Winnipeg Falcons

Last updated

Winnipeg Falcons
City Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
League
Founded1908
ColoursGreen, blue, yellow
   
Website winnipegfalcons.com

The Winnipeg Falcons were a senior men's amateur ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Winnipeg Falcons won the 1920 Allan Cup. That team went on to represent Canada in the 1920 Olympic games held in Antwerp, Belgium. There the Falcons, soundly beating all their opponents, won for Canada the first Olympic gold medal in ice hockey. [1] [2] [3] [4]

Contents

The Winnipeg Falcons hockey team was founded in 1911 with a roster made almost entirely of Icelandic Canadian players who had not been able to join other Winnipeg teams due to ethnic prejudice. In their first season, 1911–1912, they finished at the bottom of their league. The next year, Konnie Johannesson and Frank Fredrickson joined the team. That team turned out to be a winner in the league. [1]

Early history

Winnipeg Falcons on route to the 1920 Olympics (photo includes an unidentified ships' officer and a woman) Winnipegfalcons.jpg
Winnipeg Falcons on route to the 1920 Olympics (photo includes an unidentified ships' officer and a woman)

The early roots of the Winnipeg Falcons can be traced back to the Icelandic Athletic Club which was formed in 1898. [5] The club consisted of a two team league called the Icelandic Athletic Club (IAC) and the Vikings. In 1908, the two teams agreed to become one team. [6] The Winnipeg Falcons had been excluded from the city league because of their racial origin. Almost all of the Falcons' players were of Icelandic descent and the falcon is Iceland's national bird. [7] [3]

During the 1910–11 season, the Falcons became part of a new senior league. Other clubs in the league would include the Kenora Thistles, Brandon Wheat City and Winnipeg AAA. [8] In 1913–14, the Falcons became part of the Independent Hockey League, joining the Strathconas from Winnipeg and teams from Selkirk and Portage la Prairie. [5] The Falcons finished the season with 4 wins and 8 losses. During the following season, the Falcons beat Portage by a score of 4–3 to become league champions. [9]

During the First World War, seven of the eight Falcons players enlisted to serve and went overseas. Two players — Frank Thorsteinson and George Cumbers — died in the war. The other five returned to Winnipeg after the war in 1919 and reassembled the team. [10] [11]

1920 Allan Cup

The Winnipeg Falcons won the 1920 Allan Cup, as part of the Manitoba Hockey League with Brandon Wheat City and the Selkirk Fishermen. The first place team of the Manitoba Hockey League would play the champion of the Winnipeg Hockey League for the opportunity to represent Western Canada in the Allan Cup playoffs. The Falcons beat the Fishermen 5–3 to claim the Manitoba Hockey League championship. [12] Frank Fredrickson won the Manitoba Hockey League scoring title with 23 goals in 10 games. [13] Wally Byron led the league with two shutouts and had a 2.57 goals against average. Bobby Benson led the league with 26 penalties in minutes. Winning the Allan Cup gave the Winnipeg Falcons their Olympic opportunity.[ citation needed ]

1920 Summer Olympics

Winnipeg Falcons Jersey.jpg
1920 Olympics Hockey Gold.jpg
1920 Olympic Games memorabilia for the Winnipeg Falcons
Winnipeg Falcons at the 1920 Summer Olympics Winnipeg Falcons team photo at the 1920 Summer Olympics.jpg
Winnipeg Falcons at the 1920 Summer Olympics

The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) chose the Falcons as the Allan Cup champions to represent the Canada men's national team in ice hockey at the 1920 Summer Olympics, instead of forming a national all-star team on short notice. [14] [15] W. A. Hewitt represented the Canadian Olympic Committee and oversaw finances for the Falcons, and reported on the Olympic Games for Canadian newspapers. [16] [17] He and his wife were a father and mother figure to the Falcons, [18] and sailed with them aboard SS Melita from Saint John to Liverpool, then onto Antwerp. [19]

