OUR history F
rom the frozen canal to our new state of the art
The school’s commitment to the game has endured
home, hockey and Ridley have been indivisible for
having built four rinks with the latest addition, Tiger
more than 125 years. For more than a century, the
Arena, opening in January of 2009. Continuing its
Tigers have played Canada’s game like it was their
tradition of leadership in athletics, Ridley was at the
own. Founded in 1889, the game of hockey has been
forefront of the explosion of women’s hockey in
a part of this school just as long as any of its other
Canada. Playing an organized schedule for the first
traditions. Ridley’s first official team (1893) honed their
time in 1993, Ridley girls had been skating since they
skills on the frozen 12 Mile Creek running along the
first joined Ridley in 1973. Now over 25 years into
east side of campus. With few indoor hockey arenas
their own history, the girls program has developed
in this era, the school became a hockey leader when
into one of the top prep hockey programs in North
it built the campus’ first indoor ice surface, Nichols
America.
Hall, in 1903 giving birth to the modern game. Most of Ridley’s early hockey experiences took place in the Niagara Region before becoming part of “The Little Big Four”. This precursor to the Conference of Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA) that we know today was a breeding ground for top athletes & hockey prodigies.
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Playing hockey at Ridley is much more than a team or an individual pursuit. It is the continuation of one of the longest & most storied sport histories in Canada. Wearing the orange & black connects our athletes to a unique hockey family unparalleled in Canadian school sport.
