Calgary Tigers
Encyclopedia
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 North Western Hockey League. They played their games at the Victoria Arena
.
Created ostensibly as an amateur team in hopes of competing for the Allan Cup
, the Tigers helped form the Western Canada Hockey League
in 1921 to become the first major professional team in Calgary. In 1924, after winning both the league and Western Canadian championships, the Tigers became the first Calgary based club to compete for the Stanley Cup
.
After succumbing to financial pressures in 1927, the Tigers were briefly revived in the mid 1930s as a minor professional club. The Tigers competed a total of eleven seasons in four leagues, winning four championships during their existence. Five Tigers players would later gain election to the Hockey Hall of Fame
.
league was established in Alberta with two teams each in Calgary and Edmonton. The Big-4 League
's intention was to compete for the Allan Cup
, emblematic of Canada's national senior championship. The Tigers were created in 1920, along with the Canadians, to represent Calgary in the Big Four after the city's two original teams, the Wanderers and Columbus Crew, withdrew following the league's first season. The Tigers also faced the Edmonton Eskimos
and Dominions who served as representatives of Alberta's capital. The Calgary teams were hosted at the Victoria Arena
, which had been converted into a hockey rink in 1918.
While the Big-4 billed itself as an amateur circuit, it became known as a notorious example of a "shamateur" league, as amateur teams secretly employed professional players in an attempt to gain an upper hand on their competition. When the Big Four announced their intention to compete in the Allan Cup playdowns, the Pacific Coast Hockey Association
sent a letter of protest to the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
demanding that the league be declared professional, thus ineligible to compete for the Allan Cup. The Big Four ultimately chose to withdraw from the AAHA, and operated as an independent league in 1920–21.
The Tigers' inaugural game was played at home on December 29, 1920 as 2,500 fans saw them defeat the Edmonton Dominions 6–1 on the strength of a goal and two assists by Gordon Fraser. Late in the season, the Canadians protested the use of goaltender Bill Tobin
by the Edmonton Eskimos, arguing that he had not lived in Alberta long enough to be eligible per the league's residency rules. Following a last minute change of one of the arbitrators, a three-man panel denied the protest. The decision led the front-running Tigers to refuse to play any series against the second-place Eskimos for the league championship as the team felt the Canadians' protest was improperly handled. Efforts to reach a compromise failed as the Edmonton clubs refused to allow the protest to be reconsidered, resulting in the collapse of the league on February 24, 1921.
The Tigers remained active despite the demise of the league, playing a series of exhibition games against the Saskatoon Crescents and a team from Moose Jaw
. The Eskimos eventually agreed to face the Tigers without Tobin in an informal championship that was known as the Intercity Championship. The Tigers claimed the title on total-goals as they defeated Edmonton 2–0 in the first game at Calgary before dropping the second 2–1 at Edmonton. The Tigers ended their season with a 2–0 exhibition loss to the defending Stanley Cup
champion Ottawa Senators
, who were touring the country as they travelled west to defend their title against the PCHA champion Vancouver Millionaires
.
The former Big Four teams joined with the Saskatoon Sheiks
in forming a new professional league in 1921 that intended to compete against the National Hockey League
and Pacific Coast Hockey Association
. The Western Canada Hockey League
was recognized as a major league and granted the right to compete for the Stanley Cup
. Shortly before the inaugural season was set to begin, Calgary Canadians president Dr. C.E. Coleman and Tigers manager Eddie Poulin agreed amalgamate the two franchises under the Tigers name, allowing Calgary to present a unified front in the new league.
The Tigers played the first professional hockey game in Calgary on December 19, 1921, defeating the Regina Capitals
3–2 before a crowd of 3,000 fans. The Tigers, Eskimos and Capitals battled for first place in the league, each team holding the top spot numerous times throughout the season. The Tigers and Capitals finished tied for second, forcing a two-game, total-goals playoff to determine who would meet the Eskimos for the league championship. In the series, the Capitals defeated the Tigers 1–0 in Calgary, while the two teams tied 1–1 in Regina sending the Capitals through by a 2–1 aggregate total.
