The Winnipeg Falcons were a senior 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 hock ...

team based in

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

. The Winnipeg Falcons won the

1920 Allan Cup The 1920 Allan Cup was the senior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) for the 1919–20 season. History During the 1920 Allan Cup playoffs, CAHA president Frederick E. Betts expressed concerns that the Toron ...

. That team went on to represent Canada in the

1920 Olympic games The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1920), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIe olympiade; nl, Spelen van ...

held in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. There the Falcons, soundly beating all their opponents, won for Canada the first Olympic gold medal in ice hockey. The Winnipeg Falcons hockey team was founded in 1911 with a roster made almost entirely of

Icelandic Canadians Icelandic Canadians are Canadian citizens of Icelandic ancestry or Iceland-born people who reside in Canada. Canada has the largest ethnic Icelandic population outside Iceland, with about 101,795 people of full or partial Icelandic descent as o ...

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 Sigurdur Franklin Fredrickson (Sigurður Franklín Friðriksson; June 3, 1895 – May 28, 1979) 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 ...

joined the team. That team turned out to be a winner in the league.Johannesson, Brian
"The Winnipeg Falcons Hockey Club: the world's first Olympic Hockey Champions.."
''winnipegfalcons.com '', 2010. Retrieved: January 10, 2017.

Early history

The early roots of the Winnipeg Falcons can be traced back to the Icelandic Athletic Club which was formed in 1898.Zweig 2007, p. 21. 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. 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."Backcheck: a Hockey Retrospective."
''National Archives of Canada/Konrad Johannesson collection/PA-111330 (Library and Archives Canada)''. Retrieved: January 13, 2017. During the 1910-11 season, the Falcons became part of a new senior league. Other clubs in the league would include the

Kenora Thistles The Kenora Thistles, officially the Thistles Hockey Club, were a Canadian ice hockey team based in Kenora, Ontario. Founded in 1894, they were originally known as the Rat Portage Thistles. The team competed for the Stanley Cup, the ice hockey ...

, Brandon Wheat City and Winnipeg AAA. 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. 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. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, 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."Winnipeg Falcons subject of first-ever extended Heritage Minute."
''Winnipeg Free Press'', November 7, 2014. Retrieved: January 10, 2017.

1920 Allan Cup

The Winnipeg Falcons won the

, 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 Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada� ...

in the Allan Cup playoffs. The Falcons beat the Fishermen 5–3 to claim the Manitoba Hockey League championship. Frank Fredrickson won the Manitoba Hockey League scoring title with 23 goals in 10 games. 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.

1920 Summer Olympics

The

Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; french: Association canadienne de hockey amateur) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction include ...

(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 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 ...

, instead of forming a national all-star team on short notice.Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2005), pp. 28–29

W. A. Hewitt William Abraham Hewitt (May 15, 1875September 8, 1966) 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 ''To ...

represented the

Canadian Olympic Committee The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC; french: Comité olympique canadien) is a private, non-profit organization that represents Canada at the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is also a member of the Pan American Sports Organization ...

and oversaw finances for the Falcons, and reported on the Olympic Games for Canadian newspapers. He and his wife were a father and mother figure to the Falcons, and sailed with them aboard from Saint John to

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

, then onto

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

. 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. Although an official part of those

Summer Olympic Games The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

, 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.

Olympic roster

Executives: * Hebbie Axford D.F.C.(Club President) * Bill Fridfinnson (Secretary) *

(Canadian Olympic representative) *

Gordon Sigurjonsson Guðmundur "Gordon" Sigurjónsson (15 April 1883 – 14 January 1967) was an Icelandic athlete and trainer. A well known wrestler in his home country, he was part of a group of Icelanders that showcased Glíma at the 1908 Summer Olympi ...

(Coach, Trainer) Players: * Robert Benson (Left defence) *

Walter Byron Jacob Walter "Wally" Byron (Jacob Valdimar Björnsson;September 2, 1894 – December 22, 1971) was an Icelandic-Canadian ice hockey player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics. He was the goaltender for the Winnipeg Falcons, the Canadian ...

