How were early ice hockey games different from modern games?

Early ice hockey games differed significantly from the modern sport in terms of rules, equipment, and team size.

• Team Size: Early games were far less structured, sometimes allowing as many as 30 players per side on the ice. Modern games are standardized with six players per team.123
• Equipment: Early matches were often played with a ball, though a wooden block was sometimes used to prevent the object from rising and hitting spectators. The modern puck—a disk of vulcanized rubber—was not standardized until later. Additionally, early goals were simply two stones frozen into the ice at each end of the rink.4152
• Goaltending: Under early rules, a goaltender was required to remain stationary when making a save. Later innovations allowed goalies to leap or dive to stop the puck.6
• Rules and Structure: The game evolved through the introduction of blue lines to divide the ice into three zones, which allowed for forward passing in the neutral zone and increased the game's speed. Other innovations included the formalization of the assist and the use of numbered uniforms.6