The Birth of Olympic Hockey

With the Olympics looming, we preface the Vancouver Games with a history lesson--the humble beginnings of Olympic hockey.  Thus, we begin with a man by the name of Frank Frederickson.   

Frederickson was a first generation Canadian, born to Icelandic immigrants.  His parents wanted him to be like the other children in Winnipeg, and thus they bought him skates and built a backyard rink.  He became acclimated to the neighborhood and the English language through the game of hockey, eventually captaining the Manitoba Hockey League's Winnipeg Falcons to a championship in 1915.

A 21-year-old Frederickson enlisted in the Canadian army the following year, where he was nearly killed.  Thankfully he was not; he returned to Winnipeg in 1919.   

Despite fighting for his country, when Frederickson returned from war he was denied by the Manitoba senior hockey league.  The senior league was comprised of players from prosperous families, while Frederickson and his former Falcon teammates were viewed as poor immigrants.

Frederickson remedied the situation by appealing to the sports editor of the Winnipeg Free Press for the formation of an independent hockey league.  Along with two other teams, the Falcons reassembled in a new league.

Under the leadership of coach Fred "Steamer" Maxwell, they defeated both the Manitoba league champions and Lakehead winner by the conclusion of the season.  The Falcons earned a berth in the Allan Cup, the pinnacle of senior men's amateur hockey in Canada, to face Toronto.  At stake was more than a mere trophy.  Winnipeg's Falcons, deemed an underdog in the contest, easily triumphed with better than 8,000 fans in attendance to support the heavily favored Toronto squad.  Upon the conclusion of the series, the Falcons boarded a ship bound for Europe.

The prize awarded to Frank Frederickson and his fellow Falcons?  An appearance at the 1920 Olympic Games, on behalf of Canada. 

The year 1920 marked the birth of Olympic ice hockey, with seven countries represented:  Canada, the United States, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Czechoslovakia and Sweden.  In the wake of World War I, the Canadian team drew overwhelming admiration from the Europeans.  However, the team was denounced by the overconfident Americans, who wagered that they would defeat the Canadians.

Canada trounced the United States in a 2-0 decision to win the bet.  The Canadians outscored opponents 29-1 in the 1920 Olympics, with the lone goal allowed to the Swedes.  Although the undisputed champions of the inaugural World Championships, Canada's gold medal was later discredited when the International Olympic Committee elected to make only the winter games from 1924 forward "official."  

Official or not, Frederickson and his Icelandic teammates captured gold for Canada.

On Feb. 28, just 57 days short of exactly 90 years after an independent Winnipeg club was named the best hockey team in the world, this year's gold medal game will be played.  Will team Canada emerge from Vancouver with an official gold medal this year? 

(Photo credit:  winnipegfalcons.com)