Prior to the start of the 1922–23 season, the Tigers faced the Stanley Cup champion Toronto St. Patricks
in two exhibition games. They defeated the St. Pats 7–5 in Calgary, and again 6–2 in a game held in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The WCHL and PCHA adopted an interlocking schedule for this season, with the Tigers struggling against their pacific coast opposition, winning just two of six games. Calgary finished third in the standings, behind Edmonton and Regina, as former Tiger Barney Stanley
scored the winning goal against Calgary in a 2–1 victory by the Regina Capitals that eliminated Calgary from playoff contention. They ended the season with a 4–0 exhibition victory over the NHL's Ottawa Senators in a game described as one of the "most sensational" games ever held in Calgary.
The 1923–24 season
began with tragedy, as Tigers' forward Foley Martin died of blood poisoning during the team's season opening road trip to the pacific coast. The Tigers played on despite Martin's death, winning two of three games against their PCHA rivals. The Tigers finished atop the league standings with 37 points. They met the Regina Capitals
in the league championship in a two-game, total goals series. After battling Regina to a 2–2 draw in the Saskatchewan
capital, the Tigers returned home to Calgary, capturing the championship on home ice in a 2–0 victory. They then moved on to face the Vancouver Maroons of the PCHA in the best-of-three Western Canadian final. After dropping the first game in Vancouver, the Tigers came back to defeat the Maroons 6–3 at home, and again 3–1 at a neutral site game in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The victory earned the Tigers the right to play for the Stanley Cup
, the first such opportunity for a Calgary based club.
Despite defeating the Maroons, the PCHA champions were not eliminated. Rather, the Tigers earned a bye into the finals, while Vancouver met the Montreal Canadiens
in the semi-final. The blue, blanc et rouge swept Vancouver in two games, setting the matchup for the 1924 Stanley Cup Finals where the Canadiens easily handled the Tigers. In the first game, played at Mount Royal Arena
in Montreal
, Canadiens rookie Howie Morenz
recorded a hat trick
as Montreal won 6–1. Due to poor ice conditions, the second game was moved to the Ottawa Auditorium in Ottawa
. Led by goaltender Georges Vezina
, Montreal won 3–0 to sweep the series, and claim the Cup.
Calgary began the 1924–25 season
with a series of exhibition games in eastern Canada. They faced the St. Pats and Senators, proving to be a popular draw in the capital as Ottawa fans lined up for tickets for the pair of games played. Additionally, the Tigers negotiated to face the NHL's expansion Montreal Maroons
if the newly constructed Montreal Forum
was ready in time. Those games did not come to pass. In WCHL league play, the Tigers once again finished the regular season in first place. Led by Oliver's team leading 20 goals, the Tigers earned a bye into the WCHL championship. Their opponent was the Victoria Cougars
, who moved over to the WCHL following the collapse of the PCHA the previous summer. The Tigers were unable to earn a return trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, losing the two-game total-goals series 3–1. The Cougars went on to become the last non-NHL team to win the Stanley Cup. The Tigers struggled throughout the 1925–26 season, languishing in last place for most of the season until a 2–0 victory over Victoria on the last day of the season moved Calgary one point ahead of Vancouver to end the season.
The financial pressures of trying to keep up with rapidly escalating salaries took its toll on the league. The prairie clubs, including the Tigers, were struggling under financial hardships while a mild winter of 1925–26 reduced the quality of the natural ice at Victoria arena which, coupled with the team's poor performance, reduced attendance. Manager Lloyd Turner confirmed on May 4, 1926 that the Tigers were sold to the National Hockey League, along with the franchises in Edmonton, Regina, Victoria, Vancouver and Portland, and that the league had ceased operations. The six franchises were sold for $300,000.
Turner immediately began efforts to form a new team and league that would operate as a "class B" league, one level below the NHL. Three weeks after the collapse of the Western League, the Tigers were reformed as a charter member of the five team Prairie Hockey League
. The team struggled to attract fans in the Prairie League, and consequently announced late in the season that it would cease operations after one year. The Tigers were successful on the ice, however, as they finished atop the league standings and met the Saskatoon Sheiks
in a best-of-three series for the league title. Calgary dropped the first game, 2–1 in Saskatoon, but tied the series with a 2–1 victory in Calgary on the strength of two goals in the last five minutes by Andy Aikenhead. The Tigers were then awarded the league championship after the Sheiks defaulted the third game, refusing to play in opposition to the referee assigned for the deciding game. As Prairie champions, the Tigers traveled east to face the Winnipeg Maroons
for the western Canadian professional championship. Calgary won the first game, then were awarded the title after the Maroons were unable to play the second game when the American Hockey Association
re-scheduled their league playoff series and created a conflict. The Tigers ended their season with exhibition games in the United States before the team was disbanded.
