1905–06 Ottawa Hockey Club season
Encyclopedia
The 1905–06 Ottawa Hockey Club season, the club's twenty-first season, saw the Silver Seven defend their Stanley Cup
championship in two challenges, but lose the Cup in a league playoff with the Montreal Wanderers
. The Club moved to the new Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association
(ECAHA) formed in 1905.
(CAHL) and the Wanderers of the Federal Amateur Hockey League
(FAHL) to form one league with the top clubs of both leagues. The FAHL continued, but the CAHL folded.
Ottawa brought in Harry
and Tommy Smith, brothers of player-coach Alf Smith
. Frank McGee retired before the season, but returned to play seven of the ten games and the ECAHA playoff before retiring for good. Goaltender Dave Finnie
retired and was replaced by Billy Hague
.
Manager Bob Shillington sold his druggist business in November 1905 and made plans to leave for Haileybury, Ontario to join the mining business he had invested in.
On February 25, Tommy Smith joined the club from the Ottawa Victorias of the FAHL and all three Smith players played together for the first time on the forward line with McGee.
of Kingston
, the OHA champion, and defeating Smiths Falls
the FAHL champion.
in Stanley Cup play, playing for Smiths Falls. LeSueur was described as "one of the cleverest goal-keepers ever seen."
In the second game, over 5,000 attended the game. It turned out to be one-sided, with Ottawa outscoring Smiths Falls 4–1 in each half. McGee scored four for Ottawa, making a total of nine for the series.
Game one
Ottawa was installed as 2–1 betting favourites, but the Wanderers upset the bookies. In the first game in Montreal, the Wanderers dominated Ottawa, as Ernie Russell
got four goals, Frank Glass got three and Moose Johnson
would get two for a 9–1 victory.
Game two
After the first game, the Ottawas would replace their goalie Billy Hague
with the Smiths Falls goalie Percy LeSueur
in to play his first game for the club. Despite being down by eight goals, interest in Ottawa for the return match was high. Rush seats on sale the day of the game produced a throng that caused the ticket seller's glass to break. The venue, Dey's Arena
, was modified to hold more spectators, including setting up temporary bleachers, removing the grandstand which had been used as a press box, and the installation of a press box attached to the rafters. Over 5,400 would attend the game and the top $2 tickets were being sold for $10. Betting interest was high, including one $12,000 bet.
After twelve minutes, the first goal was scored by the Wanderers' Moose Johnson to increase the goal lead to nine. Ottawa's Frank McGee, Harry Smith
, and McGee again scored before half-time, cutting the deficit to 10–4. Harry Smith would score to open the second half, followed by Rat Westwick
. Then Westwick scored again to make it 10-7 before Harry Smith scored three straight goals to make the score 9–1, evening the series with ten minutes to play to tie the series, causing a five-minute standing ovation. With seven minutes to play Smith was sent off for the rest of the game and Lester Patrick
would score with ninety seconds to play to put the Wanderers back in the lead. Patrick would ice the game with a goal with a few seconds to play. The Silver Seven reign was over.
The Toronto Globe called it the "greatest game of hockey ever played on Canadian ice, or any other." The Sporting News would later dub it the "Greatest Hockey Game in History." Moose Johnson would end up with the Governor-General's top hat. It had been knocked of the Earl Grey's head, and a fan had snatched it up, giving it to Johnson later in the dressing room.
Ottawa had won Stanley Cup challenges that season, which meant that the 1906 season would have two Stanley Cup holders: Ottawa until March, and Montreal Wanderers for the balance of the year.
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
championship in two challenges, but lose the Cup in a league playoff with the Montreal Wanderers
Montreal Wanderers
The Montreal Wanderers were a Canadian amateur, and later becoming a professional men's ice hockey team. The team played in the Federal Amateur Hockey League , the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association , the National Hockey Association and briefly the National Hockey League . The Wanderers are...
. The Club moved to the new Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association
Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association
The Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association was a men's amateur, later professional ice hockey league in Canada that played four seasons. It was founded on December 11, 1905 with six clubs: four from the Canadian Amateur Hockey League and two from the Federal Amateur Hockey League, to bring...
(ECAHA) formed in 1905.
Off-season
Ottawa joined with the teams of the Canadian Amateur Hockey LeagueCanadian Amateur Hockey League
The Canadian Amateur Hockey League was an early men's amateur hockey league founded in 1898, replacing the organization that was formerly the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada before the 1898–99 season. The league existed for seven seasons, folding in 1905 and was itself replaced by the Eastern...