It was there that the team won the first Olympic gold medal in ice hockey, outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 29–1 in three games. [3] Although an official part of those Summer Olympic Games, hockey and figure skating events were held in late April and early May, while the weather was still cool enough for suitable ice conditions in the arena. The players were welcomed home to Winnipeg in May with a parade, a banquet and gifts of gold watches. [3]

Olympic roster

Executives:

Players: [20]

Five other players also contributed to the Falcons 1919–20 season, but were not part of the Olympic roster. Their names were Harvey Benson, Ed Stephenson, Connie Neil, Babs Dunlop and Sam Laxdal.[ citation needed ]

Post-Olympics

Winnipeg Free Press, April 27th, 1920 on the Olympic win. WinnipegFreePress Falcons.jpg
Winnipeg Free Press, April 27th, 1920 on the Olympic win.

The Falcons and the Hewitts returned home aboard SS Grampian from Le Havre to Quebec City. [21] The Falcons honoured Hewitt and his wife at a private dinner and presented them with a silver cup inscribed with the number 13, for the number of people who made the trip to the Olympics and the team's lucky number. [15] [22] Upon their return from the games, the Winnipeg Falcons were hailed as conquering heroes but this was a far cry from the attitude that had previously been expressed by Winnipeg hockey officials. [7] The Falcons were given a large banquet upon their return and each played received a watch from the City of Winnipeg. [23]

At the beginning of the 1920–21 season, CAHA president H. J. Sterling was suspicious of multiple players changing their addresses for the purpose of playing on a new team, and hired a detective to investigate the amateur status of players in Canada. [24] [25] The Amateur Athletic Union of Canada voided the amateur registration cards of former Falcons' players Haldor Halderson and Robert Benson halfway through the season. [26] [27] Sterling's detective discovered that neither had worked in Saskatoon and the pair received C$6,500 to play hockey. [25] Sterling ordered the suspension of the Saskatoon team from the 1921 Allan Cup playoffs, although the Saskatchewan Amateur Hockey Association allowed the team and players to continue in the league playoffs. [28]

The first member of the squad to pass away was Chris Fridfinnson who died at the age of 40 in 1938. The last surviving member was Mike Goodman. He was 93 years old when he died in 1991. [29]

The Icelandic national hockey team honours the Falcons on their jerseys by using the Icelandic Falcon and the Canadian maple leaf as their emblem. [30]

NHL alumni

Winnipeg Falcons

Winnipeg Junior Falcons

Legacy

Unveiling of prominent display at MTS Centre, Winnipeg MTS Centre Falcons Display.jpg
Unveiling of prominent display at MTS Centre, Winnipeg

The Falcons were honoured in a new Heritage Minute segment in 2014. The segment, narrated by George Stroumboulopoulos and featuring actor Jared Keeso, shares how the Falcons overcame discrimination and stayed together through the First World War on their way to the top of the hockey world. The Falcons segment premiered at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg on November 6, 2014, during the intermission of a game between the Winnipeg Jets and Pittsburgh Penguins. [10]

The Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum have permanent displays honouring the Falcons and their Olympic victory. The 1920 Winnipeg Falcons were inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in the team category.[ citation needed ]

On August 31, 2004, Hockey Canada, in recognition of the Falcons' achievement, used a replica yellow and black jersey as alternate jerseys for the 2004 World Cup of Hockey against Team USA. Later that year, on December 20 national junior team wore replicas of the famous old gold and black Falcons uniforms [31] for a World Junior Championship pre-tournament game in Winnipeg. [32]

On July 31, 2019, Parks Canada announced that in recognition of the Falcons winning the first gold medal in Olympic ice hockey in 1920, the victory would be recognized as a "National Historical Event". [33]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice hockey at the 1924 Winter Olympics</span>

The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France, was the second Olympic Championship, also serving as the second World Championships. The competition was held from Monday, January 28, 1924, to Sunday, February 3, 1924. Canada, represented by the Toronto Granites, defended its championship from the 1920 Summer Olympics. The United States and Great Britain took the silver and bronze respectively, while other contenders included Czechoslovakia, France, and Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice hockey at the 1920 Summer Olympics</span> Ice hockey at the Olympic Games

Ice hockey was introduced to the Olympic Games at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp. The tournament also served as the first World Championships. The matches were played between April 23 and April 29, 1920. Canada, represented by the Winnipeg Falcons, won the gold medal. The silver went to the United States and Czechoslovakia took the bronze.

