The Beechwood Way - A History of Sports

With hockey being beloved by Canadians, we often forget it’s not our national sport. Lacrosse was invented by the Indigenous living in the St. Lawrence Valley back in the 1630s. It was then called stickball but renamed lacrosse by settlers. Lacrosse became the national sport in 1860, and during Confederation, there were exhibition games in England.

The Ottawa Rough Riders were founded in 1876 under the name “Football Club”. The year they changed their name, the 1898 Rough Rider team won their first championship. They went on to win 11 more times in franchise history. Canada has been participating in the Olympics since 1900.

The sports may have changed, like live pigeon shooting and rope climbing, but Canadians have been resilient in sending athletes to compete, no matter the circumstances.

Find out more by downloading the Beechwood Way - A History of Sports.