(CAHL) and the Wanderers of the Federal Amateur Hockey League
Federal Amateur Hockey League
The Federal Amateur Hockey League was a Canadian men's senior-level ice hockey league that played six seasons from 1904 to 1909. The league was formed initially to provide a league for teams not accepted by the rival Canadian Amateur Hockey League . One team, the Montreal Le National, was the first...
(FAHL) to form one league with the top clubs of both leagues. The FAHL continued, but the CAHL folded.
Ottawa brought in Harry
Harry Smith (ice hockey)
Harold Henry "Harry" Smith was a professional Canadian ice hockey player who played 98 games in various professional and amateur leagues, including the National Hockey Association and Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association...
and Tommy Smith, brothers of player-coach Alf Smith
Alf Smith
Alfred Edward Smith was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Ottawa Senators, and Kenora Thistles. He had two brothers who played senior-level hockey Harry Smith and Tommy Smith...
. Frank McGee retired before the season, but returned to play seven of the ten games and the ECAHA playoff before retiring for good. Goaltender Dave Finnie
Dave Finnie
David Nicholson "Dave" Finnie was a Canadian ice hockey goaltender for the Ottawa Hockey Club. He was a member of the famous "Silver Seven" era of the team, Stanley Cup champions from 1903–1906. He was a member of the Stanley-Cup winning team in 1905.Finnie grew up in Ottawa, and played for the...
retired and was replaced by Billy Hague
Billy Hague
William "Billy" Robert Hague was a professional ice hockey goaltender. He won the Stanley Cup with the Ottawa Hockey Club in 1905. He played in three other Stanley Cup challenges during his career....
.
Manager Bob Shillington sold his druggist business in November 1905 and made plans to leave for Haileybury, Ontario to join the mining business he had invested in.
Regular season
Again, the league was high scoring, with Harry Smith scoring 31 goals in 8 games, and Frank McGee scoring 28 goals in 7 games.Highlights
Harry Smith scored 6 in one game, 5 in another, topped by 8 against the Shamrocks on February 17. McGee would equal the 8 goals in a game feat against Montreal HC on March 3.On February 25, Tommy Smith joined the club from the Ottawa Victorias of the FAHL and all three Smith players played together for the first time on the forward line with McGee.
Final standing
Playoff qualifiers in bold.| Team | Games Played | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Hockey Club Ottawa Senators (original) The Ottawa Senators were an amateur, and later, professional, ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Montreal Wanderers Montreal Wanderers The Montreal Wanderers were a Canadian amateur, and later becoming a professional men's ice hockey team. The team played in the Federal Amateur Hockey League , the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association , the National Hockey Association and briefly the National Hockey League . The Wanderers are... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Montreal Victorias Montreal Victorias The Victoria Hockey Club of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was an early men's amateur ice hockey club. Its date of origin is ascribed to either 1874, 1877 or 1881, making it either the first or second organized ice hockey club after McGill University. The club played at its own rink, the Victoria Skating... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Quebec Hockey Club Quebec Bulldogs The Quebec Bulldogs were a men's senior-level ice hockey team officially known as the Quebec Hockey Club, later as the Quebec Athletic Club. Their recorded play goes back as far as the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada in 1889, although the Quebec Hockey Club is known to have played since 1880... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Montreal Hockey Club Montreal Hockey Club The Montreal Hockey Club of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was a senior-level men's amateur ice hockey club, organized in 1884. They were affiliated with Montreal Amateur Athletic Association and used the MAAA 'winged wheel' logo. The team is notable for winning the first Stanley Cup in 1893, and in a... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Montreal Shamrocks Montreal Shamrocks The Montreal Shamrocks were an amateur, later professional, men's ice hockey club in existence from 1886, merging with the Montreal Crystals club in 1896. They won the Stanley Cup ice hockey championship in 1899 and 1900... |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Results
