March 3rd, 1875
It’s commonly accepted that Canada has a love affair with ice hockey. From pond hockey rinks to large indoor NHL arenas, Canadians flock to play and watch their National winter pastime.
On March 3, 1875, hockey moved indoors for the first time with the help of 500 gas-jet lighting fixtures set inside colored glass globes that illuminated the 204-foot by 80-foot ice surface. The building was the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. At a later date, the lighting would be converted to electric, making it one of the first electrically lit buildings in all of Canada.
The Victoria Skating Rink would go on to host the first Stanley Cup Playoff games in 1894 and many National and international hockey and figure skating competitions.
Photo Courtesy of Optica-OPN.
