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.

1884 game at McGill

History

In 1883, the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association was asked to add sports to the events to be held with the Montreal Carnival. The association 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 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 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 Victorias	0	Quebec	0	St. Lawrence River rink[9]
January 26	McGill	2	Montreal Victorias	1	St. Lawrence River rink[9]
January 27	McGill	2	Quebec	2	Crystal Rink[10]
Exhibitions
January 27	Quebec	1	Montreal 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 Victorias: 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, T. Green, R. Smith, W. Murray, J. Kinlock (c.), P. Foster.

Source: Montreal Daily Witness

1884

1884 Montreal Winter Carnival program cover

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 (which would eventually field a team in the National Hockey League) 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	20	Crystals	0	Crystal Rink[20][21]
January 28	Montreal	6	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

Rosters

The following players were part of the hockey teams participating in the 1885 Montreal Winter Carnival.

Montreal HC: Tom Paton, Fred Larmonth, Billy Aird, Billy Hodgson, Richard Smith, F. W. Barlow, Duncan McIntyre.

McGill: G. W. Stephens, J. M. Elder, Hanbury Arthur Budden, J. A. Kinlock, H. D. Johnson, R. E. Palmer, C. P. Brown.

Montreal Football Club: A. Elliott, R. Campbell, W. J. Cleghorn, A. J. Campbell, R. Sterling, D. Robertson.

Montreal Crystals: William Hutchison, James A. Stewart, Robert Laing, Jack A. Findlay, Allan Cameron, W. McCaffrey, D. Labonte.

Ottawa HC: William O'Dell, G. Currier, Thomas D. Green, Tom Gallagher, Frank Jenkins (c.), Jack Kerr, Halder Kirby.

Source: Montreal Gazette

1887

In February, the Montreal teams of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada 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 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

The Burlington Coasting Club proposed a winter carnival for the city of Burlington, Vermont as a rival attraction to the Montreal Winter Carnival, with the hope of inaugurating the event. It was scheduled to begin on February 15, 1886 and featured five days of winter sports activities. A committee from the club had been visiting Montreal to obtain attractions for the carnival as well as gain tips on how to manage the event.[29][30][31] The Montreal Snow Shoe Club, along with several organisations from Montreal were invited to the carnival to participate in the events. The Montreal Crystals and the Montreal Hockey Club accepted the invitation, as did the Ottawa Hockey Club,[32] 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 Crystals won the silver.[33] Originally scheduled for February 15–19,[34] the organizers were forced to move the events one week later 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 Joseph McGoldrick of the Crystals scoring the only goal to capture the silver medal.

Date	Team	Score	Team	Score	Location
February 26	Montreal HC	1 (OT)	Crystals	0	Lake Champlain [35]
February 26	Montreal HC	3	Van Ness House	0	Lake Champlain [35]
February 26	Crystals	1	Van Ness House	0	Lake Champlain [35]

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.[35][36]

Van Ness House: Lewis C. Johnson, Charles H. Whitcomb, Maxwell A. Kilvert, William F. Waters, Edward. S. Griffing, Howard Crane, Walter A. Laduke (captain)
Montreal HC: Tom L. Paton, George S. Lowe, Duncan McIntyre, Francis Barlow, Francis Crispo, William C. Hodgson, Richard F. Smith, Fred M. Larmonth (captain)
Montreal Crystals: Allan Cameron, Jonathan A. Findlay, Edward McCaffrey, Joseph F. McGoldrick, William Hutchison, James Virtue, Robert Laing (captain)

See also

• List of pre-NHL seasons

References

• Kitchen, Paul (2000), "Before The Trail of the Stanley Cup", in Diamond, Dan (ed.), Total Hockey, pp. 8–15, ISBN 1-892129-85-XCS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Kitchen, Paul (2008). Win, Tie or Wrangle. Manotick, Ontario: Penumbra Press. ISBN 978-1-897323-46-5.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Notes

1. A picture of this trophy can be seen at here .
2. The 1886 Montreal Winter Carnival was cancelled due to a smallpox epidemic in Montreal.
3. According to azhockey.com, Crystals was awarded the trophy, when the Quebec team did not finish due to the Crystals' rough tactics.
4. Kitchen 2008, p. 35.
5. Kitchen 2000, p. 10.
6. "Sporting Intelligence". The Montreal Daily Herald. March 5, 1888. p. 8.
7. Kitchen 2000, p. 12.
8. A picture of this trophy can be seen here .
9. "The Winter Carnival". Montreal Daily Witness. January 26, 1883. p. 8.
10. "The Winter Carnival". Montreal Daily Witness. January 29, 1883. p. 4.
11. "Victoria Skating Club". Montreal Daily Witness. January 25, 1883. p. 4.
12. "Sports and Games". Montreal Daily Witness. February 2, 1884. p. 5.
13. Kitchen 2008, p. 27.
14. "The Hockey Matches". Montreal Gazette. February 6, 1884. p. 7.
15. "The Hockey Matches". Montreal Gazette. February 7, 1884. p. 5.
16. "The Hockey Matches". Montreal Gazette. February 8, 1884. p. 5.
17. "The Hockey Matches". Montreal Gazette. February 9, 1884. p. 5.
18. "The Hockey Matches". Montreal Gazette. February 11, 1884. p. 5.
19. "Hockey". Montreal Gazette. February 12, 1884. p. 1.
20. "The Hockey Tournament". Montreal Gazette. January 28, 1885. pp. 5–8.
21. Kitchen 2008, p. 29.
22. "The Hockey Tournament". Montreal Gazette. January 29, 1885. p. 5.
23. "The Hockey Match". Montreal Gazette. January 30, 1885. p. 5.
24. "The Hockey Tournament". Montreal Gazette. January 31, 1885. p. 5.
25. "The Hockey Tournament". Montreal Gazette. February 2, 1885. p. 5.
26. "Winter Carnival Sports". Toronto Daily Mail. February 5, 1889. p. 2.
27. "A Rattling Game Between the Crystal and McGill Clubs". Toronto Daily Mail. February 11, 1889. p. 2.
28. "Skating: Gordon Wins the Mile Championship". Toronto Daily Mail. February 19, 1889. p. 2.
29. "A Carnival At Burlington". The Caledonian-Record. January 21, 1886. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
30. "Preparing For The Carnival". The Burlington Free Press. February 5, 1886. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
31. "The Carnival". The Burlington Free Press. March 5, 1886. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
32. Kitchen 2008, p. 30.
33. "Close of the Carnival". The Day. February 27, 1886. p. 1.
34. "Our Carnival". The Burlington Free Press. January 15, 1886. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
35. "The Hockey Match". The Burlington Free Press. March 5, 1886. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
36. "The 1st International Ice Hockey Game 1886". HockeyGods. Retrieved January 10, 2019.