Lacrosse and Hockey in Canada

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The importance of Lacrosse has diminished since the uprising of Hockey. It is often forgotten the significance of Lacrosse has on the developing of Canada’s culture and identity of sport. Before the creation of hockey, Lacrosse was played all through Canada. By the 1890s any given person who loved sport had a Lacrosse stick or two. Dr William George Beers is deemed “the father of Lacrosse” however there is a whole nation behind him who deserve the credit for creating Canada’s national sport.
Lacrosse is a team sport in which a ball is thrown, caught and carried by a long stick with a pocket type head. It is a full contact sport, in which players wear gloves, chest, elbow and shoulder pads, as well as a helmet for protection. The goal of Lacrosse is too score as many goals on the opponents net using the stick to throw the ball into the net. The game is mainly used for recreational purpose today as well as a purpose for entertainment, however the original game it is evolved from had a much deeper purpose to it then Lacrosse.
The game in which Lacrosse is derived from is an ancient stickball game played by Indigenous peoples around the great lakes and plains regions, called Baggataway. This Indigenous game is North
Americas oldest organized sport, which can be traced back to the 1400s originating in the Great Lakes region. It is unclear who created this game or why it was created however it is said to be a gift from the
“creator” and is played for the “creator’s” entertainment. Seeing it as a gift Indigenous peoples embraced it and used it for many purposes. Apart from recreational uses, Baggataway was used to settle disputes between two tribes/villages, prepare and train young warriors for war, and could even lower...

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...crosse Club and in the year 1867 launched a Canadian wide league as well as provided a set of rules for the game. Due to his contributions to Lacrosse in the late 1850s and creation of the Montreal Lacrosse Club there were 80 teams spread out through Canada in the year 1867 looking to join the Canadian Lacrosse League.

Works Cited

http://hockeygods.com/hockeys/41-Lacrosse___Baggataway

Brune, Nick. Defining Canada: History, Identity, and Culture. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2003. Print. http://filacrosse.com/origin/ http://www.e-lacrosse.com/na.htm

http://www.saskatoonlacrosse.ca/lacrosse-a-brief-history/ http://www.cbc.ca/archives/categories/sports/lacrosse/lacrosse-a-history-of-canadas-game/the-old-indian-game-of-baggataway.html http://hockeyinsociety.com/2012/03/20/canadian-aboriginals-and-hockey-a-complex-and-conflicted-history-part-1/

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