1907 ECAHA season
Encyclopedia
The 1907 Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association
(ECAHA) season lasted from January 3 until March 10. Teams played a ten game schedule. The Montreal Wanderers
won the league championship going undefeated, with their only loss of the season coming in a Stanley Cup
challenge series with Kenora.
Nationals and Grand Trunk applied for franchises but did not get three-fourths approval.
, who then came east to play a challenge in Montreal. The Montreal Victorias
hosted the New York St. Nicholas club in an exhibition on December 22, 1906, defeating them 16–3.
in the head, Alf Smith
hit Hod Stuart
in the head and Harry Smith
broke Ernie Johnson's nose. The Wanderers would still win, 4–2.
After the game, a special league meeting was called to hand out discipline, with Victorias and Wanderers wanting Spittal and Alf Smith suspended for the season. The players were not suspended, leading the league president Mr. McRobie to resign, leaving Darcy McGee to take over as president.
On the next visit of the Ottawa team to Montreal, to play the Victorias, the three Ottawa players were arrested by Montreal police. Eventually Alf Smith and Spittal were fined $20 for their actions and Harry Smith was found not guilty.
The scoring championship was close, with Ernie Russell
of the Wanderers placing first with 42 goals in 9 games, and Russell Bowie
scoring 38 in 10 games.
Cubs in a two-game series 10–3, 7–2, December 27–29, 1906. This was the first series in which professional players played for the Stanley Cup, as the Wanderers and other teams in the ECAHA were starting to mix amateurs with pros in their squads.
2–4, 6–8 on January 17–21. Aided by future Hockey Hall of Fame
rs Joe Hall
, Tom Hooper, Tommy Phillips, and Art Ross
, the Thistles came away with 4–2 and 8–6 victories for a combined score of 12–8 to win a two-game total goals series. Hall and Ross were borrowed from Brandon
.
For Montreal, these were their first games after their donnybrook with Ottawa on January 12. Centre Cecil Blachford
, who had been knocked out in the Ottawa game, did not play. Johnson and Stuart, who had required hospitalization, did play. Ernie Russell substituted for Blachford.
(MPHL) playoffs against Brandon to successfully defend the Cup, winning a best-of-three series 2–0. Kenora added for this series Alf Smith
and Rat Westwick
of Ottawa, whose season with the ECAHA was already over. At the time of this series, the acting Stanley Cup trustee William Foran
had already declared Smith and Westwick ineligible for the challenge series. After the series was over, the Manitoba League registered their disapproval over Mr. Foran's decision to exclude the players.
and Rat Westwick
of Ottawa for the challenge, against the wishes of Mr. Foran. Montreal protested the use of Smith and Westwick. Foran ruled that both players were ineligible. The series was supposed to start on March 20 in Kenora, but did not. One report was that the ice in the rink was too poor to play on and the rink was closed. The clubs went ahead and started the series on March 23 in Winnipeg instead, with Smith and Westwick playing. Mr. Foran was notified by the press (inaccurately) that Montreal had dropped its protest and that the clubs intended to play anyway. Mr. Foran threatened to take the Cup back to Ottawa:
The teams went ahead and played the series. However, Mr. Foran changed his mind after the Wanderers won the Cup, stating that the Wanderers could keep the Cup, because they had not rescinded their protest.
After the series, the Wanderers returned to Montreal with the Stanley Cup. The Cup was stolen from Montreal photographer Jimmy Rice's home and held for ransom. No ransom was paid, and the Cup was returned to Rice. It was used as a geranium planter until the fall.
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) season lasted from January 3 until March 10. Teams played a ten game schedule. 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...
won the league championship going undefeated, with their only loss of the season coming in a Stanley Cup
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...
challenge series with Kenora.
