Montreal Winter Carnival ice hockey tournaments
The Montreal Winter Carnival ice hockey tournaments were a series of annual ice hockey tournaments held in the 1880s in conjunction with the Montreal Winter Carnival, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. First held in 1883, these tournaments are considered to be the first championship ice hockey tournaments and the predecessor to the first championship ice hockey league, the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada.
History
In 1883, the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (MAAA) was asked to add sports to the events to be held with the Montreal Carnival. The MAAA was affiliated with the Montreal Snow Shoe Club. Along with the McGill Hockey Club, they organized a four-team tournament, played partly outdoors on the Saint Lawrence River. The trophy for this tournament is on display at the McCord Museum in Montreal.[1] In 1884, the location changed to a rink made on the McGill University grounds. It was moved indoors subsequently. The carnival was not held in 1886 and 1888.
In December 1886, the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) was founded by the four Montreal teams (McGill, Montreal Hockey Club, Montreal Crystals, Montreal Victorias) and the Ottawa Hockey Club.
Season-by-season record
- 1883: Montreal Winter Carnival Hockey Tournament (winner McGill), held on the St. Lawrence River
- 1884: Montreal Winter Carnival Hockey Tournament (winner Victorias), held at McGill's outdoor rink
- 1885: Montreal Winter Carnival Hockey Tournament (winner Montreal), held at the Crystal Rink
- 1886: No tournament; Carnival cancelled[2] — Dominion Championship (winner Crystals)[3][4]
- 1887: Montreal Winter Carnival Hockey Tournament (winner Montreal)[5]
- 1888: No tournament; Carnival cancelled[6]
- 1889: Montreal Winter Carnival Hockey Tournament (winner Victorias)[7]
1883
The carnival was held from January 23 to January 28. Montreal, McGill and Quebec teams contested the trophy and McGill won the tournament.The trophy for this tournament is on display at the Musee McCord Museum in Montreal.[8]
| Date | Team | Score | Team | Score | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament | |||||
| January 26 | Montreal | 0 | Quebec | 0 | St. Lawrence River rink[9] |
| January 26 | McGill | 2 | Montreal | 1 | St. Lawrence River rink[9] |
| January 27 | McGill | 2 | Quebec | 2 | Crystal Rink[10] |
| Exhibitions | |||||
| January 27 | Quebec | 1 | Victorias | 1 | Victoria Rink[10][11] |
McGill wins hockey tournament
Rosters
The following players were part of the hockey teams participating in the 1883 Montreal Winter Carnival.
Montreal HC: C. Lamothe (c.), S. Abbott, J. Arnton, E. Sheppard, E. Stevenson, J. Muir, D. Watt.
Quebec HC: W. Scott (c.), F. Ashe, A. Scott, M. Swift, A. Colley, S. Valler, A. Davidson.
McGill: A. Low, J. Elder, P. Green, R. Smith, W. Murray, J. Kinlock (c.), P. Foster.
Source: Montreal Daily Witness
1884
The 1884 tournament saw several games lost due to rain. The outdoor rink was unplayable on February 6 and the Crystals and Wanderers did not show at the rink for their games. Both teams lost by default although the games could not have been played.
The tournament was the first appearance of the Ottawa Hockey Club in competitive play. The club made it to the final game before losing to the Victorias 1–0.