(Goal) *

(Captain, center) *

Chris Fridfinnson Kristmundur Numi Fridfinnson (June 14, 1898 – November 10, 1938) 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 Cana ...

(Substitute) *

Magnus Goodman Magnus "Mike" Goodman (18 March 1898 – 18 July 1991) 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. Life Goodman was born ...

(Left wing) *

Haldor Halderson Haldor Halderson (Halldór Halldórsson; January 7, 1898 – August 1, 1965) was an Icelandic-Canadian ice hockey player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics. Halderson was the right wing for the Winnipeg Falcons, the Canadian team which ...

(Right wing) *

Konrad Johannesson Konrad Jonasson "Konnie" Johannesson (August 10, 1896 – October 25, 1968) 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 w ...

(Right defence) *

Allan Woodman Allan Charles "Huck" Woodman (March 11, 1899 – April 17, 1963) was a Canadian ice hockey player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was a member for the Winnipeg Falcons, the Canadian team which won t ...

(Rover) 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.

Post-Olympics

The Falcons and the Hewitts returned home aboard from

Le Havre Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

. 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. 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. The Falcons were given a large banquet upon their return and each played received a watch from the City of Winnipeg. At the beginning of the 1920–21 season, CAHA president

H. J. Sterling Harry John Sterling (April 26, 1882May 23, 1959) 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 presid ...

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. The

Amateur Athletic Union of Canada The history of Canadian sports falls into five stages of development: early recreational activities before 1840; the start of organized competition, 1840–1880; the emergence of national organizations, 1882–1914; the rapid growth of both amateur ...

voided the amateur registration cards of former Falcons' players

and Robert Benson halfway through the season. Sterling's detective discovered that neither had worked in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

and the pair received C$6,500 to play hockey. Sterling ordered the suspension of the Saskatoon team from the

1921 Allan Cup The 1921 Allan Cup was the senior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) for the 1920–21 season. The CAHA had an agreement since 1918 which limited the location of the Allan Cup finals or semi-final games t ...

playoffs, although the Saskatchewan Amateur Hockey Association allowed the team and players to continue in the league playoffs. 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. The Icelandic national hockey team honours the Falcons on their jerseys by using the Icelandic Falcon and the Canadian maple leaf as their emblem.

NHL alumni

Winnipeg Falcons *

Bobby Benson Bernard Olabinjo "Bobby" Benson (11 April 1922 – 14 May 1983) was an entertainer and musician who had considerable influence on the Nigerian music scene, introducing big band and Caribbean idioms to the Highlife style of popular West African m ...

Mud Bruneteau Modere Fernand "Mud" Bruneteau (November 28, 1914 – April 15, 1982) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League between 1935 and 1946. He was teammates for a time with his br ...

Art Chapman John Arthur Chapman (May 29, 1905 – December 31, 1962) was a Canadian ice hockey forward. He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Chapman started his National Hockey League career with the Boston Bruins in 1930. He would also play for the New York ...

Harold Halderson Haldor Halderson (Halldór Halldórsson; January 7, 1898 – August 1, 1965) was an Icelandic-Canadian ice hockey player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics. Halderson was the right wing for the Winnipeg Falcons, the Canadian team which w ...

* John Morrison *

Art Somers Arthur Ernest James Somers (January 19, 1902 – January 29, 1992) was a Canadian ice hockey player who played 222 games in the National Hockey League with the Chicago Black Hawks and New York Rangers from 1929 to 1935. With the Rangers he won th ...

Cully Wilson Carol William "Cully" Wilson (June 5, 1892 – July 7, 1962) was an Icelandic-Canadian professional ice hockey player. The right winger played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto St. Pats, Montreal Canadiens, Hamilton Tigers, a ...

Winnipeg Junior Falcons The Winnipeg Junior Falcons were a Canadian junior ice hockey team in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. They were associated with the Winnipeg Falcons senior hockey team. History In the 1920–21 season, the Falcons were the first team from Wester ...

Doug Baldwin Douglas Dewayne Baldwin Jr. (born September 21, 1988) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Stanford and was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2011. Baldwin is the Seahawks thi ...