The Toronto Granites were an amateur senior ice hockey team from Toronto, Ontario. The Granites were Allan Cup champions in 1922 and 1923. They were chosen to represent Canada at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France. The Granites won the second consecutive Olympic gold medal for the Canada national men's ice hockey team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Fredrickson</span> Icelandic-Canadian ice hockey player (1895–1979)

Sigurdur Franklin Fredrickson was an Icelandic-Canadian ice hockey player and aviator. As a player and coach, he was significant to both the amateur and professional ice hockey as it evolved in North America in the early 20th century. Fredrickson's career was interrupted by military service during the First World War and prematurely ended by a knee injury in 1931.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steamer Maxwell</span> Canadian ice hockey player (1890–1975)

Frederick George "Steamer" Maxwell was a Canadian amateur ice hockey player. He played rover in the days of seven-man hockey at the turn of the 20th century, spending six seasons with the Winnipeg Monarchs of the Manitoba Hockey League (MHL) between 1909 and 1915. Considered one of the top players of his era, he won two Manitoba provincial championships with the Monarchs and was a member of the team that won the 1915 Allan Cup as Canadian senior amateur champions. Maxwell spurned multiple offers to turn professional and ultimately quit playing hockey when he learned some of his peers at the senior amateur level were getting paid.

Icelandic Canadians are Canadian citizens of Icelandic ancestry, or Iceland-born people who reside in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canada at the 1920 Summer Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Canada competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. 52 competitors, all men, took part in 38 events in 9 sports. These games marked the introduction of winter sports to the Olympic program ; Canada won its first gold medal for ice hockey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canada at the 1924 Winter Olympics</span> Sporting event delegation

Canada competed at the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France. They won one gold medal, in ice hockey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W. A. Hewitt</span> Canadian sports executive and journalist (1875–1966)

William Abraham Hewitt was a Canadian sports executive and journalist, also widely known as Billy Hewitt. He was secretary of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1903 to 1966, and sports editor of the Toronto Daily Star from 1900 to 1931. He promoted the establishment of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA), then served as its secretary-treasurer from 1915 to 1919, registrar from 1921 to 1925, registrar-treasurer from 1925 to 1961, and a trustee of the Allan Cup and Memorial Cup. Hewitt standardized player registrations in Canada, was a committee member to discuss professional-amateur agreements with the National Hockey League, and negotiated working agreements with amateur hockey governing bodies in the United States. He oversaw referees within the OHA, and negotiated common rules of play for amateur and professional leagues as chairman of the CAHA rules committee. After retiring from journalism, he was the managing-director of Maple Leaf Gardens from 1931 to 1948, and chairman of the committee to select the inaugural members of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claude C. Robinson</span> Canadian ice hockey and sports executive (1881–1976)

Claude Copeland Robinson was a Canadian ice hockey and sports executive. After winning an intermediate-level championship as captain of the Winnipeg Victorias in 1905, he served as secretary-treasurer and as vice-president of the Victorias. He coached the Victorias to a Manitoba Hockey League championship in 1909, and felt that his team could have competed for the newly established Allan Cup, despite that challenges from senior ice hockey teams were accepted only from Eastern Canada at the time. The Victorias won the Allan Cup by default in 1911, when the Toronto St. Michael's Majors refused to play, then successfully defended four challenges for the trophy.

