There is no evidence that Theodor Herzl (1860-1904), the visionary of the State of Israel and the founder of the Zionist movement, knew anything about hockey.  However, he would be proud to know that there are a number of hockey tournaments that memorialize him.

The original Herzl Cup ball hockey tournament was played between lawyers at the Goodmans law firm starting in 1991 and continuing for two decades.  On the occasion of its fifth competition in 1995, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman sent the following greeting: “When hockey brings people together to promote sportsmanship and friendship, as your tournament does, it makes us proud to be the premier league of the sport.”

In 1998, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave the following greeting:

“This competition, held in the name of Theodore........

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