Introduction
In 1883, the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (MAAA) and McGill University were both asked to participate in the Montreal Winter Carnival by organizing for the first time ever an ice hockey tournament. The MAAA did not field a team, but McGill University fielded its own team, and two more teams were invited to play in a three-team tournament. This was the humble beginning of the Montreal Winter Carnival Hockey Tournament (MWCHT).
The fifth Montreal Winter Carnival Hockey Tournament (MWCHT) was held from February 4 to February 18 . The Montreal Victorias, McGill University, Quebec Hockey Club, and the Montreal Hockey Club contested for a Tournament trophy called the Carnival Cup.
The tournament, which was scheduled to play outdoors on an ice rink at the Ice Palace, was disrupted by two days of storms, and was not completed until February 18. During this time, no challenges were played. This fifth and final MWCHT would end as modestly as it started, but was the beginning of the hockey league lineage that stretches to the modern day!
The 1889 Winter Carnival featured the first game of ice hockey witnessed by Lord Stanley, Governor General of Canada, who would was so enthusiastic about the sport, he would later donate the Stanley Cup.
The MWCHT would play almost every year starting in 1883 until 1889 when its member teams decided it was better to focus play on the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) which it created in 1887.
Season Length
February 4 to 18, 1889
Season Champion
Montreal Victorias
# of Teams
4
Season Standings (Overall Champion Challenge Record)
Season Playoffs
There were no championship playoffs as the Champion Challenge system was being used. A team would hold the title of Champion until it was defeated by a Challenger as was done in Boxing. The team holding the title at the end of the season would be declared the overall Champion.
Future Features