| Date | Team | Score | Team | Score | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibitions | |||||
| February 1 | Crystals | 5 | Wanderers | 0 | Crystal Rink[12] |
| Tournament | |||||
| February 4 | Victorias | 1 | McGill | 0 | McGill Rink[13] |
| February 5 | Crystals | 1 | Wanderers | 0 | McGill Rink[14] |
| February 6 | McGill | W | Crystals | L(default) | McGill Rink[15] |
| February 6 | Wanderers | L(default) | Victorias | W | McGill Rink[15] |
| February 7 | McGill | 1 | Ottawa | 0 | McGill Rink[16] |
| February 8 | Ottawa | 1 | Victorias | 0 | McGill Rink[17] |
| February 8 | Wanderers | L(default) | McGill | W | McGill Rink[13] |
| February 9 | Ottawa | 3 | McGill | 0 | McGill Rink[18] |
| February 9 | Victorias | 2 | Crystals | 0 | McGill Rink[13] |
| February 11 | Victorias | 1 | Ottawa | 0 | McGill Rink[19] |
Victorias win Winter Carnival Tournament
Source: Montreal Gazette
1885
| Date | Team | Score | Team | Score | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament | |||||
| January 27 | Ottawa | 3 | Crystals | 0 | Crystal Rink[20][21] |
| January 28 | Montreal | 3 | Montreal Football Club | 0 | Crystal Rink[22][21] |
| January 29 | McGill | 2 | Crystals | 0 | Crystal Rink[23][21] |
| January 30 | Ottawa | 2 | Montreal | 2 | Crystal Rink[24][21] |
| January 31 | Montreal | 1 | Ottawa | 0 | Crystal Rink[25][21] |
| January 31 | Montreal | 1 | McGill | 0 | Crystal Rink[25][21] |
Montreal wins Winter Carnival Tournament
Source: Montreal Gazette
1887
In February, the Montreal teams of the AHAC participated in the Montreal Winter Carnival hockey tournament. The tournament, which was scheduled to play outdoors on an ice rink at the Ice Palace, was disrupted by two days of storms, and was not completed until February 25. During this time, no AHAC challenges were played.
| Date | Team | Score | Team | Score | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibitions | |||||
| February 7 | Victorias | 2 | Montreal | 0 | Ice Palace Rink |
| February 11 | Montreal Crystals | 5 | Montreal HC (second) | 0 | Crystal Rink |
| "Tournament" (second teams) | |||||
| February 17 | Montreal Crystals | 6 | Montreal HC | 3 | Crystal Rink |
| February 23 | Montreal Victorias | 5 | McGill | 1 | Victoria Rink |
| February 25 | Montreal Victorias | 1 | Montreal HC | 1 | Victoria Rink |
| Tournament | |||||
| February 21 | Montreal Crystals | 0 | Montreal HC | 1 | Crystal Rink |
| February 23 | Montreal Victorias | 8 | McGill | 0 | Crystal Rink |
| February 25 | Montreal Victorias | 0 | Montreal HC | 1 | Crystal Rink |
Montreal wins Winter Carnival Tournament
Source: Montreal Gazette
Rosters
The following players were part of the hockey teams participating in the 1887 Montreal Winter Carnival.
Montreal HC: W. Hutchison, J. Stewart, A. Cameron, J. Findlay, A. Hodgson, J. Virtue, W. Hodgson.
Montreal Victorias: T. Arnton, J. Muir, J. Campbell, A. Shearer, J. Arnton, J. Craven, E. Barlow.
Montreal Crystals: W. Norris; D. Brown, C. Ellard; R. Laing, J. McDonald, S. McQuisten, J. McGoldrick, D. Elliott.
McGill: H. McNutt, A. Shanks, C. Wylde, F. Lucas, H. Budden, D. Hamilton, W. Warden.
Source: The Montreal Daily Herald
1889
The 1889 Winter Carnival featured the first game of ice hockey witnessed by Lord Stanley, Governor General of Canada, who would later donate the Stanley Cup.[26]
| Date | Team | Score | Team | Score | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 4 | Victorias | 2 | Montreal | 1 | Victoria Rink[26] |
| February 9 | Crystals | 7 | McGill | 3 | Victoria Rink[27] |
| February 18 | Victorias | 3 | Crystals | 2 | Victoria Rink[28] |
Montreal Victorias win Winter Carnival Tournament
Source: Kitchen 2000, p.12
1886 Burlington Winter Carnival
Since the Montreal Winter Carnival was not held in 1886, the city of Burlington, Vermont decided to stage a similar event, and invited several Canadian hockey teams for a tournament. The Montreal Crystals and the Montreal Hockey Club accepted, as did the Ottawa Hockey Club,[29] which later withdrew due to scheduling conflicts. A local team was quickly assembled from the employees of the Van Ness House, a hotel in Burlington. Montreal HC won the gold medal, and the Crystal won the silver.[30] Originally scheduled for February 15–19, the organizers were forced to move the events one week earlier due to unseasonable weather. The carnival was held on February 22–26. The hockey games were played on Lake Champlain in heavy wind. The first game was played on the morning of February 26, with two 20-minute halves. There was no score through 40 minutes, and Montreal's R. Smith scored in overtime. The second game was between Montreal HC and Van Ness House, and it was the first international ice hockey game. The players representing Van Ness House did not have any hockey experience, having only gone through a few practices prior to the carnival. The two teams played two 15-minute periods, with Montreal winning 3–0 and thus claiming the gold medal. The final game was played in two 10-minute periods, with J. McGoldrick of the Crystals scoring the only goal to capture the silver medal.
