When did European settlers in Canada begin playing lacrosse?

European settlers in Canada began playing lacrosse around 1840. The sport, which had been played by Indigenous peoples for centuries, received its name from French settlers who observed that the implement used to carry and throw the ball resembled a bishop's crozier, or la crosse.1

Following this adoption, the first formal organization for the sport, the Olympic Club, was established in Montreal in 1842.1