James George Aylwin Creighton
James George Aylwin Creighton (1850-1930) was a Canadian lawyer, engineer, journalist, and athlete, recognized as a pivotal figure in the development of ice hockey. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he displayed remarkable academic prowess, graduating from Halifax Grammar School at just fourteen and earning a degree from Dalhousie College. After working on various public works projects in Montreal, he pursued a law degree from McGill University and became the law clerk for the Canadian Senate in 1882, a role he held for 48 years.
Creighton is best known for organizing the first recorded indoor ice hockey match in 1875 at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal, which significantly contributed to the sport's popularity. He was instrumental in formalizing its rules and helped form the Rideau Hall Rebels hockey club, which included prominent political figures. His efforts ultimately led to the establishment of the Stanley Cup, a key trophy in ice hockey. In recognition of his contributions, Creighton was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame in 1993, and his legacy continues to be honored in Canada. He passed away in Ottawa, where a monument was dedicated to him in Beechwood National Cemetery in 2009.
Subject Terms
James George Aylwin Creighton
Founder of modern ice hockey
- Born: June 12, 1850
- Birthplace: Halifax, Nova Scotia
- Died: June 27, 1930
- Place of death: Ottawa, Ontario
Contribution: James George Aylwin Creighton was a Canadian lawyer, athlete, engineer, and journalist who became known as the founding father of organized ice hockey. He also worked as a legal clerk for the Senate of Canada for more than forty-eight years. An ice hockey rink is named in honor of his achievements and contributions to ice hockey and Canadian sports in general.
Early Life and Education
Creighton was born on June 12, 1850, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, the eldest child of William Hudson Creighton and Anna Fairbanks. He graduated at fourteen from Halifax Grammar School and earned a bachelor’s degree from Dalhousie College in Halifax. After studying to be an engineer under Sandford Fleming, a chief engineer with Intercolonial Railway, Creighton spent several years in Montreal, where he worked on various public works such as Montreal Harbor and the Lachine Canal. He went on to study law and, in 1880, received a law degree from McGill University, after which he worked for some time in a Montreal law practice. In 1882, Creighton was appointed to the Senate as a law clerk, and he would remain in that position for the rest of his life.
Ice Hockey
Creighton is credited with formalizing many of the rules of the modern game of ice hockey. A pivotal event in the history of the sport took place on March 3, 1875: the first public indoor game, in which Creighton served as a team captain. The match, which he was later said to have organized, was played at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal and was such a success that new teams quickly formed and the media began to cover the sport in the mainstream press.
While in the Senate, Creighton formed a hockey club with other young politicians and parliamentarians known as the Rideau Hall Rebels. The team also included two sons of the governor general, Lord Frederick Arthur Stanley. The Rebels played locally, attracting some attention, and soon organized competitions along with other enthusiastic players. Lord Stanley, a fan of the game, became interested in the sporting events and decided to acknowledge the amateur competitions by sponsoring an ice hockey championship, the Lord Stanley Challenge Cup. The Stanley Cup, as it later became known, is one of the premier sporting awards and is still the most coveted prize in hockey.
In 1993, Creighton was inducted into the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. On May 22, 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that Creighton should be considered a person of historic significance. The event took place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, the home rink of the Montreal Canadiens ice hockey club. The following year, in the fall of 2009, a monument in Beechwood National Cemetery was dedicated to Creighton.
Personal Life
Creighton married Eleanor Platt on June 25, 1878. The couple did not have children. Creighton died at the age of eighty on June 27, 1930, in Ottawa, Ontario.
Bibliography
Canadian Press. “‘Father’ of Ice Hockey Honoured.” TheStar.com. Toronto Star Newspapers, 23 May 2008. Web. 30 July 2013.
Canadian Press. “PM Unveils Monument to Hockey Hero James Creighton.” Globe and Mail. Globe and Mail Inc., 23 Aug. 2012. Web. 30 July 2013.
Fitsell, J. W. “Creighton, James George Aylwin.” Dictionary of Canadian Biography. U of Toronto and Université Laval, 2013. Web. 30 July 2013.
“James G. A. Creighton—Ottawa.” Birthplace of Hockey. Windsor Hockey Heritage Soc., 2013. Web. 30 July 2013.
“James George Aylwin Creighton (1850–1930).” Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper. Prime Minister of Canada, 24 Oct. 2009. Web. 30 July 2013.
Jenish, D’Arcy. “Hockey’s Forgotten Pioneer.” Legion Magazine. Legion Magazine, 18 Jan. 2008. Web. 30 July 2013.
“PM Unveils Monument for ‘Father’ of Organized Hockey.” Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper. Prime Minister of Canada, 24 Oct. 2009. Web. 30 July 2013.