Big-4 League
Encyclopedia
The Big-4 League was a top level senior ice hockey
league that operated in Calgary
and Edmonton
, Alberta
for two seasons between 1919 and 1921. Created with the intention of competing for the Allan Cup
senior-amateur championship, the league's existence was marred by accusations that its teams were secretly paying their players. The Big-4 lost its amateur status after its first season and operated as an independent league until further accusations of the use of ineligible players led to its collapse in 1921. Two of its teams, the Calgary Tigers
and Edmonton Eskimos went on to form the professional Western Canada Hockey League
.
was no longer awarded to the top amateur team in Canada, reserved instead for the professional National
and Pacific Coast
leagues. The Allan Cup
had been established as new the amateur championship in its place. The Big-4 was established in 1919 with the intention of bringing the Allan Cup to Alberta.
, who scored 47 points in 22 games, the Eskimos finished at the top of the league standings. They faced the second place Wanderers in a home-and-home, total goal series for the championship. After a 6–1 victory in Edmonton, the Eskimos defeated the Wanderers 2–1 in the second game in Calgary to win the title by an 8–2 score.
The Columbus Crew and Wanderers both withdrew from the league after the first season and were replaced by the Canadians and Tigers
as Calgary's representatives. Additionally, the league chose to adopt the six-man rules for the 1920–21 season, eliminating the rover
position, and sought Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
(CAHA) sanction so as to be eligible for Allan Cup competition. The league attempted to become the Big-5 as president Allan McCaw attempted to add a team from Saskatchewan
but was unsuccessful.
Following the defection of some players to the Big-4, PCHA president Frank Patrick wrote a letter to the CAHA charging that the Big-4 was operating as a semi-professional league, paying many of its players in secret. He asked that the CAHA declare the Big-4 as a professional circuit and disqualify it from competing for the Allan Cup. Alberta Amateur Hockey Association
(AAHA) president Frank Drayton responded to the charges by stating that the Alberta league was one of few in the country operating as true amateurs, and attacked other associations, arguing that both Saskatchewan and Manitoba had submitted illegally professional teams to the Allan Cup tournament.
Although it was facing growing criticism over the accusations, the Big-4 ignored requests to offer evidence in its defence, arguing it had no right to compel its players to testify. The CAHA sided with Patrick and declared the Big-4 professional.
The league, while publicly continuing to defend itself against the charges, chose not to appeal and operated as an independent league in 1920–21.
had not lived in Alberta long enough to qualify for amateur status in the province, and thus was an illegal player. A three-man panel was formed to rule on Tobin's status, and sided with the Edmonton club. The Tigers, upset that the panel had replaced a neutral panelist with one from Edmonton shortly before the protest was heard, refused to accept the decision and announced that it would not face the Eskimos for the league championship. The Calgary teams expanded their protests, arguing that two other players were also ineligible, and recommended the matter be brought before a judge. When the Edmonton teams refused, the league collapsed on February 24, 1921.
Though the league had collapsed, the Tigers and Eskimos, without Tobin, finally agreed to hold an informal intercity championship. The Tigers won the first game in Calgary, 2–0, but lost the second to the Eskimos 2–1 at Edmonton. The Calgary club was declared the winner on the strength of a 3–2 aggregate score.
in the summer of 1921. The two Calgary teams subsequently chose to merge into one team, continuing on under the Tigers name, and joined with the Edmonton Eskimos, Regina Capitals
and Saskatoon Sheiks
.
Senior ice hockey
Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition for players too old to play junior ice hockey. The top senior amateur teams in Canadian leagues compete annually for the Allan Cup....
league that operated in Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
and Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
for two seasons between 1919 and 1921. Created with the intention of competing for the Allan Cup
Allan Cup
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men’s ice hockey champions of Canada. It has been competed for since 1909. The current champion is the Clarenville Caribous hockey club of Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:...
senior-amateur championship, the league's existence was marred by accusations that its teams were secretly paying their players. The Big-4 lost its amateur status after its first season and operated as an independent league until further accusations of the use of ineligible players led to its collapse in 1921. Two of its teams, the Calgary Tigers
Calgary Tigers
The Calgary Tigers, often nicknamed the Bengals, were an ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 1920 until 1927 as members of the Big Four League, Western Canada Hockey League and Prairie Hockey League. The Tigers were revived in 1932, playing for a short-lived four years in the...
and Edmonton Eskimos went on to form the professional Western Canada Hockey League
Western Canada Hockey League
The Western Canada Hockey League , founded in 1921, was a major professional ice hockey league originally based in the prairies of Canada. It was renamed the Western Hockey League in 1925 and disbanded in 1926.-History:...
.
Founding
By 1919, the Stanley CupStanley 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...
was no longer awarded to the top amateur team in Canada, reserved instead for the professional National
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
and Pacific Coast
Pacific Coast Hockey Association
The Pacific Coast Hockey Association was a professional men's ice hockey league in western Canada and the western United States, which operated from 1911 to 1924 when it then merged with the Western Canada Hockey League...
leagues. The Allan Cup
Allan Cup
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men’s ice hockey champions of Canada. It has been competed for since 1909. The current champion is the Clarenville Caribous hockey club of Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:...
had been established as new the amateur championship in its place. The Big-4 was established in 1919 with the intention of bringing the Allan Cup to Alberta.
