The Victoria Hockey Club of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple- ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

, Canada was an early men's amateur

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice ...

club. Its date of origin is ascribed to either 1874, 1877 or 1881, making it either the first or second organized ice hockey club after

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Univer ...

. The club played at its own rink, the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal. The club was winners of the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...

in 1895 and held it until 1899, except for a period in 1896. The club remained amateur, splitting from the ranks of teams turned professional in 1908. The club was the first winner of the

Allan Cup The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men's ice hockey champions of Canada. It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal, and has been competed for since 1909. The current champions are th ...

and continued to play until 1939, when it folded after its 65th season. The club often also fielded junior and intermediate teams.

Team history

Interest in ice hockey at the Victoria Skating Club in Montreal, dates to at least 1874, and is attributed to the efforts of James Creighton then a judge of skating at the club, in organizing his friends to play on the rink with sticks and skates from his home province of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

. In 1875, the first recorded organized hockey game took place at its rink, the Victoria Skating Rink, which had opened in 1862, between skating club members and

students. Until 1883, there was only exhibition matches against other teams in Montreal. Tournaments would begin in 1883 at the Montreal Winter Carnival. On January 10, 1882, the Victoria Hockey Club held what was described as its 'first annual meeting', whereby it elected its president James G. Monk. Other directors included George W. Gardner as vice-president, secretary-treasurer was Charles Lamothe. Hockey was played with both balls and pucks during this period. According to McGill hockey club member W. L. Murray, by 1881 it was normally played with a square puck, made by slicing a rubber ball. According to Murray, the Victoria club of the 1880s is credited with eliminating the square edges and playing with a round puck. In 1886, the club helped to found the

Amateur Hockey Association of Canada The Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) was an amateur men's ice hockey league founded on 8 December 1886, in existence until 1898. It was the second ice hockey league organized in Canada, after one in Kingston, Ontario started in 1883. ...

(AHAC). The team played in this league from 1887-1898. It was during this period that the team had its greatest success, winning the

in 1895, December 1896, 1897, 1898 and February 1899. They also won the AHAC league in 1895, 1896, 1897 and 1898. In 1894, the team participated in the first

playoff, losing 3–2 to Montreal in the semi-final. The team resigned from the AHAC in 1898 over the proposal to allow the Ottawa Capitals into the league, and helped form the

Canadian Amateur Hockey League The Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL) was an early men's amateur hockey league founded in 1898, replacing the organization that was formerly the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) before the 1898–99 season. The league existed for s ...

(CAHL) in which they played from 1899-1905. The CAHL itself folded in 1905 and the team helped found the

Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association The Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA) was a men's amateur – later professional – ice hockey league in Canada that played four seasons. It was founded on December 11, 1905 with the top clubs from two other leagues: four ...

. The league allowed amateurs and professionals to play against each other openly. The Victorias played in the league for two years as a purely amateur team leaving the ECAHA after the 1908 season to focus on amateur play. In 1908, the new

was awarded to the Victorias as the top amateur team at the time. The Victorias remained active in senior-league amateur play in the

Interprovincial Amateur Hockey Union The Interprovincial Amateur Hockey Union (IAHU or IPAHU) was the premier amateur ice hockey league in Canada after the split between the amateur and professional ice hockey teams of the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA) in 1908. His ...

until 1913. From 1913–1923, the club was a member of the Montreal City Hockey League. The club then joined the

Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey League The Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey League was a major amateur senior ice hockey league in Canada that existed from 1923. History The Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey League was founded in 1923 from teams in Ontario and Quebec. It was an attempt to se ...

. Later the team played in the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association. In 1924, as a part of a 50th anniversary, the Victorias played an exhibition match against the Parkdale Canoe Club of Toronto at the then-new

Montreal Forum Montreal Forum (french: Le Forum de Montréal) is a historic building located facing Cabot Square in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by '' Sporting News'', it was an indoor arena which served as t ...

