"Boston Rink" c1880 41" Hockey Stick? or something else..

[CarltonHendricks]

<img src="http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc120/CarltonHendricks/CarltonHendricks001/PICT0226_zpse8cb8e00.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo PICT0226_zpse8cb8e00.jpg"/>

<img src="http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc120/CarltonHendricks/CarltonHendricks001/PICT0225_zps13527089.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo PICT0225_zps13527089.jpg"/>

<img src="http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc120/CarltonHendricks/BOSTONRINKMARK_zps91a0c707.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo BOSTONRINKMARK_zps91a0c707.jpg"/>

<img src="http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc120/CarltonHendricks/DOWN_zps31a3820c.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo DOWN_zps31a3820c.jpg"/>

<img src="http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc120/CarltonHendricks/HANDLE3_zps57460f3d.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo HANDLE3_zps57460f3d.jpg"/>

<img src="http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc120/CarltonHendricks/HANDLE2_zpsaaa7be6f.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo HANDLE2_zpsaaa7be6f.jpg"/>

<img src="http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc120/CarltonHendricks/FLAT_zpsc00001d0.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo FLAT_zpsc00001d0.jpg"/>

41" long
I saw this at the National and really liked it...but passed...The dealer still had it so last week so I bought it....it came yesterday...I know nothing about hockey or hockey sticks I just like it...It's got a printed marking on the handle "Boston Rink"....The patina, the condition, and especially the marking all had me...Gave $300.00 for it...

<img src="http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc120/CarltonHendricks/CarltonHendricks001/HardyRollerPolo_zps5a7aa8d4.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo HardyRollerPolo_zps5a7aa8d4.jpg"/>

http://library.la84.org/SportsLibrary/JSH/JSH2006/JSH3302/jsh3302e.pdf
Because of the Boston Rink marking I assumed it was a hockey stick...But then I showed it to Stephen Hardy a hockey historian and he thinks it may have been for "roller polo"...He sent me a PDF of a paper he did on Roller Polo...I haven't read it all yet but it sounds like the sport was hugely popular in the late 19th century, link above...

[prewarsports]

It is roller polo (like todays inline or roller hockey). It was popular in the Boston area at the time and actually the two men who were the most well known players in the area were Baseball star Frank Bancroft and his brother who also owned a rink in Massachusetts (New Bedford I think). It was more curved on the base so it would not scar the floor and get a more true shot on the ball. Cool item!

[baseball tourist]

Cool relic! It it were hockey (Ice Hockey as our American friends sometimes refer to one of Canada's two national sports) it would be a 4-5 figure item.

[Huysmans]

Hey Carlton,

Your stick is definitely an early hockey stick. Probably 1890's. These models are often referred to as polo, or ice polo sticks. They were most commonly used in the US, in the days before the "American" style, played with a ball, was abandoned. And the "Canadian" game, played with the modern style stick, and a puck, was widely adopted. These do turn up from time to time, with Spalding or Wright & Ditson models usually seen. Here's a vintage ad from my collection.

[Huysmans]

Here's a few examples of mine.

[CarltonHendricks]

Hey Carlton,

Your stick is definitely an early hockey stick. Probably 1890's. These models are often referred to as polo, or ice polo sticks. They were most commonly used in the US, in the days before the "American" style, played with a ball, was abandoned. And the "Canadian" game, played with the modern style stick, and a puck, was widely adopted. These do turn up from time to time, with Spalding or Wright & Ditson models usually seen. Here's a vintage ad from my collection.

Huysmans, WOW...that catalog page blows the case wide open...thank you so much for posting that...I just PM'd you my regular email address to ask you to send a larger photo of it so I can enlarge and read all the text...having a hard time reading the lengths...again thank you -Carlton