In 1932, the Tigers were revived
as a charter franchise of a reformed, minor-professional, Western Canada Hockey League
. They opened the season with a 1–0 defeat in Edmonton on December 7, 1932 in what was the first professional game for either city in six years, while a near capacity crowd of 4,100 fans witnessed a 7–0 victory by the Tigers over the Eskimos two nights later in Calgary. The Tigers finished the season in first place with on the strength of giving up the fewest goals against during the season, but struggled to attract fans. Attendance declined throughout the season to a low of just 560 for their victory over Saskatoon in early March that clinched the league's top record. Overall, the team averaged 2,270 fans per game. Having earned a bye to the championship series, the Tigers faced the Eskimos in a best-of-five series marred by poor ice caused unseasonably warm weather in both cities. Following a 1–1 tie in the first game at Calgary, the league ordered the remaining games of the series be played in Edmonton due to the poor condition of the ice surface. The second game was also tied at 1 after bad ice in Edmonton forced it to be ended early. Two victories for the Eskimos pushed Calgary to the brink of elimination before the Tigers rebounded with a 5–1 victory in the fifth game. The ties earlier in the series forced the teams to a sixth game that also went to overtime tied at 1 before the Eskimos scored to win the championship after four minutes of an extra period.
The league reformed as the North Western Hockey League
following the season after the Saskatchewan clubs dropped out and were replaced with three teams on the Pacific Coast. Calgary again won the regular-season title in 1933–34, advancing directly to the league championship, on the strength of a 12–3 victory over the Vancouver Lions in the final game of the regular season. Dutch Gainor
won the league scoring title with 43 points. Fearing a repeat of the previous season's playoff disaster, the league ordered Calgary to play their championship series against the Lions in Seattle and Vancouver as both cities had arenas capable of making artificial ice. The disadvantage did not affect the Tigers in the opening game of the series, a 5–2 victory at Seattle. The teams traded victories in the next three contests, ending in a 2–1 Vancouver win in the fourth game that tied the series at 2 wins apiece. Calgary won the championship with a 6–1 victory before a Vancouver crowd of over 6,000 fans.
The 1934 championship would prove to be the Tigers' last hurrah, as the team fell to the bottom of the NWHL standings in 1934–35, winning only three games. They once again finished in last place in 1935–36 and were embroiled in another disputer with Edmonton over the rights to a player as the Eskimos claimed they had gained the rights to Tony Savage
from the Montreal Canadiens though he had already been sent to Calgary on loan. The Tigers issued an ultimatum to the league, threatening to disband for the season if Savage did not remain in Calgary. Savage ultimately remained with Calgary for the entire season.
1936 proved to be the final year for the Tigers, as the Great Depression
and declining interest in professional hockey in favour of the senior game
had threatened the team's viability. After the Eskimos announced intentions to relocate to Victoria, British Columbia
as part of a realignment of the league, Tigers' manager Clair Manning contemplated relocating the franchise to Spokane, Washington
. The team instead hoped to operate for another season in Calgary, but met its final demise after the NWHL reformed into the Pacific Coast Hockey League
for 1936–37 and denied the Tigers' application to join the new league.
stars of the time. Though the WCHL lasted only five years, the Tigers boasted five future Hockey Hall of Fame
rs on their roster during that time.
Barney Stanley
, a former PCHA star, spent two seasons with the Tigers from 1920–22. Joining the Tigers in the last season of the Big Four League, he once again turned pro when the Tigers joined the WCHL. Stanley led the Tigers in scoring with 26 goals in 1921–22 before being traded to Regina
. Red Dutton
, a World War I
veteran who refused doctors orders to have his leg amputated after suffering a shrapnel wound, played 123 games with the Tigers before moving to the NHL where he played 449 more with the Montreal Maroons
and New York Americans
. Rusty Crawford
, a former standout in the National Hockey Association
and National Hockey League before the war, spent three seasons in Calgary from 1922–25. Crawford recorded 19 goals in 64 games as a Tiger.
