It’s a hockey history lesson on ice in downtown Kingston

There’s no other event in sports like the historic hockey series in Kingston.

“There’s nothing like it,” says Mark Potter, the president of Kingston’s International Hockey Hall of Fame.

“No other sport anywhere does a re-enactment game. We’re the only one and we go back to the roots of the game. The first games were played on the Kingston harbour back in the 1840s and as close as we can, we try to stick to the original rules.

We use a square puck and there’s no forward passing. Much like the game of rugby, they have to pass latterly or behind.

The defenceman called a point and cover point can’t cross the centre ice so P.K. Subban wouldn’t do very well in historic hockey.

There are seven players on a team and one player is a rover who can go anywhere on the ice and finally the goalkeeper isn’t allowed to fall on his knees to make a save.”

This is the 50th anniversary of this historic re-enactment which features teams from Queen’s University, Royal Military College and soldiers from the Horse Artillery at CFB Petawawa.

Potter says they’re very proud to continue the tradition started by the late Phil Quattrocchi in 1968.

“That’s a testament to a lot of volunteers and partners and especially the players who believe in keeping this tradition alive.”

Games begin on Saturday at Springer Market Square in downtown Kingston starting at 2 p.m.