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On April 16th, 1920, the Winnipeg Falcons - now Team Canada - arrived in Antwerp in advance of the first ever Ice Hockey Olympic tournament.
Their journey had been long, both figuratively and literally. The Falcons team had been formed back in 1909 when the Icelandic Athletic Club and the Vikings hockey teams combined to form a single team. The Falcons competed at all levels in the various Winnipeg hockey leagues, and were well renowned for their speed and skill.
The Great War put all that in jeopardy, although many of the men who would eventually play for the Falcons at the Olympics enrolled in the 223rd “Canadian-Scandinavian” Overseas Battalion, which had been raised in Winnipeg, and played on the unit’s hockey team until they were sent overseas in late 1916.
Upon arrival in the United Kingdom, the players were split up into different branches of the Canadian military. Coach Herbert Axford, all-star center Frank Frederickson and Konnie Johannesson all transferred from the Canadian Army to the Royal Flying Corps; Axford even received the Distinguished Flying Cross for valor after a daring bombing raid in August 1918. Bobby Benson and goaltender Wally Byron both served in the 27th “City of Winnipeg” Battalion.
Sadly, two of their teammates made the ultimate sacrifice and were killed; George Ernest Cumbers serving with the No. 13 Canadian Light Railway Operating Company was killed when a German shell landed in the middle of his camp, and Frank Thorsteinson, serving with the 10th Battalion, was gassed during a trench raid in March 1918 and succumbed to the effects about a week later. Both lie in repose at Barlin Community War Cemetery, mere yards from one another.
After the war, the Falcons returned to a Canadian society rife with political and social upheaval, including the Winnipeg General Strike, a gruesome pandemic known as the “Spanish Flu” and mass unemployment. But, despite these setbacks they were soon back on the ice and playing the sport they loved.
Despite their skill and their contribution to the Canadian war effort, the Falcons were blocked at every turn as they tried to join the ranks of the Manitoba Senior Hockey League for the 1919/20 season. Whether through racism directed against the Icelandic “goolies” as they were derisively referred to, or out of fear for their genuine talent, it was a constant struggle for the Falcons and their management to gain acceptance into the league. Finally, through grit and perseverance they were admitted, albeit reluctantly. The 1919 Manitoba Senior Men’s Hockey championship consisted of two leagues: a city league of three teams, and a Manitoba league of three teams. Along with Selkirk and Brandon, the Falcons were relegated to the latter, while the other “big three” teams from the city of Winnipeg; the Winnipegs (the ‘Pegs), the Victorias and the Monarchs, remained in the former.
From the very beginning the Falcons came out flying. They dominated the Manitoba league, losing only two of ten games. In the provincial final against the ‘Pegs, they easily outclassed the City League champions. Fort William, now Thunder Bay, had emerged as the other contender to represent Western Canada for the Allan Cup - the Canadian amateur hockey championship, but they were soundly thrashed by the Falcons. Having dispatched their competitors in the West, the Falcons travelled by train to Toronto where they upset the home team University of Toronto Varsities to win the coveted Allan Cup and earn the right to represent Canada at the Olympics.
On April 3rd, 1920, the Falcons boarded the SS Melita in St. Johns, New Brunswick and steamed east - no doubt happy that during this crossing, as opposed to that of 1916, there was no threat of German U-boat torpedo attacks! They arrived in Liverpool on April 12th and made their way through England and across the Channel to Antwerp, arriving on April 16th, 1920, ready to vie for the gold.
Stay tuned for further articles about the Falcons’ performance at Olympic Games.
On April 16th, 1920, the Winnipeg Falcons - now Team Canada - arrived in Antwerp in advance of the first ever Ice Hockey Olympic tournament.
Their journey had been long, both figuratively and literally. The Falcons team had been formed back in 1909 when the Icelandic Athletic Club and the Vikings hockey teams combined to form a single team. The Falcons competed at all levels in the various Winnipeg hockey leagues, and were well renowned for their speed and skill.
The Great War put all that in jeopardy, although many of the men who would eventually play for the Falcons at the Olympics enrolled in the 223rd “Canadian-Scandinavian” Overseas Battalion, which had been raised in Winnipeg, and played on the unit’s hockey team until they were sent overseas in late 1916.
Upon arrival in the United Kingdom, the players were split up into different branches of the Canadian military. Coach Herbert Axford, all-star center Frank Frederickson and Konnie Johannesson all transferred from the Canadian Army to the Royal Flying Corps; Axford even received the Distinguished Flying Cross for valor after a daring bombing raid in August 1918. Bobby Benson and goaltender Wally Byron both served in the 27th “City of Winnipeg” Battalion.
Sadly, two of their teammates made the ultimate sacrifice and were killed; George Ernest Cumbers serving with the No. 13 Canadian Light Railway Operating Company was killed when a German shell landed in the middle of his camp, and Frank Thorsteinson, serving with the 10th Battalion, was gassed during a trench raid in March 1918 and succumbed to the effects about a week later. Both lie in repose at Barlin Community War Cemetery, mere yards from one another.
After the war, the Falcons returned to a Canadian society rife with political and social upheaval, including the Winnipeg General Strike, a gruesome pandemic known as the “Spanish Flu” and mass unemployment. But, despite these setbacks they were soon back on the ice and playing the sport they loved.
Despite their skill and their contribution to the Canadian war effort, the Falcons were blocked at every turn as they tried to join the ranks of the Manitoba Senior Hockey League for the 1919/20 season. Whether through racism directed against the Icelandic “goolies” as they were derisively referred to, or out of fear for their genuine talent, it was a constant struggle for the Falcons and their management to gain acceptance into the league. Finally, through grit and perseverance they were admitted, albeit reluctantly. The 1919 Manitoba Senior Men’s Hockey championship consisted of two leagues: a city league of three teams, and a Manitoba league of three teams. Along with Selkirk and Brandon, the Falcons were relegated to the latter, while the other “big three” teams from the city of Winnipeg; the Winnipegs (the ‘Pegs), the Victorias and the Monarchs, remained in the former.
From the very beginning the Falcons came out flying. They dominated the Manitoba league, losing only two of ten games. In the provincial final against the ‘Pegs, they easily outclassed the City League champions. Fort William, now Thunder Bay, had emerged as the other contender to represent Western Canada for the Allan Cup - the Canadian amateur hockey championship, but they were soundly thrashed by the Falcons. Having dispatched their competitors in the West, the Falcons travelled by train to Toronto where they upset the home team University of Toronto Varsities to win the coveted Allan Cup and earn the right to represent Canada at the Olympics.
On April 3rd, 1920, the Falcons boarded the SS Melita in St. Johns, New Brunswick and steamed east - no doubt happy that during this crossing, as opposed to that of 1916, there was no threat of German U-boat torpedo attacks! They arrived in Liverpool on April 12th and made their way through England and across the Channel to Antwerp, arriving on April 16th, 1920, ready to vie for the gold.
Stay tuned for further articles about the Falcons’ performance at Olympic Games.
