Falcons were the first world hockey champions

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/05/2019 (2669 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Nearly 100 years have passed since the Winnipeg Falcons hockey club brought glory to our city and province.

On May 22, 1920, the Falcons arrived home from Europe as the first official world hockey champions. The team earned this designation by winning the hockey competition at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, Belgium.

It was the first year winter sports were part of the Olympics. The hockey and figure skating competitions began in April with the traditional Olympic sports taking place throughout the summer.
Along with Canada, Sweden, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia and the U.S.A. competed in the hockey competition.

Following wins of 15-0 over the Czechs and 2-0 over the U.S., the Falcons beat Sweden 12-1 in the final. While it may appear that the Falcons had an easy road to the world title, that wasn’t the case.
To begin the 1919-20 season, the primarily Icelandic team from the West End had to find a place to play. They weren’t welcome in the Winnipeg league and had to play in the Manitoba senior league with teams from Portage la Prairie and Selkirk.

After winning the league championship over Selkirk, the Falcons won Manitoba by beating the Winnipegs from the Winnipeg senior league. Next up was Fort William and a victory there sent them to Toronto to battle the hometown Varsity squad for the Dominion title and the Allan Cup.
Falcons won the two-game total-goal series 11-3, which earned them the right to represent Canada at the Olympics.

The issues the team had to deal with en route to Olympic victory are not as well-known.

Immediately after the Allan Cup victory, they had to leave for Europe. The trip was three days by train from Toronto to Saint John, N.B., a week by ship to Liverpool and then on to Antwerp.
Coach Fred (Steamer) Maxwell, the man credited with developing the Falcons to the championship level, was unable to accompany the team due to business commitments back home.  

The team needed help with expenses, so the provincial government allocated $2,000 and Winnipeg city council pitched in $500. When the team arrived in Europe, its equipment was held up in customs and they were unable to practise. When they could, they were allocated sessions of  30 minutes for hockey and another 30 for skating.

In Canada, teams played the traditional three 20-minute periods with six players a side. The Olympic organizers determined that a game would consist of two 20-minute periods with seven players on the ice.

The facility was a figure skating rink 165 feet by 58.5 feet, which was much smaller than Canadian rinks. Known for their speed, the Falcon players had to adjust to the smaller, more crowded conditions.

Wally Byron played in goal for the Falcons with Konrad (Konnie) Johannesson and Bobby Benson on defence. Captain Frank Frederickson, Magnus (Mike) Goodman and Haldor (Slim) Halderson were the forwards, with Alan (Huck) Woodman and Chris Fridfinnson serving as the seventh man.  

The champion Falcons left Europe by boat on May 5. Frederickson did not return home with the team, as he went to Iceland to accept a flying job. After 10 days, they arrived in Quebec City and, while en route home, the players were honoured with banquets in Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal. In total, the team of amateur players were away from home for 31 days.

In Winnipeg, thousands watched as the Falcons were paraded down Main Street. That evening, at a banquet at the Fort Garry Hotel, dignitaries acknowledged the team’s accomplishments in winning the Allan Cup and the Olympic title. Finally, the Icelandic team was given the respect it worked so hard to earn and so richly deserved.

Memories of Sport appears every second week in the Canstar Community News weeklies. Kent Morgan can be contacted at 204-489-6641 or email: sportsmemories@canstarnews.com