| Date | Team | Score | Team | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 26 | Montreal HC | 1 (OT) | Crystals | 0 |
| February 26 | Montreal HC | 3 | Van Ness House | 0 |
| February 26 | Crystals | 1 | Van Ness House | 0 |
Montreal wins Winter Carnival Tournament
Source: Lord Stanley: The Man Behind the Cup (ISBN 1-55168-281-8)
Rosters
The following players were part of the hockey teams participating in the 1886 Burlington Winter Carnival.[31]
Van Ness House: L. C. Johnson, C. H. Whitcomb, M. A. Kilvert, W. H. Waters, E. S. Griffing, H. Crane, W. Laduke (captain)
Montreal HC: T. L. Paton, G. Lowe, D. McIntyre, F. Barlow, F. Crispo, W. Hodgson, R. Smith, F. Larmonth (captain)
Montreal Crystals: A. Cameron, J. Findlay, E. McCaffrey, J. McGoldrick, W. Hutchison, J. Virtue, R. Laing (captain)
See also
References
- Kitchen, Paul (2000), "Before The Trail of the Stanley Cup", in Diamond, Dan, Total Hockey, pp. 8–15, ISBN 1-892129-85-X
- Kitchen, Paul (2008). Win, Tie or Wrangle. Manotick, Ontario: Penumbra Press. ISBN 978-1-897323-46-5.
- Notes
- ↑ A picture of this trophy can be seen at here.
- ↑ The 1886 Montreal Winter Carnival was cancelled due to a smallpox epidemic in Montreal.
- ↑ According to azhockey.com, Crystals was awarded the trophy, when the Quebec team did not finish due to the Crystals' rough tactics.
- ↑ Kitchen 2008, p. 35.
- ↑ Kitchen 2000, p. 10.
- ↑ http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=cqZKAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6CsDAAAAIBAJ&dq=carnival&pg=1490%2C3218663
- ↑ Kitchen 2000, p. 12.
- ↑ A picture of this trophy can be seen here.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "The Winter Carnival". Montreal Daily Witness. January 26, 1883. p. 8.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "The Winter Carnival". Montreal Daily Witness. January 29, 1883. p. 4.
- ↑ "Victoria Skating Club". Montreal Daily Witness. January 25, 1883. p. 4.
- ↑ "Sports and Games". Montreal Daily Witness. February 2, 1884. p. 5.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Kitchen 2008, p. 27.
- ↑ "The Hockey Matches". Montreal Gazette. February 6, 1884. p. 7.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "The Hockey Matches". Montreal Gazette. February 7, 1884. p. 5.
- ↑ "The Hockey Matches". Montreal Gazette. February 8, 1884. p. 5.
- ↑ "The Hockey Matches". Montreal Gazette. February 9, 1884. p. 5.
- ↑ "The Hockey Matches". Montreal Gazette. February 11, 1884. p. 5.
- ↑ "Hockey". Montreal Gazette. February 12, 1884. p. 1.
- ↑ "The Hockey Tournament". Montreal Gazette. January 28, 1885. pp. 5–8.
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 21.4 21.5 Kitchen 2008, p. 29.
- ↑ "The Hockey Tournament". Montreal Gazette. January 29, 1885. p. 5.
- ↑ "The Hockey Match". Montreal Gazette. January 30, 1885. p. 5.
- ↑ "The Hockey Tournament". Montreal Gazette. January 31, 1885. p. 5.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 "The Hockey Tournament". Montreal Gazette. February 2, 1885. p. 5.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 "Winter Carnival Sports". Toronto Daily Mail. February 5, 1889. p. 2.
- ↑ "A Rattling Game Between the Crystal and McGill Clubs". Toronto Daily Mail. February 11, 1889. p. 2.
- ↑ "Skating: Gordon Wins the Mile Championship". Toronto Daily Mail. February 19, 1889. p. 2.
- ↑ Kitchen 2008, p. 30.
- ↑ "Close of the Carnival", The Day, p. 1, February 27, 1886
- ↑ http://hockeygods.com/blog/hockeyhistory/The_1st_International_Ice_Hockey_Game_1886