Winnipeg has a long and storied sports history. It has been home to several professional hockey, football and baseball franchises. There have also been numerous university and amateur athletes over the years who have left their mark.
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In 1972, the Winnipeg Jets were one of the original teams of the World Hockey Association and won three Avco World Trophy league titles in eight years. The Jets entered the National Hockey League in 1979 and played in Winnipeg until 1996. The Jets featured such Hall of Famers as WHA coach Rudy Pilous and players Bobby Hull, Dale Hawerchuk, and (briefly) Serge Savard, as well as potential Hall of Famers Teemu Selänne and Phil Housley. In 1996, the team was sold to an ownership group based in Phoenix, Arizona, and moved there to become the Phoenix Coyotes.
From 1996 to 2011, Winnipeg was home to the minor-league Manitoba Moose, a member of the American Hockey League. The Moose were the farm team to the NHL's Vancouver Canucks.
The old Winnipeg Arena (1955–2006) was originally home to the Winnipeg Warriors (minor pro) of the Western Hockey League (minor pro) from 1955 to 1961. The Warriors were World's Minor Professional Champions in 1955-56, winning the Edinburgh Cup. The Arena was also home to the Winnipeg Warriors of the WHL from 1980 through 1984, and the Winnipeg Monarchs of the same league in the 1960s and 70s.
The Manitoba Moose played out of the MTS Centre.
In May 2011, speculations arose that True North, a Canadian entertainment company was indeed purchasing the Atlanta Thrashers, with a deal to play in the MTS Centre.
On May 31, 2011, True North confirmed the purchase of the Atlanta Thrashers during a press conference, although at that time, the deal was still pending approval from the NHL Board of Governors. True North said at the press conference that a name had not been discussed but would be first on the table. Also announced was a 13,000 season ticket drive put forth to show interest from the community in the return of NHL to Winnipeg. On June 21, 2011, the NHL Board of Governors approved the sale and relocation of the Thrashers franchise to Winnipeg, naming them the Jets after the old NHL franchise, which is now based in Arizona.
Winnipeg produced Hall of Fame hockey players Andy Bathgate, Bill Mosienko, Art Coulter, Ching Johnson, Frank Fredrickson, Jack Ruttan and Terry Sawchuk. Beyond that, 183 major league professional hockey players were born in Winnipeg.[1]
The Stanley Cup was won three times by the Winnipeg Victorias in 1896, 1901 and 1902. The Winnipeg Falcons won the gold medal in the 1920 Winter Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. The Winnipeg Hockey Club won the gold medal in the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.[2]
Winnipeg has a team in the Canadian Football League, the Blue Bombers, who have won 10 Grey Cups, the league's championship trophy. The Winnipeg 'Pegs won the Grey Cup in 1935. Winnipeg also hosted the Grey Cup game in 1991, 1998 and 2006.
| Years Operated | Team | League(s) | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930–Present | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | CFL | 10 |
| 1920–1996 | Winnipeg Hawkeyes | MJFL, CJFL | 0 |
| 1920–1994 | Winnipeg Rods | MJFL, CJFL | 5 |
| 2002–Present | Winnipeg Rifles | CJFL | 0 |
| Years Operated | Team | Championships |
|---|---|---|
| 1902–1942 | Winnipeg Maroons | |
| 1953–1964 | Winnipeg Goldeyes | |
| 1970–1971 | Winnipeg Whips | 0 |
| 1994–Present | Winnipeg Goldeyes | 1 |
Minor-league baseball has a long history in Winnipeg.
1902-1942: Winnipeg Maroons of the original Northern League
1953-1964: Winnipeg Goldeyes, an affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals in the Class C Northern League
1970-1971: Winnipeg Whips, AAA affiliate of the Montreal Expos
In 1994, the Rochester Aces of the independent Northern League re-located to Winnipeg, and the team was renamed the Goldeyes.
Initially, the team played at multi-purpose Winnipeg Stadium. In 1999, the team moved to the downtown CanWest Global Park, a baseball-only stadium. The Goldeyes are owned by current mayor Sam Katz.
Winnipeg was once home to the Winnipeg Fury professional soccer team, playing in the Canadian Soccer League and winning the final championship to be hosted in the league.
| Years Operated | Team | League(s) | Championships |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987–1992 | Winnipeg Fury | CSL | 1 |
| 2011- | WSA Winnipeg | PDL | 0 |
The first track horse race in Winnipeg took place in 1922. Whittier Park and Polo Park were used as racetracks in the past. Today, Assiniboia Downs is a six and one half furlong oval located on the western edge of the city. It is operated as a non-profit organization by the Manitoba Jockey Club. Live thoroughbred horse racing takes place in the summer.
Winnipeg hosted the 1967 Pan American Games and 1999 Pan American Games. In 1991, the city hosted the fifth Western Canada Summer Games.
Some of the notable sports figures from Winnipeg include six time Olympic speedskating medallist and most decorated Canadian Olympian Cindy Klassen,[3] Olympic Taekwondo athlete and bronze-medallist Dominique Bosshart, Summer and Winter Olympic medal winner Clara Hughes and Canadian Olympic Women's Hockey Gold Medallist Jennifer Botterill.
Daniel Yanofsky, the first chess Grandmaster developed in the British Commonwealth, lived in Winnipeg from infancy, and he organized and played in Canada's first Supergrandmaster chess tournament in Winnipeg 1967.[4]
The Winnipeg area is the only place where bandy is played.[1]
Winnipeg has a number of skateboard parks- some leftovers from the 1970s and many more recent additions to the skateboard scene.[5] In 2006, Winnipeg completed a project that saw the construction of a large skate plaza at the Forks. The plaza was visited by Tony Hawk in his Secret Skate Park Tour in the same year. In 2007 and 2008 the plaza was host to the Rogers WAM International skate board competition, in addition to numerous other competitive and non-competitive events.[6][7][8]
The University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba have active and successful programs in sports, especially volleyball and basketball. The University of Winnipeg's women's basketball team won 88 consecutive games during the 1990s, tying a college sports record. The University of Manitoba Bisons football team has won three Vanier Cup trophies, won the Hardy Trophy ten times and won the Mitchell Bowl four times. Volleyball is particularly strong, with consistently high-calibre play, dating back to the standing (in 2007) record of four consecutive national university championships held by the University of Winnipeg Wesmen since the early 1970s.
Winnipeg is also home to many of the world's best curling teams and has hosted the World Curling Championships in 1978, 1991 and 2003. Several World Curling Championships winners have called Winnipeg home including Don Duguid, Kerry Burtnyk, Jeff Stoughton, Georgina Wheatcroft and Jennifer Jones.
Winnipeg is home to the Winnipeg Roller Derby League, which consists of three home teams, and one travel team, the Murder City Maidens. Popularity for this sport is growing, with a sold-out bout taking place at the Winnipeg Convention Centre in February, 2010. The Murder City Maidens have traveled to bouts in North Dakota, Alberta, Rural Manitoba, and have hosted other teams in Winnipeg.[9]