The 1925 Stanley Cup Finals saw the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) champion Victoria Cougars defeat the National Hockey League (NHL) champion Montreal Canadiens three games to one in a best-of-five game series. The Canadiens were substitute NHL representatives, as the final series to decide the NHL champion was not played.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Benson (ice hockey)</span> Icelandic-Canadian ice hockey player

Robert John Benson was an Icelandic-Canadian ice hockey player. A defenceman, he started his career with the Winnipeg Falcons of the Manitoba Hockey League in 1913, remaining with them until 1920, though missed two seasons of play from 1917 to 1919 while serving in the First World War. With the Falcons he played at the 1920 Summer Olympics and won the first gold medal in Olympic ice hockey. He later played in the Western Canada Hockey League from 1921 to 1926, as well as 8 games with the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League during the 1924–25 season. Benson continued playing in other minor leagues until retiring in 1931.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konrad Johannesson</span> Canadian ice hockey defenceman

Konrad Jonasson "Konnie" Johannesson was an Icelandic-Canadian aviator and ice hockey player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics. As a pioneering aviator, he was instrumental in flight training as well as airport administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Fridfinnson</span> Icelandic-Canadian ice hockey player

Kristmundur Numi Fridfinnson was an Icelandic-Canadian ice hockey player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics. He was born in Baldur, Manitoba. Fridfinnson was the rover for the Winnipeg Falcons, the Canadian team in the 1920 Olympics, and scored the winning goal in the game which decided the gold medal, a game the Canadians won 12–1.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magnus Goodman</span> Icelandic-Canadian athlete

Magnus "Mike" Goodman was an Icelandic-Canadian athlete. He was a member of the Winnipeg Falcons ice hockey team, who represented Canada at the 1920 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haldor Halderson</span> Icelandic-Canadian ice hockey player

Haldor Halderson was an Icelandic-Canadian ice hockey player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics.

The Winnipeg Hockey Club were a former amateur senior-level men's amateur ice hockey team in Winnipeg, Manitoba founded in 1890. After the Winnipegs won the 1931 Allan Cup, they represented the Canada men's national ice hockey team at the 1932 Winter Olympics held at Lake Placid, New York. The team was undefeated throughout the Olympic tournament and were named the 1932 Olympic and world champions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1920 Allan Cup</span> Canadian senior ice hockey championship

The 1920 Allan Cup was the senior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) for the 1919–20 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">H. J. Sterling</span> Canadian ice hockey administrator

Harry John Sterling was a Canadian ice hockey administrator. He was elected president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) in 1920, after serving as an Ontario Hockey Association executive and as president of the Thunder Bay Amateur Hockey Association. He declared that the CAHA would not tolerate the hockey "tourist" after becoming suspicious of players who changed their addresses to be on a new team. His investigation into registrations led to the suspension of a team from Saskatoon when it was discovered that players who won the gold medal representing Canada in ice hockey at the 1920 Summer Olympics were being paid for amateur hockey. His term as president resulted in the CAHA enacting stricter rules for registration and co-operation with the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada to investigate into all Canadian hockey players to maintain amateurism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Marples</span> Canadian sports executive (1885–1945)

Frederick Paul Henry Marples was a Canadian sports executive in ice hockey and athletics. He was president of the Winnipeg Monarchs team which won Winnipeg Amateur Hockey League championships in 1914 and 1915, and the Allan Cup as senior ice hockey champions of Canada. His operation of a reserve team to support the Monarchs led to debates on player eligibility for the Allan Cup and calls for a national governing body of hockey. As the secretary-treasurer of the Winnipeg Amateur Hockey League, he helped establish both the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) in 1914; then served as secretary-treasurer of the MAHA from 1914 to until 1934, and as secretary of the CAHA from 1926 to 1945. He sought to grow the game in rural regions of Manitoba, promote minor ice hockey as a source of future senior players, to keep players in junior ice hockey until age 21, and was against the exodus of amateur players to professional teams.

