Windsor Swastikas circa 1905-
Windsor Swastikas 1912
The Windsor Swastikas were a Canadian ice hockey team in Windsor, Nova Scotia, from 1905 – 1916. Not to be confused with the Fernie Swastikas across the country in British Columbia, the Swastikas chose their name as at the time the swastika was a symbol associated with luck and success.
Team logo[]
The Windsor Swastikas used the ancient swastika symbol as their logo. Though once commonly used all over much of the world without stigma, because of its iconic usage in Nazi Germany the symbol has become stigmatized in the Western world, notably even outlawed in Germany.[1]
History[]
Credited as the birthplace of hockey Windsor has a long history of the sport.[2] As such it was natural that the small town would have a touring team. When selecting logo's for their hockey team they chose a symbol that at the time was associated with power and good fortune, much like the four leafed clover.[3] The team formed in 1905 and toured the East coast of Canada travelling as far as Saint John's, Newfoundland to play other professional teams.[3] At first they played in and won the Western Nova Scotia Amateur Hockey League championship.[3] They also defeated other team to win the famous Halifax Herald and Mail Trophy.[3] The team moved by train from town to town as was common in the era.[3] For home games they played at the Stannus Street Rink, the oldest rink in Canada. The team disbanded during World War I when many players, like Blaine Sexton, joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force that fought on the Western Front.[3][4]
Notable players[]
- Blaine Sexton (May 3, 1892 – April 27, 1966) - Was a former Swastika player who went on to become a player on the British ice hockey team that got a bronze medal at the 1924 Winter Olympics.[5][3]
- Walter Regan - Coach of Swastikas his son, Gerald Regan, later became Premier of Nova Scotia.[6]
- Lew Shaw - Inductee of the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame for hockey.[3]
References[]
- ↑ BBC News (January 17, 2005). Call for Europe-wide swastika ban. BBC News. Retrieved on May 3, 2010.
- ↑ Jozsa, Frank P.. American sports empire: how the leagues breed success, 2003, Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 1567205593. - Total pages: 239
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Vaughan, Garth (2001). Windsor's "Swastikas" Hockey Teams. birthplaceofhockey.com. Retrieved on April 20, 2010.
- ↑ Hockey Players on the Railway. hockeyrailroader (2010). Retrieved on April 21, 2010.
- ↑ Blaine Sexton. Sports Reference LLC.. sports-reference.com (2010). Retrieved on April 20, 2010.
- ↑ Baker, Charles (October 13, 2009). Chapter 25 – My Pennsylvania Ancestors – Part II. Charles Baker. Retrieved on April 20, 2010.
Further reading[]
- Vaughan, Garth. The Puck Starts Here: The Origin of Canada's Great Winter Game : Ice Hockey, 1996, Goose Lane Editions. ISBN 0864922124. - Total pages: 210
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