. The game was the first amateur ice hockey game at the new venue. The game was held on December 13, 1924 and was a fund-raising event for the Club. The Victoria Skating Rink was closed in 1925 and the Victorias moved to

Mount Royal Arena The Mount Royal Arena was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada at the corner of Mount Royal and St. Urbain Street.Mouton(1987), p. 111 It was home of the National Hockey League (NHL) Montreal Canadiens from 1920 to 1926, befor ...

and the Forum. In 1927, the Victorias became the first North American club team to tour in Europe. In

Stockholm Stockholm () is the capital and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metropo ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic countries, Nordic c ...

, the club played exhibition games against an all-Sweden team, winning 17–1. Next, the Victorias defeated

IK Göta IK Göta is a Swedish sports club, which was very successful in several sports such as track and field, handball, bowling, field hockey, ice hockey, soccer (women only) and bandy during the 20th century. Their most famous and successful spor ...

5–0,

Djurgårdens IF Djurgårdens Idrottsförening, commonly known simply as Djurgårdens IF, Djurgården (), and (especially locally) Djurgår'n (), Dif or DIF – is a Swedish sports association with several sections, located in Stockholm. Name The club is nam ...

6–2,

Södertälje SK Södertälje Sportklubb, also known as Södertälje SK and often referred to as SSK, is a Swedish professional ice hockey club playing in HockeyAllsvenskan, the second highest level of pro hockey in Sweden. Södertälje were charter members of E ...

6–0 and IK Göta again 19–3. The team next played in

Södertälje Södertälje ( , ) is a city in Södermanland and Stockholm County, Sweden and seat of Södertälje Municipality. As of 2017, it has 72,704 inhabitants. Södertälje is located at Mälarens confluence in to the Baltic Sea through the lock in the ...

, defeating Södertälje IF 8–1. The club then played in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, defeating an all-Czechoslovakia team 8–0 and

Berliner SC Berliner Sport-Club, commonly known as Berliner SC, is a German association football club based in Berlin. The team is part of a sports club which also has departments for badminton, hockey, and rugby. History ''Berliner SC'' was created o ...

13–0. The team then moved to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, where it defeated Wiener EV 8–0 and 7–0. In

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, the club defeated a combined team of HC Davos and EHC St. Moritz 18–0 and defeating

HC Milano Hockey Club Milano was an Italian ice hockey team based in Milan. Throughout its history, the team has changed its name twice. It was previously called ''Associazione Disco Ghiaccio Milano'' and ''Hockey Club Milano Inter''. The club was founded ...

15–2. In

Davos , neighboring_municipalities= Arosa, Bergün/Bravuogn, Klosters-Serneus, Langwies, S-chanf, Susch , twintowns = } Davos (, ; or ; rm, ; archaic it, Tavate) is an Alps, Alpine resort town and a Municipalities of Switzerland, muni ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, the team played Davos again, winning 9–0. The final stop on the tour was

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, where the Victorias defeated an all-England side 14–1. The club was an Allan Cup finalist in

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...

, losing to the

University of Manitoba The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.Montreal Gazette The ''Montreal Gazette'', formerly titled ''The Gazette'', is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Three other daily English-language newspapers shuttered at various times during the second half of t ...

in its reporting.

Season by season record

Except for 1887–88, season play prior to 1892–93 was arranged in challenges. The Victorias also participated in exhibitions or tournaments. *1883–1892: ''Total Hockey'' and other sources. *1893–1908: (Source: Coleman(1966) *1935–39: Point totals include 4 point games against McGill (Source: Ottawa Citizen)

Notable players

The following players were inducted into the

Hockey Hall of Fame The Hockey Hall of Fame (french: Temple de la renommée du hockey) is a museum and hall of fame located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League (NHL) rec ...

