A Little History On A Monday

The plaque you see above was unveiled today in Winnipeg by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, an advisory board to the federal government. Normally, this type of ceremony wouldn't be something I'd be writing about since the advistory board spends a lot of time dealing with Canadian history in general, but today they were fairly close to HBIC Headquarters so I went on a trek. The historical people they were commemorating were the Winnipeg Falcons Hockey Club, the first Canadian team to capture the very first gold medal offered in the sport of ice hockey at the Olympics!

Formally unveiled today by Colonel Dave Grebstad, author of A Confluence of Destinies: The Saga of the Winnipeg Falcons, and Cathie Eliasson, representing Winnipeg Falcons descendants, the plaque will rest at the First Lutheran Church at 580 Victor Street just west of city's downtown area. Colonel Grebstad who nominated the Falcons for this recognition by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada in 2018, and the government agency agreed with the story of Canada's first Olympic gold medalists in hockey.

Some may ask why a church is the site where the plaque is being displayed. Don Kuryk, president of the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame, had a very clear answer as to why the Victor Street institution is the home to this commemoration of the Falcons, stating, "A lot of the players, in their youth, attended church here, were married here, some of them that passed away had their funeral services here, their weddings here."

The street intersects with Sargent Avenue in Winnipeg which was highlighted in Historica Canada's Heritage Minute commercial. You may recognize the man narrating and playing Falcons head coach Gordon Sigurjonsson as that's Letterkenny's Jared Keeso!


As Jared stated in the commerical, the proud Icelandic-Canadian players who made up the team valiantly enlisted to help Canada in World War I in 1916, joining the 223rd Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. As mentioned above, Frank Thorsteinson and George Cumbers never returned from battle of the six Falcons who saw action, but they were remembered every time the Falcons stepped on the ice after returning to Winnipeg in 1919.

From there, the team went on a special run of success, starting with the 1920 Allan Cup that was won over the Selkirk Fishermen by a score of 5-3. The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association chose the Falcons to represent Canada at the 1920 Antwerp Olympic Games in ice hockey as the tournament was played between April 23-29. The Falcons defeated Czechoslovakia, the United States, and Sweden by a combined 29-1 score en route to the gold medal. The Falcons, with their newest accolade hanging proudly around their necks, were welcomed home to Winnipeg in May 1920 to a grand parade and celebration, accolades from all levels of government, and a banquet in their honour where they were presented with gold watches for their achievement on the Olympic stage.

Because of their Icelandic ties, the plaque above is written in both of Canada's official langauges - English and French - as well as Icelandic to honour the Falcons. The plaque reads,

"The Winnipeg Falcons Hockey Club, founded through the merger of two Icelandic Canadian teams in 1909, rose from a community organization in the West End to become Canadian and Olympic champions. In 1920, the Falcons won the Allan Cup after beating a strong University of Toronto team in Canada’s senior amateur championship. The same year, they represented Canada in Antwerp, Belgium, where they won the first Olympic gold medal for hockey. The skill and sportsmanship of the Icelandic Canadians who dominated this club, named for Iceland’s national bird, have been a source of pride for people of Icelandic descent across the country."

So there's a quick history lesson for today compliments of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada installing a new plaque at the First Lutheran Church in Winnipeg. It's pretty cool to see the Falcons remembered this way, but we shouldn't forget that Team Canada wore a replica of the Falcons' sweaters during the 2004 World Cup of Hockey in Montreal against Team USA where Canada won 2-1. They were also worn in Winnipeg in a World Junior Championship exhibition game by Team Canada against Finland on December 20th, 2004 before the team headed south to Grand Forks for the tournament.

Perhaps in one of the best "heritage" honours, Team Iceland's national jerseys also pay homage to the Winnipeg Falcons as you can see the falcon's head in the logo and the little maple leaf at the bottom! How cool is that?

The Falcons' plaque will stand forever in Winnipeg to serve as a reminder of this team's incredible accomplishment following their bravery and sacrifice in World War I. Spending some time learning history on Monday when it comes to information like this is something I'd happily do again and again.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!