The Winnipeg Maroons were a

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

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749 ...

, Manitoba, Canada.

History

The Winnipeg Maroons existed as a senior hockey team of and on from at least 1925 to 1964. Senior hockey leagues did not consistently exist in Manitoba during those years, so the club would have competed in exhibition games during the years it was not part of an official league. This would have also prepared them for late season

Allan Cup The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men's ice hockey champions of Canada. It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal, and has been competed for since 1909. The current champions are th ...

competition, where the winner of the

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada� ...

playdowns would face the representative from

Eastern Canada Eastern Canada (also the Eastern provinces or the East) is generally considered to be the region of Canada south of the Hudson Bay/ Strait and east of Manitoba, consisting of the following provinces (from east to west): Newfoundland and Labra ...

for the Allan Cup senior ice hockey national championship. The Winnipeg Maroons played in 1925–26 in the Central Hockey League; this league reorganized as the American Hockey Association, where the Maroons competed during the 1926–27 and 1927–28 seasons. The Winnipeg Maroon participated in the single 1954–55 season of the Manitoba Senior Hockey League. The Winnipeg Maroons played a goodwill exhibition tour of Czechoslovakia from December 1960 to January 1961, accompanied by

Canadian Amateur Hockey Association The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA; french: Association canadienne de hockey amateur) was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey in Canada from 1914 until 1994, when it merged with Hockey Canada. Its jurisdiction include ...

representative

W. A. Hewitt William Abraham Hewitt (May 15, 1875September 8, 1966) was a Canadian sports executive and journalist, also widely known as Billy Hewitt. He was secretary of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1903 to 1966, and sports editor of the ''T ...

. The Winnipeg Maroons squad participated in the Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League from 1962–63 through 1964–65.

Allan Cup

The Maroons lost to the Regina Capitals in the Western Canada quarterfinals for the

1953 Allan Cup The 1953 Allan Cup was the senior ice hockey championship of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) for the 1952–53 season. The event was hosted by the Kitchener-Waterloo Flying Dutchmen and Kitchener, Ontario. The 1953 playoff marked ...

. In the Western playdowns for the

1954 Allan Cup The 1954 Allan Cup was the Canadian senior ice hockey championship for the 1953–54 senior "A" season. The event was hosted by the Penticton V's and Penticton, Vernon, and Kelowna Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan ...

, the Maroons defeated the Fort William Beavers in the quarterfinals, the

Moose Jaw Moose Jaw is the fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javian ...

Millers in the semifinals, then fell to the

Penticton Vees The Penticton Vees are a junior "A" ice hockey team from Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. They are a part of the British Columbia Hockey League. The junior Vees were founded in 1961, sharing the name of the senior hockey team, the Penticton ...

in the Western final. The Vees would go on to win that year's cup, defeating

's Sudbury Wolves. In the Western playdowns for the 1955 Allan Cup, the Maroons lost to the Fort William Beavers in the semifinals. In the Western playdowns for the

1956 Allan Cup The 1956 Allan Cup was the Canadian senior ice hockey championship for the 1955–56 senior "A" season. The event was hosted by the Vernon Canadians and Vernon, Kelowna, and Kamloops, British Columbia. The 1956 playoff marked the 48th time ...

, the Maroons defeated the Fort William Beavers in the semifinals, then fell to the

Vernon Canadians The Vernon Canadians were a men's ice hockey team from Vernon, British Columbia that played in the Okanagan Mainline League or the Okanagan Senior League from 1949 to 1961. In 1962, after the Okanagan Senior League folded, the Canadians became a b ...

in the Western final. The Canadians would go on to win that year's cup, defeating Eastern Canada's

Chatham Maroons The Chatham Maroons are a junior ice hockey team based in Chatham, Ontario, Canada. They play in the Western division of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL). The Maroons were the 1970 Western Ontario Junior A Champions and 1973 S ...

. In the Western playdowns for the

1958 Allan Cup The 1958 Allan Cup was the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) senior ice hockey championship for the 1957–58 senior "A" season. The event was hosted by the Kelowna Packers and Kelowna and Kamloops, British Columbia. The 1958 playof ...

, the Maroons defeated the Fort William Beavers in the quarter finals, the

Red Deer The red deer (''Cervus elaphus'') is one of the largest deer species. A male red deer is called a stag or hart, and a female is called a hind. The red deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Anatolia, Iran, and parts of ...

Rustlers in the semifinals, then fell to the

Kelowna Packers The Kelowna Packers were a senior ice hockey team from Kelowna, British Columbia. The team existed from 1949 to 1960, and played as members of the Okanagan Senior Hockey League from 1951 onward. They were runners-up in the 1958 Allan Cup finals, ...

in the Western final. The Packers would lose to Eastern Canada's

Belleville McFarlands The Belleville McFarlands were a Canadian senior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1956 to 1961. The McFarlands were based out of Belleville, Ontario, playing home games at the Belleville Memorial Arena. History Th ...

at that year's national finals. In the Western playdowns for the

1959 Allan Cup The 1959 Allan Cup was the Canadian senior ice hockey championship for the 1958–59 senior "A" season. The event was hosted by the Whitby Dunlops and Toronto, Ontario. The 1959 playoff marked the 51st time that the Allan Cup has been awarde ...