Herb Gardiner
began his professional career in Calgary in 1920, remaining with the Tigers until he was sold to the Montreal Canadiens in 1926, where he would go on to win the Hart Memorial Trophy
as NHL Most Valuable Player in 1927. Harry Oliver also began his pro career in Calgary, playing with the Tigers from 1921–26 where he scored 90 goals before being sold to the Boston Bruins
. Oliver would go on to play eleven seasons in the NHL with the Bruins and New York Americans
.
which was worn in the Heritage Classic game in February 2011. While the Calgary Flames do not trace their ancestry back to the Tigers (the Atlanta Flames club was purchased by Calgary businessmen in the 1980s), the organization had wanted to recognize the first professional hockey club in Calgary history for this event and selected the colourful uniforms of the Tigers.
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team based 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...
, 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...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
from 1920 until 1927 as members of the Big Four League, 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:...
and Prairie Hockey League
Prairie Hockey League
The Prairie Hockey League was a Canadian professional ice hockey league in Alberta and Saskatchewan that was created following the demise of the Western Hockey League in 1926. It operated for two seasons....
. The Tigers were revived in 1932, playing for a short-lived four years in the North Western Hockey League. They played their games at the Victoria Arena
Victoria Arena (Calgary)
The Victoria Arena was the main ice hockey arena in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and one of the first. It was the home arena of the Calgary Tigers, a professional ice hockey team which played in the Western Canada Hockey League which used it from 1920 until 1934. Later the Calgary Stampeders ice...
.
Created ostensibly as an amateur team in hopes 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:...
, the Tigers helped form the 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:...
in 1921 to become the first major professional team in Calgary. In 1924, after winning both the league and Western Canadian championships, the Tigers became the first Calgary based club to compete for the 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...
.
After succumbing to financial pressures in 1927, the Tigers were briefly revived in the mid 1930s as a minor professional club. The Tigers competed a total of eleven seasons in four leagues, winning four championships during their existence. Five Tigers players would later gain election to the 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...
.
Big-4 League
In 1919, under the guidance of Alberta Amateur Hockey Association league president Allan McCaw, a new elite senior amateurSenior 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 was established in Alberta with two teams each in Calgary and Edmonton. The Big-4 League
Big-4 League
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...
's intention was to compete 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:...
, emblematic of Canada's national senior championship. The Tigers were created in 1920, along with the Canadians, to represent Calgary in the Big Four after the city's two original teams, the Wanderers and Columbus Crew, withdrew following the league's first season. The Tigers also faced the Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos (hockey)
The Edmonton Eskimos were a Canadian amateur and later professional men's ice hockey team that existed from 1905 to 1927. The Eskimos challenged three times for the Stanley Cup, losing each time; in 1908 versus the Montreal Wanderers, in 1910 versus the Ottawa Senators, and Ottawa again in 1923...
and Dominions who served as representatives of Alberta's capital. The Calgary teams were hosted at the Victoria Arena
Victoria Arena (Calgary)
The Victoria Arena was the main ice hockey arena in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and one of the first. It was the home arena of the Calgary Tigers, a professional ice hockey team which played in the Western Canada Hockey League which used it from 1920 until 1934. Later the Calgary Stampeders ice...
, which had been converted into a hockey rink in 1918.
While the Big-4 billed itself as an amateur circuit, it became known as a notorious example of a "shamateur" league, as amateur teams secretly employed professional players in an attempt to gain an upper hand on their competition. When the Big Four announced their intention to compete in the Allan Cup playdowns, the Pacific Coast Hockey Association
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...
sent a letter of protest to the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
Hockey Canada
Hockey Canada, formally known as the Canadian Hockey Association, is the national governing body of ice hockey in Canada and is a member of the International Ice Hockey Federation. Hockey Canada controls a vast majority of ice hockey in Canada, with a few exceptions...
demanding that the league be declared professional, thus ineligible to compete for the Allan Cup. The Big Four ultimately chose to withdraw from the AAHA, and operated as an independent league in 1920–21.
