Popular sports
The most popular spectator sport in Canada is ice hockey, which was created in the country in the 19th century. The Stanley Cup is the trophy awarded to the winners of the National Hockey league – Lord Stanley, Governor General, donated the trophy in 1892. Adrienne Clarkson, 26th Governor General (incidentally the first Asian person to hold the post), established the Clarkson Cup in 2005 for female hockey teams. Hockey is incredibly popular amongst young Canadians, who play at school, in Leagues, or even in street games wearing rollerskates or rollerblades. Collecting hockey cards is still a popular pastime for children in Canada.
Canadian football comes second to hockey in popularity. Curling, a game brought to Canada by Scottish immigrants, a form of bowling on ice, is a popular sport. The official summer sport of Canada is lacrosse, a game taught to settlers by Aboriginals, who have played it for many hundreds of years. There are more registered soccer players in Canada than for any other sport.
