Winnipeg Maroons (ice hockey)

Lore & Background

The Winnipeg Maroons first appeared in the 1925–26 Central Hockey League, then played two seasons in the American Hockey Association before the franchise became the St. Louis Flyers. A later senior team of the same name played the single 1954–55 season of the Manitoba Senior Hockey League. From December 1960 to January 1961, the Maroons undertook a goodwill exhibition tour of Czechoslovakia, accompanied by Canadian Amateur Hockey Association representative W. A. Hewitt. The club also participated in the Saskatchewan Senior Hockey League from 1962–63 through 1964–65.

The Maroons made multiple Allan Cup playoff appearances. They lost to the Regina Capitals in the 1953 Western Canada quarterfinals. In 1954 they defeated the Fort William Beavers and Moose Jaw Millers before falling to the Penticton Vees in the Western final. They lost to the Fort William Beavers in the 1955 semifinals. In 1956 they beat Fort William but lost to the Vernon Canadians in the Western final. In 1958 they defeated Fort William and the Red Deer Rustlers before losing to the Kelowna Packers in the Western final. They lost to the Port Arthur Bearcats in the 1959 quarterfinals. The Maroons reached the Allan Cup national finals for the first time in 1961, losing to the Galt Terriers. They returned to the finals in 1962 and 1963, losing to Galt and the Windsor Bulldogs respectively.

In 1964, the Maroons won the Allan Cup, sweeping the Woodstock Athletics in four straight games (5–0, 7–1, 5–0, 5–3). They won 12 of 13 playoff games, outscoring opponents 79–32. Ross Parke led the team in scoring with 26 points, followed by Eggie Kukulowicz (22 points) and Elliot Chorley (19 points). Chuck Lumsden scored the winning goal and Ross Parke the last goal of the finals. Fred Dunsmore and Reg Abbot missed the playoffs due to injuries. The 1964 team were true amateurs—no players were paid, and home game proceeds went to Winnipeg charities. The Maroons also played approximately twelve games against national teams from Russia, Czechoslovakia, Sweden and the United States in Winnipeg.

Reader's Guide

The Winnipeg Maroons' most significant achievement was winning the Allan Cup in 1964, the national senior amateur championship. That team was inducted into both the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame and Museum in 2003. The club's legacy extends beyond its trophy case: in 1965, the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association asked the Maroons to give up their identity and become Canada's first national team. The merger saw Gord Simpson continue as coach, while Father David Bauer, who had founded the national team, remained as manager. Bauer viewed the merger as the beginning of a truly national team based in the geographic centre of the country. The Maroons relocated to St. Boniface in 1967 and became the St. Boniface Mohawks. The team was profiled in filmmaker Guy Maddin's semi-documentary My Winnipeg; Maddin's father, Charles 'Chas' Maddin, served as the Maroons' general manager. The 1964 club's amateur purity—no paid players, charitable donations of gate receipts—and its success against international competition underscore its place in Canadian senior hockey history.

Did You Know?

• The Maroons played a goodwill exhibition tour of Czechoslovakia from December 1960 to January 1961.
• The team's general manager was Charles 'Chas' Maddin, father of filmmaker Guy Maddin, who profiled the Maroons in his film My Winnipeg.