Hurling, is an Irish field game that originated thousands of years ago. According to the Gaelic Athletic Association, hurling developed in Leinster where it was played with a soft ball and a hard, broad stick. When the Irish arrived in North America they of course, brought their favourite game with them and in the winter months this evolved into ice hurley. There are records of ice hurley being played as early as 1800 in Nova Scotia.

Much of the equipment, rules and general conduct of play developed in Nova Scotia with these early games of hurling. Ice hurley, or ice hockey as it came to be known, evolved slowly, throughout many decades of play, with influences as diverse and complex as the game itself.