The Tigers' inaugural game was played at home on December 29, 1920 as 2,500 fans saw them defeat the Edmonton Dominions 6–1 on the strength of a goal and two assists by Gordon Fraser. Late in the season, the Canadians protested the use of goaltender Bill Tobin
Bill Tobin (ice hockey)
Bill Tobin is a former Canadian ice hockey player, executive and head coach. He was president of the Chicago Black Hawks from the team's inception in 1926 until 1954. For the last ten of those years , he was also nominally the team's owner. However, he was actually a puppet for Detroit Red...
by the Edmonton Eskimos, arguing that he had not lived in Alberta long enough to be eligible per the league's residency rules. Following a last minute change of one of the arbitrators, a three-man panel denied the protest. The decision led the front-running Tigers to refuse to play any series against the second-place Eskimos for the league championship as the team felt the Canadians' protest was improperly handled. Efforts to reach a compromise failed as the Edmonton clubs refused to allow the protest to be reconsidered, resulting in the collapse of the league on February 24, 1921.
The Tigers remained active despite the demise of the league, playing a series of exhibition games against the Saskatoon Crescents and a team from Moose Jaw
Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan
Moose Jaw is a city in south-central Saskatchewan, Canada on the Moose Jaw River. It is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javians. It is best known as a retirement and tourist city that serves as a hub to the hundreds of small towns...
. The Eskimos eventually agreed to face the Tigers without Tobin in an informal championship that was known as the Intercity Championship. The Tigers claimed the title on total-goals as they defeated Edmonton 2–0 in the first game at Calgary before dropping the second 2–1 at Edmonton. The Tigers ended their season with a 2–0 exhibition loss to the defending 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...
champion Ottawa Senators
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...
, who were touring the country as they travelled west to defend their title against the PCHA champion Vancouver Millionaires
Vancouver Millionaires
The Vancouver Millionaires were a professional ice hockey team that competed in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the Western Canada Hockey League between 1911 and 1926...
.
Western Canada Hockey League
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...
in forming a new professional league in 1921 that intended to compete against the National Hockey League
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 Hockey Association
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...
. The 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:...
was recognized as a major league and granted the right to compete for the 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...
. Shortly before the inaugural season was set to begin, Calgary Canadians president Dr. C.E. Coleman and Tigers manager Eddie Poulin agreed amalgamate the two franchises under the Tigers name, allowing Calgary to present a unified front in the new league.
The Tigers played the first professional hockey game in Calgary on December 19, 1921, defeating the 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:...
3–2 before a crowd of 3,000 fans. The Tigers, Eskimos and Capitals battled for first place in the league, each team holding the top spot numerous times throughout the season. The Tigers and Capitals finished tied for second, forcing a two-game, total-goals playoff to determine who would meet the Eskimos for the league championship. In the series, the Capitals defeated the Tigers 1–0 in Calgary, while the two teams tied 1–1 in Regina sending the Capitals through by a 2–1 aggregate total.
Prior to the start of the 1922–23 season, the Tigers faced the Stanley Cup champion Toronto St. Patricks
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in two exhibition games. They defeated the St. Pats 7–5 in Calgary, and again 6–2 in a game held in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The WCHL and PCHA adopted an interlocking schedule for this season, with the Tigers struggling against their pacific coast opposition, winning just two of six games. Calgary finished third in the standings, behind Edmonton and Regina, as former Tiger Barney Stanley
Barney Stanley
Russell "Barney" Stanley was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the Calgary Tigers, Regina Capitals and Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Canada Hockey League...
scored the winning goal against Calgary in a 2–1 victory by the Regina Capitals that eliminated Calgary from playoff contention. They ended the season with a 4–0 exhibition victory over the NHL's Ottawa Senators in a game described as one of the "most sensational" games ever held in Calgary.
The 1923–24 season
1923-24 WCHL season
The 1923–24 WCHL season was the third season for the now defunct Western Canada Hockey League . Four teams played 30 games each. The Calgary Tigers defeated the Regina Capitals to win the WCHL title...
began with tragedy, as Tigers' forward Foley Martin died of blood poisoning during the team's season opening road trip to the pacific coast. The Tigers played on despite Martin's death, winning two of three games against their PCHA rivals. The Tigers finished atop the league standings with 37 points. They met the 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:...
in the league championship in a two-game, total goals series. After battling Regina to a 2–2 draw in the 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....
capital, the Tigers returned home to Calgary, capturing the championship on home ice in a 2–0 victory. They then moved on to face the Vancouver Maroons of the PCHA in the best-of-three Western Canadian final. After dropping the first game in Vancouver, the Tigers came back to defeat the Maroons 6–3 at home, and again 3–1 at a neutral site game in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The victory earned the Tigers the right to play for the 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...