Executive
- Fred McRobie (President)
- Thomas D'Arcy McGee, Ottawa (1st Vice-President)
- Gordon Blair, Quebec (2nd Vice-President)
- Emmett QuinnEmmett QuinnThomas Emmett Quinn ) was a Canadian ice hockey executive, coach and referee. Quinn served as president of the National Hockey Association , the predecessor of today's National Hockey League . His brother Percy Quinn was also an ice hockey executive...
, Shamrocks (Secretary-Treasurer)
Nationals and Grand Trunk applied for franchises but did not get three-fourths approval.
Rule changes
- Teams could have professionals as well as amateurs
- After a puck strikes a goalie, the rebound could now be played by the defending team without it being called offside
- A player injured in the first half can sit for ten minutes and the other team has to take off a player.
Regular season
Frank McGee of Ottawa retired to pursue his government career. Prior to the season, Ottawa travelled to Winnipeg for a series of exhibition games against Manitoba league teams including the Kenora ThistlesKenora Thistles
The Kenora Thistles were an early amateur men's ice hockey team based in Kenora, Ontario, Canada, formed in 1885 as a senior team by a group of Lake of the Woods lumbermen. The club is notable for winning the Stanley Cup as an amateur team in 1907. The town is the smallest in population to have...
, who then came east to play a challenge in Montreal. The 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...
hosted the New York St. Nicholas club in an exhibition on December 22, 1906, defeating them 16–3.
Highlights
A major battle took place for the game between the Senators and Wanderers on January 12. Stick work was the order of the day as Charles Spittal of Ottawa knocked Cecil BlachfordCecil Blachford
Cecil W. Blachford was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward player who played for the Montreal Hockey Club and the Montreal Wanderers...
in the head, 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...
hit Hod Stuart
Hod Stuart
William Hodgson "Hod" Stuart was a Canadian professional ice hockey cover-point who played nine seasons for several teams in different leagues. He also played briefly for the Ottawa Rough Riders football team...
in the head and 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...
broke Ernie Johnson's nose. The Wanderers would still win, 4–2.
After the game, a special league meeting was called to hand out discipline, with Victorias and Wanderers wanting Spittal and Alf Smith suspended for the season. The players were not suspended, leading the league president Mr. McRobie to resign, leaving Darcy McGee to take over as president.
On the next visit of the Ottawa team to Montreal, to play the Victorias, the three Ottawa players were arrested by Montreal police. Eventually Alf Smith and Spittal were fined $20 for their actions and Harry Smith was found not guilty.
The scoring championship was close, with Ernie Russell
Ernie Russell
Ernest Russell was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played for the Montreal HC and Montreal Wanderers....
of the Wanderers placing first with 42 goals in 9 games, and Russell Bowie
Russell Bowie
Russell G. "Russ, Dubbie" Bowie was a Canadian ice hockey player generally regarded as one of the best players of the pre-NHL era of the sport...
scoring 38 in 10 games.
Final standings
| Team | Games Played | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals For | Goals Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
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| 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... |
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| 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... |
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| 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... |
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| 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... |
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| 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... |
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Stanley Cup challenges
The 1907 season had two Stanley Cup champions, Montreal Wanderers and Kenora Thistles.Wanderers vs. New Glasgow
The Wanderers played one Stanley Cup challenge before the season, defeating the New GlasgowNew Glasgow, Nova Scotia
New Glasgow is a town in Pictou County, in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is situated on the banks of the East River of Pictou, which flows into Pictou Harbour, a sub-basin of the Northumberland Strait....
Cubs in a two-game series 10–3, 7–2, December 27–29, 1906. This was the first series in which professional players played for the Stanley Cup, as the Wanderers and other teams in the ECAHA were starting to mix amateurs with pros in their squads.
Wanderers vs. Kenora at Montreal
The Wanderers played one Stanley Cup challenge during the season, losing to the Kenora ThistlesKenora Thistles
The Kenora Thistles were an early amateur men's ice hockey team based in Kenora, Ontario, Canada, formed in 1885 as a senior team by a group of Lake of the Woods lumbermen. The club is notable for winning the Stanley Cup as an amateur team in 1907. The town is the smallest in population to have...
