Winnipeg Falcons’ legacy lives on in new Heritage Minute

The Falcons were group of Icelandic-Canadians who wanted to play hockey but were excluded from regular leagues because of their ethnicity, so they created their own club.“Like many new Canadians, they dressed different, they spoke different, they ate different things,” said Rich Brownlee, sport heritage manager at Sport Manitoba’s Hall of Fame.Many of the players grew up along Sargent Avenue in Winnipeg’s West End in the early 1900s. The area was full of Icelandic settlers and new Canadians.The club was broken apart in 1917 when they went to fight for Canada in the First World War. When they came back to Winnipeg in 1919 the players reunited and dominated in Manitoba.“The whole team being in the army learned the power of self-discipline and acting together,” said Johannesson.After winning the Allan Cup in Toronto as underdogs, they went on to represent Canada at the Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. The rest is history and the subject of a new Canadian Heritage Minute.WATCH: Historica Canada’s Winnipeg Falcons Heritage Minute
“They honoured the fact they won it in the way they conducted themselves,” said Dan Johnson, chairman of Falcons Forever committee. “They didn’t seek fortune and fame from what they accomplished, they were just sort of playing hockey.” The Falcons legacy now lives on in Hall of Fame displays across the country.PHOTO GALLERY: Winnipeg Falcons moments in history