November 6, 2025

Celebrating Our Hockey Heritage

On November 5th, 2025, a new mural on the 1903 Bank of British North America Building at 436 Main Street was unveiled, featuring the Winnipeg Victorias hockey team. The mural celebrates the 130th anniversary of the team’s first Stanley Cup win, which took place in 1896. Painted by local artist Jen Mosienko, it is a gift to Manitoba from the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame. Winnipeg Mayor Scott Gillingham, Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum President Jordy Douglas, Take Pride Winnipeg Executive Director Tom Ethans and Heritage Winnipeg Executive Director Cindy Tugwell were all in attendance at the event. “This colourful, artistic mural is a fitting addition to a heritage building in the Exchange District National Historic Site, showcasing and educating Winnipeggers and visitors about our hockey history,” said Tugwell, who spoke at the unveiling.

Skating is said to have been introduced to Winnipeg in the early 1870s, originally taking place outdoors on the frozen rivers. The sport grew in popularity along with the desire for warmer and safer rinks to skate on, the impetus for the 1875 Victoria Skating Rink – the first enclosed rink on dry land. More skating rinks were built and hockey arrived in the city sometime in the 1880s. Some of the first formal hockey games in the city were played during the winter of 1886-87, both on the frozen Red River on the Royal Rink. Built in 1885 for roller skating, the Royal Rink would have been located where the public parkade at 35 Albert Street is today. But the skating rink inside the Royal Rink was only temporary, with the Granite Curling Club moving into the facility in 1887.

Without any real facilities, hockey was on pause for several years. In 1891 and 1892, the game was played on the Thistle Rink at the corner of Princess Street and Pacific Avenue, built as the Grand Roller Rink in 1885 and last used by the Thistle Curling Club. Then, in 1892, the Granite Curling Club left the four sheets of ice at the Royal Rink, making way for it to become hockey’s foremost facility in Winnipeg for the next six or seven years. Located behind the 1898 McIntyre Block at 416 Main Street (demolished in 1979, now a surface parking lot), the arena once called the Royal Rink became known as the McIntyre Rink.

After travelling to Montreal to win the Stanley Cup, 2-0, on February 14th, 1896, the Montreal team quickly challenged Winnipeg Victorias to a rematch. Warm weather postponed the game until December 30th, 1896, when the same two teams took to the ice at the McIntyre Rink. Unfortunately, Winnipeg lost the game after being the “world champions” of hockey for just ten glorious months. Today, the new mural on the south facade of the Bank of British North America Building looks out towards the ground where the McIntyre Rink once stood.

While their loss at the end of 1896 was disappointing, the Winnipeg Victorias remained fierce competitors. They played in eight championship games during the first decade of the Stanley Cup being awarded, and were the only team other than Montreal to win, taking the trophy again in 1901 and 1902.