2–4, 6–8 on January 17–21. Aided by future Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
rs Joe Hall
Joe Hall
Joseph Henry Hall , nicknamed Bad Joe Hall, was a professional ice hockey defenceman who played professionally from 1904 until 1919 when he died as a result of the influenza epidemic...
, Tom Hooper, Tommy Phillips, and Art Ross
Art Ross
Arthur Howey "Art" Ross was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman and executive from 1905 until 1954. Regarded as one of the best defenders of his era by his peers, he was one of the first to skate with the puck up the ice rather than pass it to a forward...
, the Thistles came away with 4–2 and 8–6 victories for a combined score of 12–8 to win a two-game total goals series. Hall and Ross were borrowed from Brandon
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...
.
For Montreal, these were their first games after their donnybrook with Ottawa on January 12. Centre Cecil Blachford
Cecil Blachford
Cecil W. Blachford was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward player who played for the Montreal Hockey Club and the Montreal Wanderers...
, who had been knocked out in the Ottawa game, did not play. Johnson and Stuart, who had required hospitalization, did play. Ernie Russell substituted for Blachford.
Kenora vs. Brandon
Kenora would play and win the Manitoba Professional Hockey LeagueManitoba Hockey Association
The Manitoba Hockey Association was an early men's senior ice hockey league playing around 1900 in Manitoba, Canada. The league started as an elite amateur league in 1892, became professional in 1905, had a professional and an amateur league in 1908–09 and only an amateur league from 1909 until...
(MPHL) playoffs against Brandon to successfully defend the Cup, winning a best-of-three series 2–0. Kenora added for this series 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...
and 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...
of Ottawa, whose season with the ECAHA was already over. At the time of this series, the acting Stanley Cup trustee William Foran
William Foran
William Michael Foran was an ice hockey executive, Stanley Cup trustee and government official. For over 50 years, he was secretary of the Board of Civil Service Examiners and its follow-up organization, the Civil Service Commission of the Government of Canada.-Government career:Mr...
had already declared Smith and Westwick ineligible for the challenge series. After the series was over, the Manitoba League registered their disapproval over Mr. Foran's decision to exclude the players.
Wanderers vs. Kenora at Winnipeg
Kenora went ahead and added Alf SmithAlf 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...
and 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...
of Ottawa for the challenge, against the wishes of Mr. Foran. Montreal protested the use of Smith and Westwick. Foran ruled that both players were ineligible. The series was supposed to start on March 20 in Kenora, but did not. One report was that the ice in the rink was too poor to play on and the rink was closed. The clubs went ahead and started the series on March 23 in Winnipeg instead, with Smith and Westwick playing. Mr. Foran was notified by the press (inaccurately) that Montreal had dropped its protest and that the clubs intended to play anyway. Mr. Foran threatened to take the Cup back to Ottawa:
If the two clubs ignore the instructions of the cup trustees by mutually agreeing to play against Westwick and Smith when both were positively informed these men were ineligible to participate in the present cup matches, the series will be treated as void, and the cup will be taken charge of by the trustees. It will remain in their possession till the various hockey leagues can educate themselves up to a standard where decent sport will be the order of the day.”
The teams went ahead and played the series. However, Mr. Foran changed his mind after the Wanderers won the Cup, stating that the Wanderers could keep the Cup, because they had not rescinded their protest.
After the series, the Wanderers returned to Montreal with the Stanley Cup. The Cup was stolen from Montreal photographer Jimmy Rice's home and held for ransom. No ransom was paid, and the Cup was returned to Rice. It was used as a geranium planter until the fall.