, the Maroons lost to 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 ...

in the quarterfinals. The Maroons advanced to the Allan Cup national finals for the first time in 1961, where they lost to the Eastern Canada champion Galt Terriers at the

1961 Allan Cup The 1961 Allan Cup was the Canadian senior ice hockey championship for the 1960–61 senior "A" season. The event was hosted by the Galt Terriers and Galt, Ontario. The 1961 playoff marked the 53rd time that the Allan Cup has been awarded. ...

. To become the Western Canada champion that year, the Maroons defeated the

Pla-Mors and

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

Maple Leafs in the Western playdowns. The 1964 team beat the Woodstock Athletics 4 straight games - 5-0, 7-1, 5-0, and 5-3. It was the Maroons' third appearance in four years in the

final. After losing to Galt Terriers in 1962 and Windsor Bulldogs in 1963, they were not to be denied in 1964. The Maroons were overpowering in their championship quest in 1964, winning 12 of their 13 playoff games and outscoring their rivals 79 - 32 with veteran Ross Parke leading the team in scoring with 26 points. Eggie Kukulowicz with 22 points, and Elliot Chorley with 19 points. Another veteran,

Chuck Lumsden Charles Lumsden (July 23, 1932 – May 31, 2014) was a Canadian football player who played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He previously played for the Winnipeg Light Infantry. He also played ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a t ...

, scored the winning goal and Ross Parke the last goal of the Allen Cup playoff finals. Two keen Maroon players, Fred Dunsmore and Reg Abbot missed the playoffs due to injuries. This 1964 Maroon Club were true amateurs as no players were paid and home game venues went to Winnipeg charities. The Maroons also played approximately twelve games against the Russian, Czechoslovakian, Swedish and USA national teams in Winnipeg. The Maroons held their own against such fine teams even though the players were all from Winnipeg. In 1965, the CAHA asked the team to give up its identity and become Canada's First National Team. The team roster was: Reg Abbott, Gary Aldcorn, Terry Ball, Sheldon Bloomer, Dick Braun, Ron Castelane,

Elliot Chorley Elliot Chorley (September 12, 1931 – December 5, 2008) was a Canadian ice hockey right winger who played 633 professional games, scored 216 goals, 292 assists for a total of 508 career points. Chorley died on December 5, 2008, at the age of 7 ...

, Don Collins, Murray Couch, Mike Daski, Gord Dibley,

Fred Dunsmore Frederick Roy Dunsmore (March 30, 1929 – May 13, 2014) was a Canadian ice hockey centerman who was runner-up for Manitoba's "Athlete of the Century". He played baseball for the Winnipeg Goldeyes briefly in 1954. Awards and achievements ...

, Ron Farnfield, Bernie Grebinsky, Al Johnson, Bill Johnson, Lou Joyal, Leo Konyk, Julian Klymkiw,

Aggie Kukulowicz Adolph Frank "Aggie" Kukulowicz (April 2, 1933 – September 26, 2008) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and Russian-language interpreter. He played four games in the National Hockey League for the New York Rangers, then played 12 ...

, Ron Kullman,

, Jim MacKenzie, Tom Marshall, Ross Parke, John Russell, Danny Summers, Terry Hind, President, Bud Holohan (G.M.), Gord Simpson (Coach). The general manager was Charles "Chas" Maddin, father of filmmaker

Guy Maddin Guy Maddin (born February 28, 1956) is a Canadian screenwriter, director, author, cinematographer, and film editor of both features and short films, as well as an installation artist, from Winnipeg, Manitoba. Since completing his first film i ...

, who profiled the Maroons in his semi-documentary film ''

My Winnipeg ''My Winnipeg'' is a 2007 Canadian film directed and written by Guy Maddin with dialogue by George Toles. Described by Maddin as a "docu-fantasia", that melds "personal history, civic tragedy, and mystical hypothesizing", the film is a surrealist m ...

''. The 1964 Winnipeg Maroons team was inducted into both the

Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame The Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum is a hall of fame and museum for ice hockey in Manitoba, located on the main level of the Canada Life Centre in downtown Winnipeg. It was established in 1985, when the first honoured members were named ...

, and the

Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum The Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is a Canadian museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, dedicated to honoring the history and achievements of sports in Manitoba. The organization began in 1980, and then opened a museum in The Forks in 1993. Afte ...

in 2003. The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association merged the

Canada men's national ice hockey team The Canada men's national ice hockey team (popularly known as Team Canada; french: Équipe Canada) is the ice hockey team representing Canada int ...

into the Maroons in 1965, and Gord Simpson continued as coach. Father David Bauer who had founded the national team, continued as its manager and saw the merger as the beginning of a truly national team based in the geographic centre of the country. In 1967, the Maroons relocated to

St. Boniface Boniface, OSB ( la, Bonifatius; 675 – 5 June 754) was an English Benedictine monk and leading figure in the Anglo-Saxon mission to the Germanic parts of the Frankish Empire during the eighth century. He organised significant foundations o ...

and became the

St. Boniface Mohawks The St. Boniface Mohawks were a Canadian senior ice hockey team in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The team was founded in 1967 when the Winnipeg Maroons, former Allan Cup champions, relocated to St. Boniface. The Mohawks played in various leagues, including t ...

References

External links

1964 Winnipeg Maroons
a

{{DEFAULTSORT:Winnipeg Maroons (Ice Hockey) Defunct ice hockey teams in Canada