Biography

Competing in nearly a dozen different sports, Dan Bain was a true all-round athlete. He was a prominent figure in Manitoba, not only in the world of sports, but also as a successful businessman, an avid outdoorsman, and an active community man. Although he never competed as a professional athlete, Bain was as fierce a competitor as Canada ever produced. At the age of 13, Bain captured his first title, a 3-mile Roller Skating championship. He then moved on to gymnastics and bicycling, winning numerous awards in both these sports, including the Campbell Rowley Trophy for the Manitoba All-round Gymnastic Championship, and three consecutive Carruthers' Cups for the one-mile bicycle championship. During the winter, he donned blades and competed in pairs figure skating, claiming over a dozen figure skating titles during a career that endured for decades. Bain was also an excellent lacrosse player and a top hockey player. In 1896 he led the Winnipeg Victorias to a Stanley Cup win and captained them to a second victory in 1901. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1949, one of the first western Canadians so honoured. Bain was the nation's finest trapshooter of his day, as well as an avid golfer. He continued to figure skate throughout most of his life, claiming his final figure skating title in Winnipeg at the age of 56, and continuing to appear in pairs exhibition performances at the age of 70.