Wine, Grammy winning British Reggae band Steel Pulse, Our Lady Peace, among others. Shane is also nominated for a 2009 Lys Award which recognizes the best up and coming blues artists in Quebec.

Sam Roberts Band Joins us Tonight in a Salute to Quebec

Mr.Ship — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:08:11 +0000

Juno award-winning rock star, Sam Roberts, will be joining us tonight with his band from 9:30-11 pm. A native Montrealer, Sam will be saluting all Quebecois hockey players.

Roberts is best known for his catchy pop hooks and philosophical musings with songs like ‘Brother Down’, ‘Where Have All The Good People Gone’, and ‘The Gate’. His 2002 debut release, The Inhuman Condition, became one of the bestselling independent releases in Quebec and Canadian music history.

Don’t miss him as he plays the Molson Canadian Hockey House!

Triple Gold Club Induction Ceremony – Photo Set

Mr.Ship — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 15:06:29 +0000

Last night, 22 t of the NHL’s greatest of the past few decades were honoured into a very special club as the Stanley Cup, the International Ice Hockey Federation ( IIHF) Cup and the Olympic Gold medal for Hockey were brought together in the same location for the very first time. Players were awarded with a name-and-numbered sweater of their national federation, a Tissot watch and gold TGC lapel pin. The looks on their faces are just priceless; scroll on for some of the most candid and touching photos in hockey history.