| Month | Day | Visitor | Score | Home | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. | 6 | Quebec | 3 | Ottawa | 6 |
| 13 | Wanderers | 4 | Ottawa | 8 | |
| 20 | Ottawa | 4 | Montreal | 1 | |
| 27 | Victorias | 6 | Ottawa | 11 | |
| Feb. | 3 | Ottawa | 3 | Wanderers | 5 |
| 10 | Ottawa | 10 | Victorias | 4 | |
| 17 | Shamrocks | 2 | Ottawa | 13 | |
| 25 | Ottawa | 9 | Shamrocks | 3 | |
| Mar. | 3 | Montreal | 9 | Ottawa | 14 |
| 10 | Ottawa | 12 | Quebec | 5 | |
Goalkeeper Averages
| Name | Club | GP | GA | SO | Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hague, Billy Billy Hague William "Billy" Robert Hague was a professional ice hockey goaltender. He won the Stanley Cup with the Ottawa Hockey Club in 1905. He played in three other Stanley Cup challenges during his career.... |
Ottawa | 10 | 42 | 4.2 | |
Leading scorers
| Name | Club | GP | G |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith, Harry Harry Smith (ice hockey) Harold Henry "Harry" Smith was a professional Canadian ice hockey player who played 98 games in various professional and amateur leagues, including the National Hockey Association and Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association... |
Ottawa | 8 | 31 |
| McGee, Frank | Ottawa | 7 | 28 |
| Smith, Alf Alf Smith Alfred Edward Smith was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Ottawa Senators, and Kenora Thistles. He had two brothers who played senior-level hockey Harry Smith and Tommy Smith... |
Ottawa | 10 | 13 |
Stanley Cup Challenges
The Ottawas played two Cup challenges during the regular season, defeating Queen's CollegeQueen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
of Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, the OHA champion, and defeating Smiths Falls
Smiths Falls, Ontario
Smiths Falls is a town in Eastern Ontario, Canada. It is in the census division for Lanark County, but is considered a separated town and does not participate in county government...
the FAHL champion.
Queen's vs. Ottawa
| Date | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 27, 1906 | Ottawa | 16–7 | Queen's University | Dey's Arena Dey's Arena Dey's Arena, also known as Dey Brothers Rink, Dey's Skating Rink and The Arena, were a series of ice rinks and arenas located in Ottawa, Ontario, that hold importance in the early development of the organized sport of ice hockey in Canada... |
| February 28, 1906 | Ottawa | 12–7 | Queen's University | |
| Ottawa wins best-of-three series 2 games to 0 | ||||
Smiths Falls vs. Ottawa
In the first game, Frank McGee scored five goals, but Smiths Falls matched each score until Alf Smith scored with two minutes to play. This was the first appearance of Percy LeSueurPercy LeSueur
Sergeant Percy St. Helier LeSueur was a Canadian senior and professional ice hockey goaltender. He was a member of the Smiths Falls Seniors for three years, with whom his performance in a 1906 Stanley Cup challenge series attracted the attention of his opponents, the Ottawa Silver Seven...
in Stanley Cup play, playing for Smiths Falls. LeSueur was described as "one of the cleverest goal-keepers ever seen."
In the second game, over 5,000 attended the game. It turned out to be one-sided, with Ottawa outscoring Smiths Falls 4–1 in each half. McGee scored four for Ottawa, making a total of nine for the series.
| Date | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 6, 1906 | Ottawa | 6–5 | Smiths Falls | Dey's Arena Dey's Arena Dey's Arena, also known as Dey Brothers Rink, Dey's Skating Rink and The Arena, were a series of ice rinks and arenas located in Ottawa, Ontario, that hold importance in the early development of the organized sport of ice hockey in Canada... |
| March 8, 1906 | Ottawa | 8–2 | Smiths Falls | |
| Ottawa wins best-of-three series 2 games to 0 | ||||
ECAHA Playoff
As the season produced a tie for the season championship, the defending champion Ottawas and Wanderers played a two-game playoff, with the winner being awarded the Stanley Cup. The series took place on March 14 in Montreal and March 17 in Ottawa. The Wanderers would win the series 9–1, 3–9 (12–10) in dramatic fashion..Game one
Ottawa was installed as 2–1 betting favourites, but the Wanderers upset the bookies. In the first game in Montreal, the Wanderers dominated Ottawa, as Ernie Russell
Ernie Russell
Ernest Russell was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played for the Montreal HC and Montreal Wanderers....
got four goals, Frank Glass got three and Moose Johnson
Moose Johnson
Thomas Ernest "Ernie, Moose" Johnson was a Canadian ice hockey player whose professional career spanned from 1905 to 1931....
would get two for a 9–1 victory.
