Winnipeg Victorias

Winnipeg Victorias
City	Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
League	Manitoba Hockey Association
Colors	Red, Yellow

Team portrait in 1900

The Winnipeg Victorias were a former amateur senior-level men's amateur ice hockey team in Winnipeg, Manitoba, organized in 1889.^[1] They played in the Manitoba Hockey Association (MHA) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Victorias won the Stanley Cup in February 1896, 1901 and January 1902 while losing the Cup in December 1896, February 1899, February 1900, March 1902, and February 1903. After the Stanley Cup became the professional championship, the Victorias continued in senior-level amateur play, winning the Allan Cup in 1911 and 1912.

Victorias hockey team, champions of Manitoba and Northwest Territories, 1892–1893

Team picture, 1899

History

The Victoria Hockey Club, and the first rink they played in, took their name from the then-reigning monarch of Canada, Queen Victoria.

From 1889 until 1892, the Victorias played exhibitions and played against other Winnipeg teams. The Victorias played in the first match in Western Canada between organized hockey clubs on December 20, 1890 against the Winnipeg Hockey Club at the Street Railway Rink in Winnipeg. The players were:

Victorias	Winnipegs
W. H. Thompson (goal) T. A. Howard (back) J. McCulloch, J. Armitage (wings) G. H. Merritt, F. Higginbotham, A. Norquay (forwards)	A. B. Clark (goal) F. L. Patton (back) C. Dennison, McDonald (wings) F. Beckett, H. Beckett, J. R. Waghorn (forwards)

Source: "In the Early Days". The Globe. December 28, 1910. p. 11.

The Victorias helped to found the Manitoba Hockey Association in 1893. In February 1893, players from the Victorias joined players from the Winnipeg Dragoons and the Winnipeg Hockey Club on a tour of Eastern Canada to demonstrate the quality of ice hockey in Western Canada.^[2] Tour schedule

• February 9 vs. Toronto Victorias at Toronto, Ontario (W 8–2)^[3]
• February 10 vs. Toronto Osgoode Hall at Toronto (W 11–5)^[4]
• February 11 vs. Queen's College at Kingston, Ontario (W 4–3)^[5]
• February 13 vs. Ottawa Hockey Club at Ottawa, Ontario (L 1–4)^[6]
• February 15 vs. Montreal Hockey Club at Montreal, Quebec (L 4–7)^[7]
• February 17 vs. Peterborough at Peterborough, Ontario (W 9–3)^[8]
• February 20 vs. Toronto Granites at Toronto (W 11–3)^[9]
• February 21 vs. London at London, Ontario (W 7–1)^[10]
• February 22 vs. Niagara Falls at Niagara Falls, Ontario (W 10–4)^[11]
• February 23 vs. Hamilton Thistles at Hamilton, Ontario (cancelled)^[12]
• February 24 vs. Combined Ontario/Osgoode Hall at Toronto (L 3–4)^[13]

Source: Montreal Gazette^[14]

The Victorias first won the Stanley Cup in 1896, defeated the Montreal Victorias in a single-game challenge 2-0 on February 14, 1896 in Montreal. In the rematch, Winnipeg lost to Montreal in a single-game challenge 5-6 on December 30, 1896 in Winnipeg.

In 1898, the team moved to the new Winnipeg Auditorium, built to hold 2000 spectators for hockey. In February 1899, the Victorias would lose a two-game total goals series 5-3 against Montreal. In their next chance, the Victorias defeated Montreal Shamrocks in a two-game, total goals series 4-3, 2-1 (6-4) on January 29 and 31, 1901 in Montreal. The Victorias held the trophy, winning the Manitoba championship, and successfully defended the Stanley Cup against Toronto in two-game, total goals series 5-3, 5-3 (10-6) on January 21 and 23, 1902 in Winnipeg at the Auditorium. The Victorias run as champion ended in a loss to Montreal Hockey Club in a best two-of-three 1-0, 0-5 and 1-2 on March 13, 15 and 17, 1902 in Winnipeg.

After the Stanley Cup was awarded only to professional teams starting in 1908, the Victorias did not challenge for the Stanley Cup, and remained an amateur team, playing in the Manitoba Association. The 1911 Winnipeg Victorias appear to have won the Allan Cup by default when the Ontario Hockey Association refused to allow their team to play mid-season. In March of that year, the Vics defended the cup by defeating Kenora 12-5. In 1912 the Victorias defended the cup against Calgary (March 5 11-0 & March 7 8-6), Toronto Eatons (March 9 8-4 & 16-1) and Regina (March 14 9-3).