Al Carr Alfred George Richard "Red" Carr (December 29, 1916 – May 16, 1990) was a Canadian ice hockey left winger. He played 5 games in the National Hockey League with the Toronto Maple Leafs during the 1943–44 season. The rest of his career, which l ...

Phil Hergesheimer Philip "Nip" Hergesheimer (July 9, 1914 — March 6, 2004) was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Chicago Black Hawks and Boston Bruins between 1939 and 1942. A native of Winnip ...

Legacy

The Falcons were honoured in a new

Heritage Minute ''The Heritage Minutes'' is a series of sixty-second short films, each illustrating an important moment in Canadian history. The ''Minutes'' integrate Canadian history, folklore and myths into dramatic storylines. Like the Canada Vignettes of t ...

segment in 2014. The segment, narrated by

George Stroumboulopoulos George Mark Paul Stroumboulopoulos (; Greek: Γεώργιος Μάρκος Παύλος Στρουμπουλόπουλος; born August 16, 1972) is a Canadian media personality. He is one of Canada's most popular broadcasters and best known as fo ...

and featuring actor

Jared Keeso Jared Keeso ( ; born July 1, 1984) is a Canadian actor, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for creating and starring in the comedy series '' Letterkenny'' (2016–present), which won a Canadian Screen Award for Best Comedy Series in 20 ...

, shares how the Falcons overcame discrimination and stayed together through the

on their way to the top of the hockey world. The Falcons segment premiered at the

MTS Centre Canada Life Centre (formerly MTS Centre and Bell MTS Place) is an indoor arena in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba. The arena is the home of the National Hockey League's Winnipeg Jets and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Manitoba Moose. T ...

in Winnipeg on November 6, 2014, during the intermission of a game between the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...

and

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

. The

Hockey Hall of Fame , logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg , logo_upright = 0.5 , image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg , caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992 , map_type = , former_name = , established = 1943 , location = 30 Y ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum is a hall of fame and museum for ice hockey in Manitoba, located on the main level of the Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg. It was established in 1985, when the first honoured members were named an ...

and

Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is a Canadian museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, dedicated to honoring the history and achievements of sports in Manitoba. The organization began in 1980, and then opened a museum in The Forks in 1993. Afte ...

have permanent displays honouring the Falcons and their Olympic victory. The 1920 Winnipeg Falcons were inducted into the

in the team category. On August 31, 2004,

Hockey Canada Hockey Canada (which merged with the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1994) is the national governing body of ice hockey and ice sledge hockey in Canada. It is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation and controls the majority ...

, in recognition of the Falcons' achievement, used a replica yellow and black jersey as alternate jerseys for the

2004 World Cup of Hockey The 2004 World Cup of Hockey was an international ice hockey tournament. It was the second installment of the National Hockey League (NHL)-sanctioned competition, eight years after the inaugural 1996 World Cup of Hockey. It was held from August 3 ...

against

Team USA The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

. Later that year, on December 20th national junior team wore replicas of the famous old gold and black Falcons uniforms for a World Junior Championship pre-tournament game in Winnipeg. On July 31, 2019,

Parks Canada Parks Canada (PC; french: Parcs Canada),Parks Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Parks Canada Agency (). is the agency of the Government of Canada which manages the country's 48 National Parks, th ...

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".

References

Sources

* * * Holland, Dave. ''Canada on Ice; The World Hockey Championships, 1920–2008''. Toronto, Ontario: Canada On Ice Productions, 2008. . * ''The Official Olympic Games Companion: The Complete Guide to the Olympic Winter Games, 1998 Edition''. London: Brassey's Sports, 1998. . * Square, David. ''When Falcons Fly: The Story of the World's First Olympic Gold Hockey Team''. Vancouver, British Columbia: Poppy Productions, 2007. . * Zweig, Eric. ''Long Shot, How the Winnipeg Falcons won the first Olympic Hockey Gold''. Toronto, Ontario: James Lorimer and Company, 2007. .

External links

1920 Winnipeg Falcons
a

1920 Winnipeg Falcons Official Site
{{s-end Defunct ice hockey teams in Canada Senior ice hockey teams Ice hockey teams representing Canada internationally