City shuts out province with 6-0 win in Winnipeg 150 hockey game

The provincial government opened the floodgates to the City of Winnipeg Saturday, falling 6-0 in a match-up 50 years in the making.

The event was held in honour of Winnipeg’s 150th anniversary – a rematch of the 1974 game between then-mayor Stephen Juba and former premier Edward Schreyer during the city’s centennial.

Saturday’s event saw Mayor Scott Gillingham, councillors and city staff go head-to-head with Premier Wab Kinew and members of the legislative assembly.

“We know that the city probably has a stacked team, so we’re coming in as the underdogs and looking to have some fun,” Kinew told reporters before puck drop.

“Manitoba, Winnipeg, we're a hockey province, we're a hockey city,” said Gillingham.

Both Gillingham and Kinew said the game was a way to put politics aside and come together on the ice.

“Usually, when we're talking to one another as politicians, we usually deal with big issues, so it's nice to be able to come out just have some fun,” the mayor said.

“Hockey brings us together, right? Hockey is one of those great things. Doesn't matter where you come from, different backgrounds, once you hit the ice, we're all the same,” said Kinew.

“We might have a bet or something like that, in terms of who’s going to pay for fixing the roads, or maybe the North End water plant,” the premier joked.

After the game, Gillingham credited the women on the team, who hail from various city departments, for the win.

Gillingham was also congratulated on the ice by fellow city councillors. Among them, Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry representative Sherri Rollins, who greeted the mayor by dunking a water bottle over his head.

“Lots of fun,” said Gillingham, before thanking everyone for coming to the event.