Toronto Maple Leafs: The First Game of Christmas
By Thomas G
A note on Christmas
Speaking of which, of course, it was December 25th! With a few exceptions, the NHL made something of a tradition of their Christmas games. Until 1971, when disgruntled players and staff who understandably wanted to spend time with their families put a stop to it, this game proved just how magical this atmosphere could be.
In a lot of these “On this day” sort of throwbacks, people get more out of nostalgia than the event itself. We like reading about things we lived through and remembering our feelings at the time. The problem is, none of you were at that game in 1920. Using my free trial and library card to access the newspaper archives, let’s try to recreate that atmosphere.
The best part about these clippings is this sincere complete lack of cynicism in every story. Page 13 of the Globe’s Christmas edition worries that people might feel guilty over their own happiness at Christmas time, with so many folks in poverty. Not to worry, though, everything is well accounted for!
“When (the prosperous citizen) sits down to a festive board, groaning with good things, need not have his happiness marred by thoughts that less fortunate neighbors are going hungry. Under the perfect system, which now exists for the administration of relief, every deserving case has been well provided for by one or other of the numerous societies who handle the relief. Baskets containing meat, vegetables, bread, plum puddings, nuts, and jam have gone out to all homes known to be in need.”
The winter of 1920 was apparently a relatively mild one. Although there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of meteorological data from Toronto at the time, reports suggest that it was a chilly, but not an exactly cold day, probably similar to our own Christmases to come. There were some flurries in by the lake on Christmas Eve, with temperatures around zero.
What stuck out more than anything, though, were these countless feel-good stories. Extensive reporting on a little girl’s Christmas party, a thorough description of Christmas services in Kitchener, and Mayor Thomas Church’s assurance that despite mass unemployment, everything would turn out just fine.
This hockey game, of course, turned out to be one of those feel-good stories. They seem silly when we look at them, but these floods of happy stories and careful reviews of the game last night really demonstrate the importance of distractions and entertainment in difficult times. They were just as relevant 100 years ago.