As an institution that helps bind Canadians to an imagined community, hockey has long been associated with an essential Canadian identity. However, this reductionism ignores the ways Canadians consume hockey differently based on their socio-economic background, gender, ethnicity, and location. Moreover, Canadian culture is not static, and hockey’s place in it has evolved and changed.

In Coast to Coast, a wide range of contributors examine the historical development of hockey across Canada, in both rural and urban settings, to ask how ideas about hockey have changed. Conceptually broad, the essays explore identity formation by investigating what hockey meant to Canadians from the nineteenth century to the Second World War, as well as the role of government, entrepreneurs, and voluntary associations in supporting and promoting the game. Coast to Coast is an intriguing look at the development of a national sport, a must-read for hockey fans and historians alike.