Schedule and results
| Month | Day | Visitor | Score | Home | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. | 2 | Wanderers | 6 | Victorias | 5 (10' overtime) |
| 5 | Montreal | 5 | Shamrocks | 3 | |
| 5 | Quebec | 1 | Ottawa | 6 | |
| 9 | Wanderers | 6 | Montreal | 3 | |
| 12 | Ottawa | 2 | Wanderers | 4 | |
| 12 | Victorias | 10 | Quebec | 1 | |
| 16 | Victorias | 16 | Shamrocks | 3 | |
| 19 | Shamrocks | 2 | Ottawa | 6 | |
| 19 | Quebec | 8 | Montreal | 15 | |
| 23 | Victorias | 12 | Montreal | 6 | |
| 26 | Ottawa | 12 | Victorias | 10 | |
| 26 | Wanderers | 11 | Quebec | 3 | |
| 30 | Shamrocks | 5 | Montreal | 3 | |
| Feb. | 2 | Montreal | 2 | Ottawa | 5 |
| 2 | Quebec | 8 | Shamrocks | 11 | |
| 6 | Wanderers | 5 | Victorias | 2 | |
| 9 | Ottawa | 5 | Quebec | 4 (2' overtime) | |
| 9 | Montreal | 3 | Wanderers | 16 | |
| 13 | Shamrocks | 7 | Victorias | 19 | |
| 16 | Victorias | 7 | Ottawa | 16 | |
| 16 | Quebec | 5 | Wanderers | 13 | |
| 19 | Shamrocks | 5 | Wanderers | 18 | |
| 23 | Ottawa | 12 | Shamrocks | 6 | |
| 23 | Montreal | 5 | Quebec | 9 | |
| 27 | Montreal | 8 | Victorias | 13 | |
| Mar. | 2 | Wanderers | 10 | Ottawa | 6 |
| 2 | Quebec | 6 | Victorias | 7 | |
| 6 | Shamrocks | 5 | Wanderers | 16 | |
| 9 | Ottawa | 6 | Montreal | 8 | |
| 9 | Shamrocks | 5 | Quebec | 17 | |
Goalkeeper averages
| Name | Club | GP | GA | SO | Avg. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Riley Hern Riley Hern William Milton "Riley" Hern was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He was the first professional goaltender to play on a Stanley Cup-winning team.... |
Wanderers | 10 | 39 | 3.9 | |
| 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... |
Ottawa | 10 | 54 | 5.4 | |
| Nathan Frye | Victorias | 10 | 70 | 7.0 | |
| Charles Doddridge | Quebec | 4 | 30 | 7.5 | |
| White | Montreal | 10 | 83 | 8.3 | |
| Paddy Moran | Quebec | 6 | 58 | 9.7 | |
| Currie | Shamrocks | 10 | 120 | 12.0 | |
Leading scorers
| Name | Club | GP | G |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russell, Ernie Ernie Russell Ernest Russell was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played for the Montreal HC and Montreal Wanderers.... |
Wanderers | 9 | 42 |
| Bowie, Russell Russell Bowie Russell G. "Russ, Dubbie" Bowie was a Canadian ice hockey player generally regarded as one of the best players of the pre-NHL era of the sport... |
Victorias | 10 | 38 |
| Russell, Blair | Victorias | 10 | 25 |
| 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 | 9 | 21 |
| Sargent, Grover | Montreal | 10 | 20 |
| Hale, Chandler | Victorias | 7 | 18 |
| 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 | 9 | 17 |
| Shore, Hamby Hamby Shore Samuel Hamilton Shore was a Canadian professional hockey player who played several seasons for the Ottawa Senators, notably during the "Silver Seven" era when the club was champion from 1903 until 1906... |
Ottawa | 10 | 17 |
| Johnson, Ernie | Montreal | 10 | 15 |
| Constantine | Quebec | 7 | 15 |
Kenora Thistles January 1907 Stanley Cup champions
Montreal Wanderers March 1907 Stanley Cup champions
See also
- Eastern Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
- List of pre-NHL seasons
- List of ice hockey leagues
- List of Stanley Cup champions