1886 Montreal Winter Carnival tournament

This is the 1886 Montreal Winter Carniaval Ice Hockey tourament. This is the fourth edition of the tournament.
The Dominion Championship was played in 1886. At a meeting held on January 4th between delegates of the four Montreal clubs, it was decided to debar the Quebec & Ottawa teams from competing in the tournament. The teams played 3-game series', McGill vs Crystals in one semi-final (only 2 games were played), AAA vs Victorias in the other. Montreal AAA & Crystals would play in the final series, Crystals winning 3 games to none. Quebec challenged Crystals for the championship on March 19. However, the final was marred by rough play, as reported in the Montreal Gazette:
"The Crystal rink was crowded last night with lovers of the game of hockey in the hope of seeing a good game. In this they were disappointed, for after about twenty-eight minutes rough and very questionable play - the home team being very conspicuous - the game was stopped, owing to A. E. Scott meeting with an accident. The Crystal team refused to withdraw a man to equalize matters, and as these representatives of a so-called first class hockey team were the sole possessors of the ice when time was called, the referee declared the game ended in favor of the Montreal men."
Quebec asked to replay the game on the following Wednesday, but the Crystals refused. The latter felt they had won the game, and nothing would make them change their minds. The Gazette returns to the subject the following week. The sports writer wrote:
"... we would refer to the recent match between the Crystals and Quebec team for the Dominion championship. It did hockey a great deal of harm in Montreal, a good many lovers of the game being disgusted at the miserable fiasco which the game ended in. The merits of the case have been given before and are simply: - The Quebecers came up al1 the way to play the Crystals a match and went on the ice to play a game of hockey. Roughness of the most barefaced and foul description was indulged in on both sides, men on either side who can play hockey when they choose, but who seem to prefer brute force, being noticeable. Soon one of the Quebec players, by accident, was thrown against the side of the rink and had his head badly cut. He had to leave the ice, and here came the trouble. The Quebec men said they had not a spare man prepared to play and asked the Crystals to drop one. They, however, refused to do this, as in fact they were not bound to do, and the Quebecers left the ice. Had the game proceeded it looked as if Quebec would now hold the championship, and very many people would rather see it go than be held here if Montreal had not it without a doubt. Still the Crystals think they were sure to win, and they had a chance to play Wednesday night and showed they were perfectly able to play the game pure and simple."
The Montreal Victorias then challenged the Crystals in the final game of the season, defeating them 4-1. The Crystals immediately challenged the Victorias but the return match was not played.
;Game results
*January 15: Montreal Crystals - McGill 1:0 OT
*January 22: Montreal Victorias - Montreal AAA 1:0 OT
*January 29: Montreal Crystals - McGill 4:1
*February 5: Montreal AAA - Montreal Victorias 3:1
*February 12: Montreal AAA - Montreal Victorias 2:1
*February 19: Montreal Crystals - Montreal AAA 3:1
*March 6: Montreal Crystals - Montreal AAA 4:2
*March 19: Montreal Crystals - Quebec Hockey Club 1:0 Forfeit - final
*March 24: Montreal Victorias - Montreal Crystals 4:1
==See also==
*List of pre-NHL seasons
== References==
*
;Notes
Category:Montreal Winter Carnival tournaments
Category:1886 in ice hockey