The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-16
CANUCK GAME OF HOCKEY IS
 NOW AN AMERICAN PASTIME

New York, January 15.-( Special l-)-Two of the most yirile sports of modern times lacrosse and hockey, are justly claimed by Canadians. John Bull has his cricket, Uncle Sam his baseball and Scotland its golf, but to the Lady of Shows must be accorded maternal interest in the first mentioned sports.
 Uncle Sam does not believe for one minute that his national pastime is an improved form of rounders played by Britons years ago, nor do our neighbors Of the Dominion countenance the idea that ice hockey is merely an advanced form of shinney.
 Lacrosse, by reason of its conflict with baseball, does not appear destined 10 take hold in this country, and as mat ter of fact the base hit and the bunt are making greater inroads every year into the Dominion. Ice hockey, on the other hand, is making steady advance ment in this country.
 The absence of a really spectacular !, game to fill in between the close of the football and the opening of the baseball season has been a long-felt want, and  Gotham-the St. Nicholas rink being the gathering place for all local lovers of hockey-Boston, Cleveland, Pittsburg and Chicago has paved the way for the in- troduction of ice hockey and it's gradual adoption as the most popular Of the winter sports.
 Weather conditions in this country have initiated against ice hockey outdoors, and except in the northern portions of the states the game has been more or less intermittent. The great necessity for the steady growth of hockey has been artificial rinks, and since the tide ap- pears to have set in, prospects are bright that in a few years all of the big cities | will possess one or more artlnclai rinhs'
 New York was the pioneer ice rink city in the east, and with the installation or the refrigerating plant in the spacious building at the St. Nicholas rink, skat- ing and hockey became the most popular indoor sports in the metropolis.
 So magnetic is the sport in Canada that Athe leading professionals are paid more fin proportion for their services than are the diamond heroes on this side of the water. The majority of them are under contract and competition for their ser vices is fully as keen as for those or s1ajoie, Wagner or Ty Cobb.
 The game is played by teams of seven men on each side, and while the rules in different associations vary slightly, the main points are similar wherever the sport is found. Under the rule of the American Amateur Hockey league the d. mensions of the playing area must be not less than 112x5S feet, the sides Of the ring constituting the side lines and i'm aginary lines al the two ends forming the goal lines.
 The goads are placed in the middle of each goal line, one at each end. The zeal is composed of two upright posts each four feet in height, which are firmly fixed in the ice six feet apart, and joined by strong netting which is hung at an angle forming cage.
 This is all the setting needed for the game, there being no markings such as are found on the gridiron, no foul lines as on the baseball field, and no penalty area as in association football. It is all simple a sheet of ice with goals at each end and the arena is ready.
 Players on skates armed with hockey sticks a vulcanized rubber puck, and the necessary number of officials, make the setting complete. No special restric- ton is placed on the skates, except that they must not be pointed sharpened in manner likely to be dangerous to other players, the referee being the judge of these points.
 Hockey sticks resemble the hurling club used in Ireland's national games. but are not as heavy. The sticks are fiat on the sides, shaped like the old-fashioned shinney stick, but being much wider in the blade, the length of which is limited to 13 inches and the width to three niches.
 The puck, the equivalent of the ball in most other branches of sports, is disk of rubber one inch in thickness and three inches in diameter. For an ordinary match a referee, two goal umpires and two timekeepers are quite sufficient The referee has practically sole control of the match, having charge of the puck, the calling of 'off-side' plays and the power to rule off players for violations of the rules.
 The Amateur Hockey league of this city began it's campaign on January 8, when the septette of the champion New York Athletic club and the Hockey Club of New York gathered on the ice of the St. Nicholas rink. The disbanding of the Wanderer s. c. leaves but four eevens in the organization, and the schedule has necessarily been shortened.
 Several of the clubs in the league prof ited by the disruption of the Wanderers, and with their added strength promise to make trouble for the stronger combIa- tions In fact, the strength in the league Is more balanced than at any time since the league was formed. No club can be looked upon as a winner, as has been the case for the past two years. when the New York A. C. aggregation were conceded the championship even before the season opened.
 The battle for the title this year should be the closest ever contested in the Anna teur Hockey league. The New York A. C. and Crescent A. c. each have two legs on the trophy, and victory for either this year means permanent pos session of the coveted prize.