Game two
After the first game, the Ottawas would replace their goalie Billy Hague
Billy Hague
William "Billy" Robert Hague was a professional ice hockey goaltender. He won the Stanley Cup with the Ottawa Hockey Club in 1905. He played in three other Stanley Cup challenges during his career....
with the Smiths Falls goalie Percy LeSueur
Percy LeSueur
Sergeant Percy St. Helier LeSueur was a Canadian senior and professional ice hockey goaltender. He was a member of the Smiths Falls Seniors for three years, with whom his performance in a 1906 Stanley Cup challenge series attracted the attention of his opponents, the Ottawa Silver Seven...
in to play his first game for the club. Despite being down by eight goals, interest in Ottawa for the return match was high. Rush seats on sale the day of the game produced a throng that caused the ticket seller's glass to break. The venue, Dey's Arena
Dey's Arena
Dey's Arena, also known as Dey Brothers Rink, Dey's Skating Rink and The Arena, were a series of ice rinks and arenas located in Ottawa, Ontario, that hold importance in the early development of the organized sport of ice hockey in Canada...
, was modified to hold more spectators, including setting up temporary bleachers, removing the grandstand which had been used as a press box, and the installation of a press box attached to the rafters. Over 5,400 would attend the game and the top $2 tickets were being sold for $10. Betting interest was high, including one $12,000 bet.
After twelve minutes, the first goal was scored by the Wanderers' Moose Johnson to increase the goal lead to nine. Ottawa's Frank McGee, Harry Smith
Harry Smith (ice hockey)
Harold Henry "Harry" Smith was a professional Canadian ice hockey player who played 98 games in various professional and amateur leagues, including the National Hockey Association and Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association...
, and McGee again scored before half-time, cutting the deficit to 10–4. Harry Smith would score to open the second half, followed by Rat Westwick
Rat Westwick
Harry "Rat" Westwick was a Canadian athlete in ice hockey and lacrosse. Westwick, nicknamed the Rat by a journalist, is most noted for his play with the Ottawa Hockey Club, nicknamed the Silver Seven during his day which won and defended the Stanley Cup from 1903 until 1906...
. Then Westwick scored again to make it 10-7 before Harry Smith scored three straight goals to make the score 9–1, evening the series with ten minutes to play to tie the series, causing a five-minute standing ovation. With seven minutes to play Smith was sent off for the rest of the game and Lester Patrick
Lester Patrick
Curtis Lester "The Silver Fox" Patrick born in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada, was a professional ice hockey player and coach associated with the Victoria Aristocrats/Cougars of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association , and the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League...
would score with ninety seconds to play to put the Wanderers back in the lead. Patrick would ice the game with a goal with a few seconds to play. The Silver Seven reign was over.
The Toronto Globe called it the "greatest game of hockey ever played on Canadian ice, or any other." The Sporting News would later dub it the "Greatest Hockey Game in History." Moose Johnson would end up with the Governor-General's top hat. It had been knocked of the Earl Grey's head, and a fan had snatched it up, giving it to Johnson later in the dressing room.
| Date | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 14, 1906 | Montreal Wanderers | 9–1 | Ottawa | Montreal Arena Montreal Arena The Montreal Arena, also known as Westmount Arena, was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on the corner of St. Catherine Street and Wood Avenue. It was likely one of the first arenas designed expressly for hockey, opening in 1898... |
| March 17, 1906 | Ottawa | 9–3 | Montreal Wanderers | Dey's Arena Dey's Arena Dey's Arena, also known as Dey Brothers Rink, Dey's Skating Rink and The Arena, were a series of ice rinks and arenas located in Ottawa, Ontario, that hold importance in the early development of the organized sport of ice hockey in Canada... |
| Montreal wins total goals series 12 goals to 10 | ||||
Ottawa had won Stanley Cup challenges that season, which meant that the 1906 season would have two Stanley Cup holders: Ottawa until March, and Montreal Wanderers for the balance of the year.
Ottawa Hockey Club January 1906 Stanley Cup champions
See also
- 1906 ECAHA season1906 ECAHA seasonThe inaugural 1906 Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association season lasted from January 3 until March 10. Teams played a ten game schedule. Ottawa HC and Montreal Wanderers would tie for the league championship with a record of 9–1, while the Montreal Shamrocks would not win a single game...
- List of ice hockey leagues
- List of Stanley Cup champions