# Longest running Ice Hockey  competition?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-ice-hockey-competition/95901>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 29, 2001, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-ice-hockey-competition/95901 "2001-11-29T11:30:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\
**Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-ice-hockey-competition/95901/1 "2001-11-29T11:30:02Z")

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According to the latest issue of our student newspaper:

“…the Hockey Hall of Fame (Toronto, Canada) recognises the Cambridge-Oxford Varisty Match as the longest on-going Ice Hocky competition in the world.”

(_The Cambridge Student_ 22 Nov. 2001)

I’ve tried to find out on the various Hall of Fame websites, but can’t find any confirmation.

Anyone know whether this claim is true or not?  
Cheers,  
– Quirm

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**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\
**Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-ice-hockey-competition/95901/2 "2001-11-29T14:02:42Z")

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I can’t tell you for sure however, the HHOF is excellent at keeping track of such things. It doesn’t make too much sense that the longest series would be in the UK, but given the game has its origins in Canada it is more than likely that the game would have made its way back to the British Isles.

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**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\
**Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-ice-hockey-competition/95901/3 "2001-11-29T14:05:23Z")

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Also, if you can find a book called _Total Hockey_ it should be able to confirm the information, but since it is esentially a NHL publication, the source should be the same.

Maybe a TO doper could be bribed to go to the HHOF and confirm the answer?

If you do ever get to Toronto, the HHOF is worth a visit.

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**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\
**Post date:** [November 29, 2001, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/longest-running-ice-hockey-competition/95901/4 "2001-11-29T15:02:00Z")

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[McGill University](http://www.athletics.mcgill.ca/programs/default.asp?program=Intercollegiate+Sports&sport=Hockey) in Montreal claims to be the birthplace of “the game we call hockey today” in 1873. Their club was formed in 1877. The [Cambridge University Ice Hockey Club](http://www.cam.ac.uk/societies/cuihc/) was formed in 1885, followed by shortly by the [Oxford University Ice Hockey Club](http://users.ox.ac.uk/~crushtab/History_of_the_Blues.html) the same year. (The Oxford site says that there is “some evidence that the club may have existed as early as 1879.”) From the Oxford site regarding the Cambridge-Oxford rivalry:

> [@](#):
>
> Ours is one of the longest continuous rivalries in the game (80 Varsity Matches and counting). The first ice hockey Varsity Match was played in 1900, although the two teams played a bandy match in 1895 (confirmed), and possibly in 1885 (unconfirmed).

I can easily believe that this is the oldest _ongoing_ rivalry.