1895–96 MHA season
| | |
|---|---|
| League | Manitoba Hockey Association |
| Sport | ice hockey |
| Number of teams | 2 |
| 1895–96 | |
| Champion | Winnipeg Victorias |
| MHA seasons | |
| ← 1894–95 1896–97 → | |
The 1896 Manitoba Hockey Association season was a series of five games contested by the Winnipeg Victorias and the Winnipeg Hockey Club. During the season, on February 14 the Victorias played a Stanley Cup challenge match in Montreal, defeating the Montreal Victorias. Winnipeg won 2–0 to win the Cup. This was the first time the Stanley Cup champion was from a league other than the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada. The Victorias won the season series to retain the Cup for the league.
Season
Final Standing
| Team | Games Played | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winnipeg Victorias | |
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| Winnipeg Victorias | |
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Source: Zweig.[1]
Playoffs
There were no playoffs as the Victorias won first place exclusively.
Stanley Cup challenge
Victorias vs. Winnipeg at Montreal
The first successful challenge to the Cup came in February 1896 by the Winnipeg Victorias, the 1895 champions of the MHA. On February 14, Winnipeg beat defending champion Montreal Victorias, 2–0, becoming the first team outside the AHAC to win the Cup.
| Date | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 14, 1896 | Winnipeg Victorias | 2 – 0 | Montreal Victorias | Victoria Rink |
Winnipeg at Montreal
| Winnipeg | (2) | at | Montreal | (0) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| George Merritt | G | Robert Jones | ||
| Rod Flett | P | Harold Henderson | ||
| Fred Higginbotham | CP | Mike Grant | ||
| Jack Armytage | 1 † | F | Robert MacDougall | |
| Toat Campbell | 1 | F | Shirley Davidson | |
| Dan Bain | 1 † | F | Ernie McLea | |
| Attie Howard | F | Reg Wallace | ||
| sub | Hartland MacDougall | |||
Referee - A. F. Martin
First goal of Winnipeg: †
- Jack Armytage's biography at Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame :
"One of his greatest games was on February 14, 1896 in a sudden death game for the Stanley Cup when Jack Armytage scored the winning goal in 2-0 victory over Montreal; the first time the Cup came West."
- Dan Bain's biography at Hockey Hall of Fame :
"On February 14, 1896, the team traveled east to try to strip the Montreal Victorias of their Stanley Cup. Bain scored the winning goal in the Westerners' 2-0 upset to claim the hallowed silverware."
According to The Globe, in its report on the game:
“The westerners started in with a rush and scored the two games; one in ten minutes and one in nine minutes before the Vics seemed to waken up. For the rest of the first half, the honors were even. In the second half, the Winnipeggers were strictly on the defensive. Shot after shot was fired on their goal but the Vics could not score due to the superb work of Merritt, the visitor's goalkeeper. The match ended 2 to 0 in favour of the visitors. Both sides were dissatisfied with the work of Mr. Alexis Martin of Toronto as referee; claiming he was utterly ignorant of the rules, an opinion which seemed to be shared by the spectators.”[2]
According to the Winnipeg Tribune, in its report on the game:
“It was rushed to the Montreal end where Howard lifted it from the corner to the front of the posts where Armytage was waiting and sent it through in 10 minutes.”[3]
According to the Ottawa Journal, in its report on the game:
“Armitage scored after 10 minutes of play on a pass from Howard.”[4]
Winnipeg Victorias 1896 Stanley Cup champions
Roster
- Dan Bain(center),
- Jack Armytage(Rower-Captain),
- Colin "Tote" Campbell (Winger),
- Tom "Attie" Howard (Winger)
- Bobby Benson (F-Spare did not play)
- Rod Flett(point),,
- Fred Higginbotham (coverpoint),
- Charles Johnston(coverpoint)
- George "Whitey" Merritt
- Gordon Lewis
- Coaching and administrative staff
- Edward B. Nixon (President),
- Able Code (Vice President/Manager),
- J. Carter (Mascot/Trainer).
- (Trainers first name is unknown.)
Stanley Cup engraving
- VICTORIAS
- -- of --
- WINNIPEG
- -- 1895 --
- -Note Winnipeg engraved 1895, because they defeated the 1895 champion before the 1896 hockey season was completed.
See also
References
- Coleman, Charles L. (1966), The Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1, 1893–1926 inc.
- Zweig, Eric (2012). Stanley Cup: 120 years of hockey supremacy. Firefly Books. ISBN 978-1-77085-104-7.
- Notes
| Preceded by Montreal Victorias 1895 |
Winnipeg Victorias Stanley Cup Champions 1896 |
Succeeded by Montreal Victorias December 1896 |
| Preceded by 1894–95 |
MHA seasons 1895–96 |
Succeeded by 1896–97 |