On 30 January 1987, a panel composed of arbitrators Francois Carrard, Hans Nater and Jean Gay rendered an award resolving a dispute that had arisen between Hockey Club X. and the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation (LSHG), further to an incident during a match in the Swiss National Championship of 1985. The HC X. c. LSHG award was the very first award rendered by the then fledgling Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). History has shown that the establishment of the CAS responded to a real and important need in the international sports community, but this was far from certain at that time. Today, as the designated last-instance adjudicating body in most international sports regulations, and having issued more than 3,000 awards, including in the course of 11 editions of the Olympic Games, the CAS is universally seen as the “supreme court” of world sports. Arbitrators Carrard, Nater and Gay have kindly accepted to share their memories of that first case, their views on the CAS’s development over the 30 years that have elapsed since the issuance of their award, and some ideas for the future of this unique institution.