Nipper the dog, HMV and Montreal hockey.

Here we have a photograph of the Nipper HMV hockey team but properly known by it`s original name BERLINER GRAMAPHONE hockey team from the Montreal Manufacturers League. This league was formed around 1910 and lasted till the turn of the second world war when clubs found it extremely difficult to field a team when players were called up.
                       I will do my next article on this league and some of the other teams involved. When this photograph was taken it is mentioned in it`s title that they were the Champions of the Manufacturers Hockey League 1920/21 but I am still researching this and many other amateur teams and would be delighted if anyone had any interesting information about these leagues, teams of the early 1900`s. I have found some articles in the Montreal Gazette and in the 1923 April 9th edition it mentions the league and the Berliner team being presented with the Crane Cup as champions of the four team league in which it concluded early in march.
The captain George Mallinson (back row third from left) expressed the pleasure of his teammates in being the First to have the club name inscribed on the trophy. The Manufacturers League games were played as double-headers at the Victoria Rink the same rink that saw the first ever recorded Ice-hockey game back in 1875. Picture below shows the Victoria Skating Rink during a game in 1893.