‘It really is large’

Exchange District

Following its installation in mid-October, a three-storey mural celebrating the legacy of the turn-of-the-19th century Winnipeg Victorias hockey team was officially ‘unveiled’ at a media event on Nov. 5.

The mural, commissioned by the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum (MHHOF), was a huge project for renowned Winnipeg muralist Jen Mosienko and her assistant, Emmit McGregor, in more ways than one. It was three years in the making — from initial conversation to final installation — and measures in at 38 feet high and 20 feet wide along the once-vacant south wall of the old Royal Trust building at 436 Main St., now home to the Palomino Club, in the historic Exchange District.

The Victorias, established in 1889, won the Stanley Cup in 1896, 1901 and 1902, back when the symbol of hockey supremacy was a challenge trophy.

Installed to commemorate both the 40th anniversary of the MHHOF, first established in 1985, and the upcoming 130th anniversary (next February) of the Victorias first winning the Cup, the mural was described as the hall’s “gift to Manitoba” by CJOB host Greg Mackling, a MHHOF director who spoke at the unveiling event.

In its lower left corner, the mural also depicts the long-demolished McIntyre Arena, which was located just south of where the Palomino Club now stands. The site is now home to a parking garage just behind 201 Portage.

The hall of fame asked for four components to be included in the finished piece, Mosienko explained: a colour reproduction of a black-and-white team photo; the arena; the original Stanley Cup; and an action shot depicting the Victorias playing in Montreal.

“The best way to illustrate that was sort of a vintage poster-style from that era, and also include the additional images that are in there,” she said, adding that fellow artist Mandy van Leeuwen and graphic designer Paul Butler helped adapt the images provided by the hall.

McGregor has been working as Mosienko’s assistant for just under two years. In order to paint projects as big as this, they split a mural into panels — the Victorias mural featured three — so they weren’t able to visualize how big the piece really was until it was installed.

“We didn’t know what it really look like all together,” he said. “And you pray and you hope that everything matches up, because we leave enough room on the wall where you can take down. It’s like, ‘OK, this edge meets this edge. Let’s do it in sections and then match them up.’”

Even choosing the colours was a bit of a gamble, as blue and gold hues will look different in the sun than they do on an LED monitor in a basement. When it all came together, it was “very exciting,” McGregor said.

“We (heard) that (SRS Signs) was putting up the wood harnessing for it… so we (got) in the car and (drove) there, just to look at it and go, ‘Oh, wow. It really is large.’”

In the end, the mural’s brilliant gold border — a colour he supported wholeheartedly — came out looking great.

“It was very validating,” he said.

Mosienko, who is married to the grandson of Winnipeg hockey legend Billy Mosienko, and McGregor said they didn’t know a great deal about the Victorias before taking on the project but said MHHOF director John Jameson helped them piece together the history of team. Mosienko recommends that people watch the Manitoba-made documentary Champion City, which tells the tale of the Victorias’ glory days.

“I learned a lot about the history of the Stanley Cup when we were researching,” McGregor added, such as the fact that, for a year, it was lost and used as a flower pot.

“It was just abused. Somebody drop-kicked it into a river… that’s why it’s so banged up,” he said.

Mosienko said she’s very appreciative of the City of Winnipeg’s support of mural art, and the opportunity to embark on a project such as this one.

“There’s a lot of other cities that do not have nearly some of the amazing projects that we have here,” she said. “So definitely grateful. A lot of gratitude to the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame for trusting me with it, and Take Pride Winnipeg, SRS Signs, Nicola Wilson, and Peter Havens for their continued support.”

The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum is located on the second floor of the Hockey for All Centre just west of the Perimeter Highway. Visit mbhockeyhalloffame.ca for more information.