This is the team photo of the very first Stanley Cup champion - the Montreal AAA of the 1893 season.
The AAA (Amateur Athletic Association) were awarded the inaugural Stanley Cup championship (then still officially known was the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup) based on their first place finish in the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada.
Interestingly, great controversy surrounded the first championship, with the players refusing to accept it. You see, the Montreal Hockey Club (MHC) had merged with the AAA mid season, but the marriage was acrimonious at best. The team wanted MHC to be recognized as champions, not the AAA.
The team did eventually accept the championship trophy, but only after being awarded gifts including the very first Stanley Cup ring. While the Stanley Cup was engraved with "Montreal AAA - 1893," the rings were engraved with the MHC initials.
The Montreal team was led by goalie Tom Paton, forward Billy Barlow and goal scoring leader Havie Routh.
Montreal would go on to form an amateur dynasty in the 1890s, winning several Cups. Note their "Winged Wheelers" logo. Jack Adams loved that logo and later incorporated it in Detroit when he renamed the Detroit Cougars as the Detroit Red Wings.
Also note how the Stanley Cup (it was only the bowl back then) is dwarfed by the AHAC league championship trophy - the Senior Hockey Championship trophy. Here's a better photo of that trophy:
This trophy is housed at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
No comments:
Post a Comment