Montreal Crystals
Encyclopedia
Montreal Crystals were an ice hockey
team based in Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada
that existed from 1886 to 1895. The Club was a member of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC). The team won the Canadian championship twice. In 1895, the team became the Montreal Shamrocks
. Under that incarnation the club was a two-time winner of the Stanley Cup
.
The Montreal Crystals won the Canadian championship in 1886, defeating Quebec, which withdrew due to numerous injuries in the final game. That year the Crystals helped to found the AHAC, playing in the first four seasons of challenges. The club won the Canadian again in 1887, defeating the Montreal Victorias
in the last challenge of the season. The team played further challenges for the championship in 1888, 1889 and 1890. For 1890, the club was known as the 'Dominion Hockey Club.'
The club was known as the 'Montreal Crescent' in 1891, but did not play in AHAC challenges. The club did not play in 1892 at all and returned to the league when it started play in a round-robin format in 1893.
In 1895, the Crystals became affiliated with the Shamrocks Amateur Athletic Association, and renamed itself the Montreal Shamrocks.
The Crystals club was named after the rink it played in, the Crystal Palace Skating Rink
of Montreal. The Dominion name change occurred when the Crystals played one season at the Dominion Rink. Their affiliate team were the 'Young Crystals'.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team based in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
that existed from 1886 to 1895. The Club was a member of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC). The team won the Canadian championship twice. In 1895, the team became the Montreal Shamrocks
Montreal Shamrocks
The Montreal Shamrocks were an amateur, later professional, men's ice hockey club in existence from 1886, merging with the Montreal Crystals club in 1896. They won the Stanley Cup ice hockey championship in 1899 and 1900...
. Under that incarnation the club was a two-time winner of the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
.
The Montreal Crystals won the Canadian championship in 1886, defeating Quebec, which withdrew due to numerous injuries in the final game. That year the Crystals helped to found the AHAC, playing in the first four seasons of challenges. The club won the Canadian again in 1887, defeating the Montreal Victorias
Montreal Victorias
The Victoria Hockey Club of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was an early men's amateur ice hockey club. Its date of origin is ascribed to either 1874, 1877 or 1881, making it either the first or second organized ice hockey club after McGill University. The club played at its own rink, the Victoria Skating...
in the last challenge of the season. The team played further challenges for the championship in 1888, 1889 and 1890. For 1890, the club was known as the 'Dominion Hockey Club.'
The club was known as the 'Montreal Crescent' in 1891, but did not play in AHAC challenges. The club did not play in 1892 at all and returned to the league when it started play in a round-robin format in 1893.
In 1895, the Crystals became affiliated with the Shamrocks Amateur Athletic Association, and renamed itself the Montreal Shamrocks.
The Crystals club was named after the rink it played in, the Crystal Palace Skating Rink
Crystal Palace (Montreal)
The Crystal Palace was an exhibition hall built for the Montreal Industrial Exhibition of 1860, originally located at the foot of Victoria Street between St. Catherine and Cathcart Streets. It was used for temporary exhibitions, and in winter, housed an ice skating rink.-Construction:The building...
of Montreal. The Dominion name change occurred when the Crystals played one season at the Dominion Rink. Their affiliate team were the 'Young Crystals'.
Season-by-season record
| Year | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
| 1893 1893 AHAC season The 1893 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted from January 7 until March 17. The Montreal Hockey Club was the league and Canadian champion for the sixth season in a row and was awarded the Stanley Cup. They were the first winners of the Cup and did not have to challenge for... |
8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 25 | 34 | -- | 3rd in AHAC | -- |
| 1894 1894 AHAC season The 1894 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted from January 5 until March 10. Montreal HC would win the league and Canadian championship for the seventh season in a row.-Executive:* President - W. Jack, Victorias... |
8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 43 | -- | 5th in AHAC | -- |
| 1895 1895 AHAC Season The 1895 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted from January 3 until March 8. Each team played 8 games, and Montreal Victorias were first with a 6–2–0 record. After a required Stanley Cup challenge played between the 1894 winners, Montreal HC and Queen's, champion of the Ontario Hockey... |
7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 21 | 39 | -- | 4th in AHAC | -- |