Ice Hockey Autographs

Few fans are as passionate as those of ice hockey, and their enthusiasm is evident in the collection of hockey player autographs. Ice hockey autographs reflect the richness of the sport's tradition along with its history, which dates back to the 18th century.

The year 1773 marked the first mention of the sport of hockey in a youth sports manual, but by that time, the popularity of stick-and-ball games was already well ensconced in European culture. European immigrants brought these games to North America, allowing the sport of ice hockey to blossom in the early 19th century. By the century's end, ice hockey leagues peppered the Canadian landscape and American East coast universities were scrimmaging in ice hockey matches.

The first professional hockey teams emerged in the early 20th century, which allowed the sport to receive even more international acclaim and a growing fan base. Signed memorabilia ranging from the sport's idols Wayne Gretzky and Sidney Crosby to Big Six teams garner enthusiasm among collectors.

Quick Facts

• The earliest American predecessor to ice hockey was known as "shinny," an informal version of the game akin to street hockey
• The Stanley Cup, named after Canadian governor Lord Stanley of Preston, was first awarded in 1893
• The name of hockey has no clear origins, although a similar stick-and- ball game known as "hokie" first mentioned in 1573 might bear an ancestral link