References

  1. 1 2 Johannesson, Brian. "The Winnipeg Falcons Hockey Club: the world's first Olympic Hockey Champions.." winnipegfalcons.com , 2010. Retrieved: January 10, 2017.
  2. ↑ Holland 2008, pp. 22–23.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Smith, Stephen (April 23, 2020). "Remembering Canada's first Olympic hockey gold: Winning gold 100 years ago in Antwerp, Belgium, Canada's team set a standard for Olympic hockey dominance that would last for three more successive Games". Canadian Geographic. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Íslendingar vinna sér frægð!". Voröld (in Icelandic). December 30, 2019. p. 1. Retrieved November 28, 2022– via Tímarit.is. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  5. 1 2 Zweig 2007, p. 21.
  6. ↑ Zweig 2007, p. 18.
  7. 1 2 "Backcheck: a Hockey Retrospective." National Archives of Canada/Konrad Johannesson collection/PA-111330 (Library and Archives Canada). Retrieved: January 13, 2017.
  8. ↑ Zweig 2007, p. 20.
  9. ↑ Zweig 2007, p. 28.
  10. 1 2 "Winnipeg Falcons subject of first-ever extended Heritage Minute." Winnipeg Free Press, November 7, 2014. Retrieved: January 10, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Olympic hockey heroes honoured in war-themed Heritage Minute.' globalnews.ca, November 7, 2014. Retrieved: January 10, 2017.
  12. ↑ Zweig 2007, p. 64.
  13. ↑ Zweig 2007, p. 65.
  14. ↑ Podnieks, Andrew (1997), p. 2
  15. 1 2 Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2005), pp. 28–29
  16. ↑ "With the Falcons". Saskatoon Daily Star . Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. April 6, 1920. p. 6. Lock-green.svg
  17. ↑ "Billy Hewitt To Provide News of Falcons' Trip". Winnipeg Free Press . April 6, 1920. p. 14. Lock-green.svg
  18. ↑ Metcalfe, William (February 13, 1932). "Olympic Title First Won by Falcons: Achievement of Local Team Was Outstanding One". Winnipeg Free Press . p. 19. Lock-green.svg ; Metcalfe, William (February 13, 1932). "Achievement of Local Team Was Outstanding One (Continued from Page 19)". Winnipeg Free Press . Winnipeg, Manitoba. p. 22. Lock-green.svg
  19. ↑ Podnieks, Andrew (1997), p. 2
  20. ↑ The Official Olympic Games Companion: The Complete Guide to the Olympic Winter Games 1998 Edition 1998, p. 128.
  21. ↑ Podnieks, Andrew (1997), pp. 6–7
  22. ↑ "Falcons Honour Billy Hewitt". The Winnipeg Tribune . Winnipeg, Manitoba. May 21, 1920. p. 18. Lock-green.svg
  23. ↑ "City Presents Falcon Players With Watches At Elaborate Banquet". Winnipeg Tribune. Winnipeg, Manitoba. May 25, 1920. p. 15. Lock-green.svg
  24. ↑ "Amateur Hockey Assn. Will Ban Tourists". The Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Ontario. October 6, 1920. p. 9. Lock-green.svg
  25. 1 2 Ching, Tim (March 19, 1921). "Dominion Association Extends Residence Rule From Three Months To Aug. 1". The Winnipeg Tribune. Winnipeg, Manitoba. p. 25. Lock-green.svg
  26. ↑ "Saskatchewan Hockey Assn. Will Carry On". The Leader-Post. Regina, Saskatchewan. February 12, 1921. p. 20. Lock-green.svg
  27. ↑ "S.H.A. Comes Back Strong At Sterling". Star-Phoenix. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. January 31, 1921. p. 7. Lock-green.svg ; "Regina, Moose Jaw and Saskatoon Will Carry On Schedule". Saskatoon Daily Star. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. January 31, 1921. p. 6. Lock-green.svg
  28. ↑ "Sterling Says He Made No Statement Regarding the Vics". The Leader-Post. Regina, Saskatchewan. February 2, 1921. p. 12. Lock-green.svg
  29. ↑ Zweig 2007, p. 105.
  30. ↑ "Our logo's saga." Ice Hockey Iceland. Retrieved: January 10, 2017.
  31. ↑ Johannesson, Brian. "Three Jerseys." winnipegfalcons.com, 2010. Retrieved: January 10, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Hockey Canada and Nike Hockey Celebrate History." Hockey Canada. Retrieved: January 10, 2017.
  33. ↑ "Government of Canada Announces Eight New National Historic Designations". Government of Canada. July 31, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.

Sources

Preceded by
None
 Canada men's Olympic ice hockey team
1920		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.