James Creighton
The game was organized by James Creighton, a Canadian lawyer, engineer, journalist and athlete. Creighton grew up in Nova Scotia where shinny, an informal type of ice hockey was played. He popularized and formalized ice hockey in Montreal and later in Ottawa where he served as a law clerk to the Canadian Senate for 48 years.
I remember playing shinny as a kid, too. The Finnish term for the game is pihajääkiekko (literally yard ice hockey). It can be played anywhere with a puck or a tennis ball. We often played it with a tennis ball on the street next to our homes (obviously without skates) or in skating areas in parks (with skates). It was great fun. It didn't make any difference how skillful you were. Often, we didn't even keep score which is the spirit of shinny.