1919–20
Two teams represented Calgary in the Big-4: The Columbus Crew and the Wanderers, while two represented Edmonton: the Dominions and Eskimos. Led by Duke KeatsDuke Keats
Gordon Blanchard "Duke, Iron Duke" Keats was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who played for the Toronto Blueshirts of the National Hockey Association , Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Canada Hockey League and the Boston Bruins, Detroit Cougars and Chicago Black Hawks of the National...
, who scored 47 points in 22 games, the Eskimos finished at the top of the league standings. They faced the second place Wanderers in a home-and-home, total goal series for the championship. After a 6–1 victory in Edmonton, the Eskimos defeated the Wanderers 2–1 in the second game in Calgary to win the title by an 8–2 score.
1920 off-season
Calgary Tigers
The Calgary Tigers, often nicknamed the Bengals, were an ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada from 1920 until 1927 as members of the Big Four League, Western Canada Hockey League and Prairie Hockey League. The Tigers were revived in 1932, playing for a short-lived four years in the...
as Calgary's representatives. Additionally, the league chose to adopt the six-man rules for the 1920–21 season, eliminating the rover
Rover (ice hockey)
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, ice hockey consisted of seven positions. Along with the goaltender, two defencemen, and three forwards who remain today, a Rover was also part of the team. Unlike all the others, the rover did not have a set position, and roamed the ice at will, going...
position, and sought Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
The Canadian Amateur Hockey Association was the national governing body of amateur ice hockey play in Canada from 1914 until 1994 when it merged with the Canadian Hockey Association or Hockey Canada....
(CAHA) sanction so as to be eligible for Allan Cup competition. The league attempted to become the Big-5 as president Allan McCaw attempted to add a team from Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
but was unsuccessful.
Following the defection of some players to the Big-4, PCHA president Frank Patrick wrote a letter to the CAHA charging that the Big-4 was operating as a semi-professional league, paying many of its players in secret. He asked that the CAHA declare the Big-4 as a professional circuit and disqualify it from competing for the Allan Cup. Alberta Amateur Hockey Association
Hockey Alberta
Hockey Alberta is the governing body of all ice hockey in Alberta, Canada and is affiliated with Hockey Canada. It was founded in 1907 as the Alberta Amateur Hockey Association to be the governing body for Alberta intra-city ice hockey play....
(AAHA) president Frank Drayton responded to the charges by stating that the Alberta league was one of few in the country operating as true amateurs, and attacked other associations, arguing that both Saskatchewan and Manitoba had submitted illegally professional teams to the Allan Cup tournament.
Although it was facing growing criticism over the accusations, the Big-4 ignored requests to offer evidence in its defence, arguing it had no right to compel its players to testify. The CAHA sided with Patrick and declared the Big-4 professional.
The league, while publicly continuing to defend itself against the charges, chose not to appeal and operated as an independent league in 1920–21.
1920–21
As the season's end approached, the Tigers were in first place while the Canadians trailed the Eskimos for second place. The Canadians filed a protest against the Eskimos, alleging that goaltender Bill TobinBill Tobin
William F. Tobin was a first baseman in Major League Baseball in . He split the season between two teams, debuting in July with the Worcester Ruby Legs and ending the year with the Troy Trojans-Sources:...
had not lived in Alberta long enough to qualify for amateur status in the province, and thus was an illegal player. A three-man panel was formed to rule on Tobin's status, and sided with the Edmonton club. The Tigers, upset that the panel had replaced a neutral panelist with one from Edmonton shortly before the protest was heard, refused to accept the decision and announced that it would not face the Eskimos for the league championship. The Calgary teams expanded their protests, arguing that two other players were also ineligible, and recommended the matter be brought before a judge. When the Edmonton teams refused, the league collapsed on February 24, 1921.
Though the league had collapsed, the Tigers and Eskimos, without Tobin, finally agreed to hold an informal intercity championship. The Tigers won the first game in Calgary, 2–0, but lost the second to the Eskimos 2–1 at Edmonton. The Calgary club was declared the winner on the strength of a 3–2 aggregate score.
Post-collapse
Interest in professional hockey grew in wake of the Big-4 controversy, and talks were begun to create a prairie league that would compete with the NHL and PCHA. The former Big-4 teams openly declared their professionalism and joined with two teams from Saskatchewan to create the Western Canada Hockey LeagueWestern Canada Hockey League
The Western Canada Hockey League , founded in 1921, was a major professional ice hockey league originally based in the prairies of Canada. It was renamed the Western Hockey League in 1925 and disbanded in 1926.-History:...
in the summer of 1921. The two Calgary teams subsequently chose to merge into one team, continuing on under the Tigers name, and joined with the Edmonton Eskimos, Regina Capitals
Regina Capitals
The Regina Capitals were a professional ice hockey team originally based in the city of Regina, Saskatchewan in the Western Canada Hockey League , founded in 1921.-Franchise history:...
and Saskatoon Sheiks
Saskatoon Sheiks
The Saskatoon Sheiks were a professional ice hockey team in the Western Canada Hockey League and Prairie Hockey League from 1922 to 1928. The team was based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, except for the end of the 1922 season, when they played in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.The team entered the WCHL in...
.