The Wheat City Hockey Club (also known as Brandon Wheat Cities) was an early 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 ...

club in

Brandon, Manitoba Brandon () is the second-largest city in the province of Manitoba, Canada. It is located in the southwestern corner of the province on the banks of the Assiniboine River, approximately west of the provincial capital, Winnipeg, and east of the ...

. The club fielded senior-level, junior and intermediate teams from 1898. The club fielded teams in the

Manitoba & Northwestern Hockey Association The Manitoba & Northwestern Hockey Association was an early senior-level men's amateur ice hockey league, founded in 1903, and played one season, 1903-1904 before joining the Manitoba Hockey Association. It operated in the provinces of Manitoba and ...

, followed by the

Manitoba Hockey Association The Manitoba Hockey Association (MHA) was an early men's senior ice hockey league playing around 1900 in Manitoba, Canada. The league started as an elite amateur league in 1892, became professional in 1905, had a professional and an amateur leagu ...

, the

Manitoba Professional Hockey League The Manitoba Hockey Association (MHA) was an early men's senior ice hockey league playing around 1900 in Manitoba, Canada. The league started as an elite amateur league in 1892, became professional in 1905, had a professional and an amateur leagu ...

(MPHL) and the early Manitoba Hockey League.

History

The club was founded as the Brandon Hockey Club in 1898. The club first fielded teams in the intermediate division of the

. In 1902, the club started fielding teams in the senior division. In 1904, the senior team made its first challenge for 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 1904 against the Ottawa Hockey Club (the ''Silver Seven''). In 1906, the club fielded its first professional senior team, which challenged for the Stanley Cup in 1907 in the MPHL playoff against 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 hock ...

. The professional league folded after a few seasons, but the Wheat City club continued fielding senior-level amateur teams until 1935.

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) president H. J. Sterling chose

Winnipeg 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 ...

as the host location for the 1921 finals at an arena with an artificial ice surface. The Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) and the Brandon Wheat City Hockey Club wanted to have the games played at the rink in Brandon, and contested that Sterling was incorrect to make the decision himself without consulting the CAHA executive. They sought an injunction against Sterling to prevent the games from being played in Winnipeg, but were denied when the justice declined to interfere in CAHA business. The

Toronto Varsity Blues men's ice hockey The Toronto Varsity Blues men's ice hockey team is an ice hockey team operated by the Varsity Blues athletics program of the University of Toronto. They are members of the Ontario University Athletics conference and compete in U Sports. The Varsi ...

defeated the Brandon Wheat City Hockey Club in the finals for 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 ...

. When five players from the team suddenly departed after the 1920–21 season ended, MAHA secretary

Fred Marples Frederick Paul Henry Marples (January 27, 1885January 17, 1945) 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 191 ...

stated that it put the players under suspicion of professionalism, but the MAHA could not do anything unless there was proof of players being paid to play or a residency rule violation. In June 1921, Marples and other MAHA officials met with CAHA president

W. R. Granger William Rowen Granger (December 13, 1873April 24, 1925) was an American-born Canadian sports administrator and businessman. He served as president of the Montreal AAA from 1918 to 1920, oversaw the revival of the association's ice hockey, baseb ...

to investigate into charges of professionalism in amateur hockey. The CAHA subsequently established a national registrar and a committee to investigate registrations.

Notable players

* Ty Arbour – professional ice hockey player in the NHL *

Lorne Chabot Laurent Edward Chabot (October 5, 1900 – October 10, 1946) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Chabot played in the National Hockey League from 1926 to 1937. He was a member of two Stanley Cup championship teams, the New York Rangers ...

– professional ice hockey goaltender in the NHL * Fred Gordon – professional ice hockey player in the NHL *

Joe Hall Joseph Hall may refer to: Sports * Joe Hall (American football) (born 1979), American football player * Joe Hall (baseball) (born 1966), American baseball player * Joe Hall (ice hockey) (1881–1919), Canadian ice hockey player * Joe B. Hall (192 ...

(1898–1905,1906–1907) – Hockey Hall of Fame player, two-time Stanley Cup champion * Walter Mummery – member of Quebec professional ice hockey team in the NHA *

Lester Patrick Curtis Lester Patrick (December 31, 1883 – June 1, 1960) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach associated with the Victoria Aristocrats/Cougars of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (Western Hockey League after 1924), and t ...

(1903–1904) – Hockey Hall of Fame player, later

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

general manager * Art Ross (1905–1907) – Hockey Hall of Fame player, later

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

general manager

References

{{reflist Sport in Brandon, Manitoba Defunct ice hockey teams in Manitoba 1898 establishments in Manitoba 1935 disestablishments in Canada

History

Notable players

See also

References