There Was a 1920s Health Fad Playing Hockey in Swimsuits

Here, members of the Buffalo Snow Birds playing hockey in the winter time in their bathing suits to keep healthy and fit in New York, circa 1928.

Another photograph shows women in Minneapolis playing hockey in bathing suits, circa 1925.

Ice hockey came to the U.S. from Canada at the end of the 19th century. Women started playing immediately, forming their own clubs.

The rise of the sport came at a time when women were increasingly attending college, joining professions, and taking on wage work. With this came the controversial ideal of the “strenuous woman,” who should be strong and capable, rather than meek and frail like a model Victorian lady.