I thought I might share a recent happening you just as an example of some of the work and occurrences at The Hockey Museum. It never ceases to amaze me how the happenings continue to happen!

Recently we received a contact from a player in Denmark who is interested in the history of hockey in his country. He sent us a copy of a photograph of a hockey match between Denmark and Germany in Denmark in 1941 (right) – during WW2 and during the German occupation of Denmark. We are still looking into this as our records do not contain any international matches between 1939 and 1945, but what an interesting find.

Part of our response to our new ‘friend’ in Denmark was to ask if he had any other information on hockey from that era. We were really referring to the match mentioned above but his response opened up a whole new area of research. He sent us a photograph of an Ireland men’s team that he says played Denmark around 1940. Now that is a ‘wow’ moment. With Ireland being neutral in WW2 it might have been a possibility, however unlikely it may seem. Official records show the first fixture between them in the 1970s but we continue our investigation.

If sleuthing appeals to you, do come and join us.

Mike Smith, THM Curator, 24 August 2016