In early November 1890, a group of men gathered to elect the founding officers of the Victoria Hockey Club of Winnipeg. This was the first of its kind in Winnipeg and the author of the November 6th Manitoba Daily Free Press article notes: “It is indeed remarkable that nothing has been done in the past to popularize this sport, which is all the rage in Montreal, Ottawa and Quebec, where a match between good hockey teams excites almost as much public interest as a lacrosse match does in the summer” (p. 8). On November 14th, 1890, another club, The Winnipeg Hockey Club, was formed and elected members. This set the stage for the two hockey clubs of Winnipeg to meet in the first organized match of the game in Western Canada on Saturday, December 20th, 1890.
Manitoba Daily Free Press, Dec. 20th, 1890
The venue was the Winnipeg Street Railway Rink, located near the present-day intersection of Main St. and Assiniboine Ave. The rink had opened for the season on December 4th. There were some complaints about the quality of the ice at the time, but it was assured that as the winter turned colder the ice would improve. Both the Vics and the Winnipegs immediately began scheduled practices at the rink on alternating days (Manitoba Daily Free Press, Dec. 5th, 1890, p.8).
The Free Press announced the lineups of the two clubs on the day of the match. Vics: WH Thompson (Goal), TA Howard (Back), J McCullogh, J Armytage (Wings), GH Merrit, F Higginbotham, A Norquay (Forwards); Winnipegs: AB Clark (Goal), FL Patton (Back), C Dennison, McDonald (Wings), F Beckett, H Beckett, JR Waghorn (Forwards) (p.6). With seven players a side, six skaters and a goaltender, one would imagine the game would appear very different to what is known today. The game of hockey would indeed undergo many reinventions over the years. Rest assured, some of the players listed above are among the best to play the game in its early years.
At 3pm, referee Heuback signalled the opening the first hockey match in Western Canada. You could argue that the Winnipegs came out of the gate too fast, scoring early and moving ahead 1-0 in the first half. Unfortunately for their supporters, they were unable to sustain the lead against the more enduring team in garnet and black. The Vics picked up the pace of the game in the second frame, scoring four goals. The final score was Vics 4, Pegs 1. (Manitoba Daily Free Press, Dec. 22, 1890, p.5)
Hockey skill, it seems, came very naturally to many of the Vics players. Higginbotham, known therafter as “Higgy”, was already a skilled lacrosse player. And McCullogh was known as a prolific speed-skater. Howard, Armytage and Thompson were also given mentions of distinction after the match. This skill proved overwhelming for the other side.
The public interest, on the other hand, was quite underwhelming, with attendance at the event being considered low even for the expactations of the time (p. 5). The lack of interest can be forgiven however. It was, after all, the very first game of hockey to charge attendance. Hockey would someday become the sport of choice in the west; and that day was actually coming much faster than most expected.
