Toward a national championship : Charlottetown junior hockey development 1930-34

Abstract

Searching during the 1930s for an identity that would label it a Maritime center, Charlottetown looked to sports, and in particular a national championship in hockey. However, 1930 marked the onset of the Great Depression during which the management of a competitive team at senior level became increasingly difficult. Economic difficulties were magnified by a common Maritime practice of importing players from other areas of Canada, in contravention with the ideals of important governing bodies in amateur sport. Consequently Maritime senior hockey began a precipitous decline. By this time however, another hockey brand was establishing itself. Junior hockey in Prince Edward Island began in late 1930, coinciding with the opening of the Charlottetown Forum. Over a four-year period, the junior program would overcome the harsh effects of the Depression, work its way out of the senior hockey shadow, and firmly position itself as the hockey face of Charlottetown.