1885 Varsity Match
The 1885 Varsity Match was supposedly the first match between Oxford University and Cambridge University.
A a game is said to have been played in St. Moritz, Switzerland, won by Oxford 6-0.[1] This date is recognized by the Hockey Hall of Fame, and prior to the 1985 Varsity Match, the International Ice Hockey Federation formally recognised the game played a century earlier as having been the first ice hockey match played in Europe.[2] However, there is no contemporary evidence that the 1885 match took place, and Oxford now claim that it was a bandy match.[3] If the 1885 date is accepted, this is the oldest rivalry in ice hockey.[4][5]
The first confirmed match between Oxford and Cambridge was 10 years later, in 1895. The first "official" match was played in 1900.