When the Winnipeg Victorias won the Stanley Cup in 1896, they were feted with the first-ever parade to honour the winners of hockey’s Holy Grail down Main Street.
Now a mural immortalizing that trail-blazing team will remind commuters heading north through Winnipeg’s most famous intersection about an important piece of the city’s hockey history. And maybe, just maybe, inspire Winnipeg’s current crew of lamplighters to follow in their footsteps.
“We have to get a Jets mural this year for when the Jets win the Stanley Cup,” says Tom Ethans, executive director of Take Pride Winnipeg, noting there’s plenty of room beside the Victorias’ mural on the wall of the Palomino Club for another one.
The Victorias issued a challenge to the Montreal AAA club for the Stanley Cup — literally just a bowl at the time — and a sudden-death game was scheduled on Valentine’s Day in Montreal in 1896. (From 1893 to 1914, the Stanley Cup was quite literally a challenge trophy.)
The visitors stunned Montreal with a 2-0 victory, with captain Jack Armytage scoring the winning goal and goalie George “Whitey” Merritt — who shocked the crowd by wearing protective white cricket pads on his legs — posting the shutout.
The Victorias would also win the Stanley Cup in 1901 and 1902.
“I think celebrating our history at any point since we’ve been a city in 1874 is critical,” says Cindy Tugwell, executive director of Heritage Winnipeg. “I think Winnipeggers can feel amazing civic pride. A lot of people don’t know that we won three Stanley Cups at the turn of the 20th century.”
Heritage Winnipeg is a non-profit organization that promotes the restoration, rehabilitation and preservation of the city’s historic buildings.
The mural, painted by Jen Mosienko, cost about $55,000, including the art work, panels and installation. (Yes, she’s related to one of Winnipeg’s most famous hockey players, Billy Mosienko, who will forever be known for scoring three goals in 21 seconds for the Chicago Black Hawks in a 1952 game against the New York Rangers.)
Jordy Douglas, president of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum, says the keystone province has unparalleled hockey history but too many people simply don’t know about it.
“I hold Manitoba to the highest standard in hockey excellence and other provinces can’t top us for all of the hockey we’ve had in this province. People don’t know. That’s our job now,” he says.
“This is a gift from the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum to the citizens of Winnipeg and the population of Manitoba.”
Further murals are on the drawing board but Douglas wasn’t about to tip his hand about who will be celebrated next.
“We’ve got some irons in the fire. We want to honour progressively. We don’t want to jump around (time-wise). We’re looking at all of the rinks in the city that are named after players, like the Billy Mosienko Arena, the Ab McDonald Arena and the Terry Sawchuk Arena,” he says.
Ethans is proud to note that Winnipeg boasts more than 600 murals throughout the city.
“We’re considered by many to be the mural capital of Canada,” he says.
