The Halifax Wolverines (sometimes; Halifax Wolves) were an amateur men's

senior ice hockey Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition. There are no age restrictions for Senior players, who typically consist of those whose Junior eligibility has expired. Senior hockey leagues operate under the jurisd ...

team based in

Halifax, Nova Scotia Halifax is the capital and largest municipality of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and the largest municipality in Atlantic Canada. As of the 2021 Census, the municipal population was 439,819, with 348 ...

. The team won the 1935 Allan Cup, and were nominated to represent Canada in

ice hockey at the 1936 Winter Olympics The men's ice hockey tournament at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, was the fifth Olympic Championship, also serving as the tenth World Championships and the 21st European Championships. The British national ice hoc ...

but disbanded before playing in the Olympics.

History

The Maritimes The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% of C ...

saw growth in

during the

Great Depression in Canada The worldwide Great Depression of the early 1930s was a social and economic shock that left millions of Canadians unemployed, hungry and often homeless. Few countries were affected as severely as Canada during what became known as the "Dirty Thirt ...

, as men sought to make a living and it was reported by ''

The Winnipeg Tribune ''The Winnipeg Tribune'' was a metropolitan daily newspaper serving Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada from January 28, 1890 to August 27, 1980. The paper was founded by R.L. Richardson and D.L. McIntyre who acquired the press and premises of the old '' ...

'' as common knowledge that amateurs were being paid to play in the Maritimes. In December 1934, Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) president E. A. Gilroy asked the Maritime Amateur Hockey Association to make a declaration on operating a commercial league which was considered professionalism and not allowed. After a month of negotiations, a senior league was approved that included the Halifax Wolverines. The Wolverines won the 1935 Allan Cup and were invited to represent Canada in

, but disbanded before the following season. Attempts were made to bring the Wolverines team back together for the Olympics according to

Amateur Athletic Union of Canada The history of Canadian sports falls into five stages of development: early recreational activities before 1840; the start of organized competition, 1840–1880; the emergence of national organizations, 1882–1914; the rapid growth of both amateur ...

president W. A. Fry, but its players had gone separate ways for personal and financial reasons. In December 1935, Fry announced the

Port Arthur Bearcats The Port Arthur Bearcats (Bear Cats) were a senior amateur ice hockey team based in Port Arthur, Ontario, Canada – now part of the city of Thunder Bay – from the early 1900s until 1970. Before settling on the nickname of Bearca ...

who were runners up in the 1935 Allan Cup, as "the logical choice" to represent Canada. In January 1936, four members of the Wolverines were invited to play with Port Arthur at the Olympics, but declined when travel expenses were not covered for their families. Fry defended the decision by Gilroy, stating that it was not their responsibility to cover expenses beyond the players.

Canadian Olympic Committee The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC; french: Comité olympique canadien) is a private, non-profit organization that represents Canada at the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It is also a member of the Pan American Sports Organization ( ...

secretary-treasurer

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 ...

denied that there had been any agreement to take care of the players' families while they were at the Olympics, and that the Halifax players had left the team voluntarily because they could not get what they wanted in terms of money. As a result of the Wolverines not playing at the Olympics due to financial issues, the CAHA formed a committee to study the definition of an amateur hockey player with relation to eligibility for international competition. This led to the amateur reforms championed by W. G. Hardy and

George Dudley George Samuel Dudley (April 19, 1894 – May 8, 1960) was a Canadian ice hockey administrator. He joined the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) executive in 1928, served as its president from 1934 to 1936, and as its treasurer from 1936 to 1960 ...

which allowed for travel expenses and compensation of lost wages.

References

{{reflist Defunct ice hockey teams in Canada Senior ice hockey teams Sport in Halifax, Nova Scotia