: *

Blair Russel Blair Russel (September 17, 1880 – December 7, 1961) was a Canadian amateur ice hockey forward who played for the Montreal Victorias. On the Victorias he was a long-time linemate of famous goal scorer Russell Bowie. He was inducted into the H ...

Russell Bowie Russell George Alexander "Russ, Dubbie" Bowie (August 24, 1880 – April 8, 1959) was a Canadian ice hockey player. He was generally regarded as one of the best players of the pre- NHL era of the sport, and was inducted into the Hockey Hall o ...

Graham Drinkwater Charles Graham Drinkwater (February 22, 1875 – September 27, 1946) was a Canadian ice hockey player, businessman and philanthropist. Drinkwater played for the Montreal Victorias in the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) in the early era ...

Mike Grant Michael Grant (November 27, 1873 – August 20, 1955) was a Canadian ice hockey player. He played nine seasons of senior amateur hockey between 1894 and 1902 for the Montreal Victorias and Montreal Shamrocks. Grant was a member of the Victori ...

Stanley Cup Winners for 1895

Robert Jones (goal), Jim Fenwick (goal),

Hartland MacDougall Hartland Brydges MacDougall (March 10, 1876 – April 28, 1947) was a Canadian ice hockey player and businessman. MacDougall was generally regarded as one of the most versatile players of the pre- NHL era of the sport. He initially played the posi ...

(goal), Harold Henderson (point), Ronald Elliot (point), William Pullan (point),

(

cover point Fielding in the sport of cricket is the action of fielders in collecting the ball after it is struck by the striking batter, to limit the number of runs that the striker scores and/or to get a batter out by either catching a hit ball before ...

-Captain),

(rover),

Shirley Davidson Shirley Davidson (September 23, 1874 – August 5, 1907) was a Canadians, Canadian ice hockey player for the Montreal Victorias during the late 19th century. He was a member of several Stanley Cup Championship teams in the 1895, 1896 and 1897 AHA ...

(forward),

Robert MacDougall Robert Ernest MacDougall (March 2, 1876 – March 26, 1950) was a notable Canadian ice hockey player and businessman. He played in the early days of organized ice hockey, before professionalism. He played the position of forward for the Montreal ...

(forward), Norman Rankin (forward). ;Non players Watson Jack (President), Fred Meredith (Hon. President), P.M. Desterneck (Secretary/Treasurer), G.R. Hooper (Director). The team was awarded the Stanley Cup as

1895 Events January–March * January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. * January 12 – The National Trust for Places of Histor ...

champions of the A.H.A.C. regular season.

Montreal Victorias 1897 Stanley Cup champions

Gordon Lewis(goal), Harold Henderson(point),

(point),

(cover point - Captain), Graham Drinkwater(rover),

(forward), Shirley Davidson(forward),

Ernie McLea Ernest Hope "Ernie" McLea (February 5, 1876 – June 17, 1931) was a Canadian ice hockey player. McLea played in the 1890s for the Montreal Victorias and was a member of four Stanley Cup-winning teams. He scored the first hat trick in Stanley Cup ...

, (forward), Cam Davidson(forward), Jack Ewing(forward), Harry Messy (forward), David McLellan(forward),

Percival Molson Captain Percival Talbot "Percy" Molson, MC (August 14, 1880 – July 5, 1917) was a Canadian star athlete and soldier. After an outstanding sports career with McGill University, Molson joined its administration. Molson died fighting in World ...

(forward) ;Non-players Watson Jack(President), Fred Meredith (Hon. President), W. Grant (Vice President), Frank Howard Wilson (Hon. Vice President), P.M. Desterneck Secretary/Treasurer) In December 1896, the club won the Stanley Cup from the Winnipeg Victorias in a Stanley Cup challenge, then won the

1897 AHAC season The 1897 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season was the eleventh season of play of the ice hockey league. Each team played 8 games, and Montreal Victorias were again first with a 7–1 record, retaining the Stanley Cup. The club won the Sta ...

to retain the Cup.

References