1886 Burlington Winter Carnival

The Burlington Coasting Club proposed a winter carnival for the city of Burlington, Vermont as a rival attraction to the Montreal Winter Carnival, with the hope of inaugurating the event. It was scheduled to begin on February 15, 1886 and featured 5 days of winter sports activities. A committee from the club had been visiting Montreal to obtain attractions for the carnival as well as gain tips on how to manage the event. The Montreal Snow Shoe Club]], along with several organisations from Montreal were invited to the carnival to participate in the events. The Montreal Crystals and the Montreal Hockey Club accepted the invitation, as did the Ottawa Hockey Club, which later withdrew due to scheduling conflicts. A local team was quickly assembled from the employees of the Van Ness House, a hotel in Burlington. Montreal HC won the gold medal, and the Crystal won the silver."Close of the Carnival", The Day, p. 1, February 27, 1886 Originally scheduled for February 15–19, the organizers were forced to move the events one week earlier due to unseasonable weather. The carnival was held on February 22–26. The hockey games were played on Lake Champlain in heavy wind. The first game was played on the morning of February 26, with two 20-minute halves. There was no score through 40 minutes, and Montreal's R. Smith scored in overtime. The second game was between Montreal HC and Van Ness House, and it was the first international ice hockey game. The players representing Van Ness House did not have any hockey experience, having only gone through a few practices prior to the carnival. The two teams played two 15-minute periods, with Montreal winning 3–0 and thus claiming the gold medal. The final game was played in two 10-minute periods, with Joseph McGoldrick of the Crystals scoring the only goal to capture the silver medal.
Date 	Team 	Score 	Team 	Score	Location
February 26	Montreal HC	1 (OT)	Crystals 	0 	Lake Champlain
February 26	Montreal HC	3 	Van Ness House	0 	Lake Champlain
February 26	Crystals 	1 	Van Ness House	0 	Lake Champlain
Montreal wins Winter Carnival Tournament
Source: Lord Stanley: The Man Behind the Cup
===Rosters===
The following players were part of the hockey teams participating in the 1886 Burlington Winter Carnival.http://hockeygods.com/blog/hockeyhistory/The_1st_International_Ice_Hockey_Game_1886
Van Ness House: Lewis C. Johnson, Charles H. Whitcomb, Maxwell A. Kilvert, William F. Waters, Edward. S. Griffing, Howard Crane, Walter A. Laduke (captain)
Montreal HC: Tom L. Paton, George S. Lowe, Duncan McIntyre, Francis Barlow, Francis Crispo, William C. Hodgson, Richard F. Smith, Fred M. Larmonth (captain)
Montreal Crystals: Allan Cameron, Jonathan A. Findlay, Edward McCaffrey, Joseph F. McGoldrick, William Hutchison, James Virtue, Robert Laing (captain)
==See also==
*List of pre-NHL seasons
==References==
*
;Notes
[[Category:1886 in ice hockey
Category:Burlington Winter Carnival Tournament