Celebrating Hockey History: The Story of the 1958/59 Belleville McFarlands World Champion Hockey Team (film screening)

Event Details

Event type: All Ages

Glanmore National Historic Site is celebrating Belleville’s hockey heritage with a special presentation, about the history of hockey in Belleville and the story of the Belleville McFarlands hockey team, to be held at the Quinte Sport and Wellness Centre at 2pm on Friday, February 21, 2025.  

 In the 1950s, Belleville’s Memorial arena was packed on game nights as rowdy crowds cheered on their hometown hockey team, The Belleville McFarlands. Owned by wealthy industrialist H.J. McFarland of Picton, the team was stocked with former NHL veterans, promising rookies, and local farm boys who played a blend of hockey featuring speed, scoring skill, and bruising play.The mighty MACS were rough, tough, and unstoppable.

In 1958, the McFarlands swept through successive series with Canadian teams to win the Allan Cup. Fifty thousand fans lined the streets of Belleville to welcome them home. The following year, they travelled to Prague, Czechoslovakia to play the best teams in the world. The MACS lost just one game and captured the world title. And Belleville went crazy again.

But within months the players were embroiled in a scandal involving city payments to team members. It was not until 50 years later in April 2009, Belleville honoured the team with a special anniversary night launching a documentary and book about their remarkable achievement.

 Re-live this hockey history on Friday, February 21, from 2 – 4 PM in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre, 265 Cannifton Road, Belleville.  The event will feature author Richard Hughes discussing his new book, Belleville Hockey Town, The Early Years 1865 – 1930 as well presentation by Picton journalist Peter Lockyer and a screening of his short documentary about the McFarlands Hockey team.  

The Celebrating Hockey History event is brought to you by Glammore National Historic Site in partnership with History Lives Here. Tickets are $20/person and includes light refreshments and a complimentary pass to Glanmore to be used for a future visit to the museum. 

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