Question: when was the first hockey game ever played

title: First indoor ice hockey game
text: In 2002 , the International Ice Hockey Federation ( IIHF ) announced that it would acknowledge the site of Victoria Rink with `` a commemorative plaque or other historical site marker to remind the passers - by of the existence of the Victoria Skating Rink , the birthplace of organized hockey . '' The commemoration has been marked in two ways . On May 22 , 2008 , a commemorative plaque was dedicated at the nearby Centre Bell , along with a plaque honouring James Creighton . Further , the IIHF created the Victoria Cup , a trophy named for the arena , for which -- along with 1 million Swiss francs -- one National Hockey League team and the champion of the European Champions Hockey League play off annually . The first Cup match was held in Berne , Switzerland on October 1 , 2008 between the New York Rangers and the Metallurg Magnitogorsk . The next , and last , edition of the Victoria Cup was held in Zurich on September 29 , 2009 , between the ZSC Lions and the Chicago Blackhawks .