Frederick Turner Higginbotham (1868 – September 7, 1896) was an

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

defenceman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the l ...

for the

Winnipeg Victorias The Winnipeg Victorias were an amateur senior-level men's amateur ice hockey team in Winnipeg, Manitoba, organized in 1889. They played in the Manitoba Hockey Association (MHA) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Victorias won the ...

. He was part of the team that won the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...

in 1896, in a challenge game against the

Montreal Victorias The Victoria Hockey Club of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was an early men's amateur ice hockey club. Its date of origin is ascribed to either 1874, 1877 or 1881, making it either the first or second organized ice hockey club after McGill University. ...

. Higginbotham was not a true defenceman. He played in an era of hockey when seven players were present on the ice, including the

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...

. Higginbotham was referred to as a "cover-point", which was the role of the defenceman in today's game. He was primarily responsible for carrying the puck out of the defensive end. He was also a hard hitter. Higginbotham was born in

Bowmanville Bowmanville is a community of approximately 40,000 people located in the Municipality of Clarington, Durham Region, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately east of Toronto, and east of Oshawa along Highway 2. Bowmanville was first incorporated a ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. Around 1884, he moved to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

from Bowmanville. He was actively involved in numerous amateur sports and was part of many sporting clubs there. Higginbotham also played professionally with a

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

lacrosse Lacrosse is a contact team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game w ...

team in the late 1880s. Ice hockey was a novelty in the 1890s in Winnipeg, and Higginbotham was one of the first players. He was part of a team that won the Stanley Cup in the winter of 1896. Higginbotham also worked for

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), originally the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England Trading Into Hudson’s Bay, is a Canadian holding company of department stores, and the oldest corporation in North America. It was the owner of the ...

since 1889. He was also recognized as an "excellent guitar player". Higginbotham died in September 1896 as a result of a riding accident at a friend's house. The pony that he was riding ran around a post, and Higginbotham got caught with a clothesline wrapped around his neck. While trying to brace himself for the resulting fall, Higginbotham landed poorly, and sustained very serious spinal cord injuries. He died the next morning. He was buried in Bowmanville.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Higginbotham, Fred 1868 births 1896 deaths Canadian ice hockey defencemen Canadian lacrosse players Stanley Cup champions Ice hockey people from Clarington