The 1896 & 1901 Stanley Cup champions and the 1911 & 1912 Allan Cup champions Winnipeg Victorias are inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in the team category.

Winnipeg Victorias 1901

Notable players

Hall of Fame members

• Dan Bain
• Herb Gardiner
• Jack Marshall
• Fred Scanlon
• Joe Simpson

NHL alumni

• Percy Galbraith
• Herb Gardiner
• George McNaughton
• Charley McVeigh
• Joe Simpson
• Art Somers

Winnipeg Victorias 1896 Stanley Cup champions

February 14, 1896 Stanley Cup winners

George Merritt(goal), Rod Flett(point), Fred Higginbotham (coverpoint), Charles Johnstone(coverpoint), Dan Bain(center), Jack Armytage(rover- Captain), Colin "Tote" Campbell(left wing), Tom "Attie" Howard(right wing), Bobby R Benson (Spare-left-right wing), Jack Sheppard (goal-played 1 regular season game), E.B. Nixon (President), Able Code (Vice President/Manager), J. Carter (Mascot/Trainer).

An interesting factoid for this 2-0 win over the similarly named Montreal Victorias is that the very first Stanley Cup Parade was held in Winnipeg on Main Street celebrating this victory.

Winnipeg Victorias 1901 Stanley Cup champions

January 31, 1901 Stanley Cup winners

Art Brown(goal), Rod Flett(point), Jack Marshall(point), Magnus Flett(coverpoint), Burke Wood(rover), Dan Bain(center -Captain), Fred Cadham(center), Charles Johnstone(left wing), Tony Gingras(right wing), George A. Carruthers (right wing) Jack Armytage (President), Mark Hooper (Trainer), Ted Robinson (Secretary-treasurer), Walter Pratt (Director).

Winnipeg Victorias 1902 Stanley Cup champions

January 23, 1902 Stanley Cup winners

Art Brown(goal), Dan Bain(center-Captain), Fred Cadham(Center), Rod Flett(point), Magnus Flett(coverpoint), Tony Gingras(rightwing), Charles Johnstone(left wing/rover), Fred Scanlan(left wing), Burke Wood(rover), Jack Armytage (President), Mark Hooper (Trainer), Ted Robinson (Secretary-treasurer), Walter Pratt (Director).

See also

• List of Stanley Cup champions
• List of ice hockey teams in Manitoba

References

• Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Triumph Books, 12, 50. ISBN 1-55168-261-3.

1. Farrell, Arthur (1899). Hockey: Canada's Royal Winter Game. p. 63.
2. Simpson 1989, p. 176.
3. "Hockey: Winnipegers Win in Toronto". Montreal Gazette. February 10, 1893. p. 8.
4. "Winnipeg Defeats Osgoode Hall". Montreal Gazette. February 11, 1893. p. 8.
5. "Winnipeg Defeats Queen's". Montreal Gazette. February 13, 1893. p. 2.
6. "Ottawa Defeats Winnipeg". Montreal Gazette. February 14, 1893. p. 8.
7. "Winnipegers Play Well". Montreal Gazette. February 16, 1893. p. 8.
8. "Winnipeg Defeats Peterboro". Montreal Gazette. February 18, 1893. p. 8.
9. "Winnipegs and Granites". Montreal Gazette. February 21, 1893. p. 8.
10. "Winnipeg Defeats London". Montreal Gazette. February 22, 1893. p. 8.
11. "Winnipeg Defeats Niagara Falls". Montreal Gazette. February 23, 1893. p. 8.
12. "Winnipeg Backed Out". Montreal Gazette. February 24, 1893. p. 8.
13. "Winnipeg Defeated". Montreal Gazette. February 25, 1893. p. 8.
14. "Tour of the Winnipeg Team". Montreal Gazette. February 6, 1893. p. 6.

External links

• Games of the 1895 Quebec-Winnipeg series
• 1896 Winnipeg Victorias at Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
• 1901 Winnipeg Victorias at Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
• 1911 Winnipeg Victorias at Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
• 1912 Winnipeg Victorias at Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame