from Lance Hornby of the Toronto Sun,

The mother country that gave Canada warm beer, Coronation Street and Benedict Cumberbatch, can now lay claim to originating and exporting our cool national sport.

Yes, there's some new, compelling and no doubt controversial evidence that hockey came from over 'ome and was played, with basic rules, much earlier than 1875 in Montreal, generally accepted as the first official match.

Before you dismiss it all as hum-buggery (how many English players have won the Hart Trophy, anyway?), check the extensive work put in by a trio of hockey historians in Sweden and Canada. They will present their findings Saturday at the annual meeting of the Society for International Hockey Research in Penetanguishene, Ont.

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