, the first such opportunity for a Calgary based club.
Despite defeating the Maroons, the PCHA champions were not eliminated. Rather, the Tigers earned a bye into the finals, while Vancouver met the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
in the semi-final. The blue, blanc et rouge swept Vancouver in two games, setting the matchup for the 1924 Stanley Cup Finals where the Canadiens easily handled the Tigers. In the first game, played at Mount Royal Arena
Mount Royal Arena
The Mount Royal Arena was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada at the corner of Mount Royal and St. Urbain Street. It was home of the National Hockey League Montreal Canadiens from 1920 to 1926, before moving to the then two year old Montreal Forum. It had a capacity of 6,000...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canadiens rookie Howie Morenz
Howie Morenz
Howard William Morenz was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played centre for three National Hockey League teams: the Montreal Canadiens , the Chicago Black Hawks, and the New York Rangers...
recorded a hat trick
Hat Trick
Hat trick, hat-trick or hattrick may refer to:* hat-trick — in various sports, achieving three goals, wickets, etc. in a single match* Hattrick — online football management game** Hattrick Limited — producers of this game...
as Montreal won 6–1. Due to poor ice conditions, the second game was moved to the Ottawa Auditorium in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
. Led by goaltender Georges Vezina
Georges Vézina
Joseph-Georges-Gonzague Vézina was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played seven seasons in the National Hockey Association and nine in the National Hockey League , all with the Montreal Canadiens...
, Montreal won 3–0 to sweep the series, and claim the Cup.
Calgary began the 1924–25 season
1924-25 WCHL season
The 1924–25 WCHL season was the fourth season for the now defunct Western Canada Hockey League. With the collapse of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association , two teams, the Vancouver Maroons and Victoria Cougars joined the WCHL...
with a series of exhibition games in eastern Canada. They faced the St. Pats and Senators, proving to be a popular draw in the capital as Ottawa fans lined up for tickets for the pair of games played. Additionally, the Tigers negotiated to face the NHL's expansion Montreal Maroons
Montreal Maroons
The Montreal Maroons was a professional men's ice hockey team in the National Hockey League . They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935...
if the newly constructed Montreal Forum
Montreal Forum
The Montreal Forum was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Called "the most storied building in hockey history" by Sporting News, it was home of the National Hockey League's Montreal Maroons from 1924 to 1938 and the Montreal Canadiens from 1926 to 1996...
was ready in time. Those games did not come to pass. In WCHL league play, the Tigers once again finished the regular season in first place. Led by Oliver's team leading 20 goals, the Tigers earned a bye into the WCHL championship. Their opponent was the Victoria Cougars
Victoria Cougars
The Victoria Cougars were a major league professional ice hockey team that played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association from 1922 to 1924, and in the Western Hockey League from 1924 to 1926...
, who moved over to the WCHL following the collapse of the PCHA the previous summer. The Tigers were unable to earn a return trip to the Stanley Cup Finals, losing the two-game total-goals series 3–1. The Cougars went on to become the last non-NHL team to win the Stanley Cup. The Tigers struggled throughout the 1925–26 season, languishing in last place for most of the season until a 2–0 victory over Victoria on the last day of the season moved Calgary one point ahead of Vancouver to end the season.
The financial pressures of trying to keep up with rapidly escalating salaries took its toll on the league. The prairie clubs, including the Tigers, were struggling under financial hardships while a mild winter of 1925–26 reduced the quality of the natural ice at Victoria arena which, coupled with the team's poor performance, reduced attendance. Manager Lloyd Turner confirmed on May 4, 1926 that the Tigers were sold to the National Hockey League, along with the franchises in Edmonton, Regina, Victoria, Vancouver and Portland, and that the league had ceased operations. The six franchises were sold for $300,000.
Turner immediately began efforts to form a new team and league that would operate as a "class B" league, one level below the NHL. Three weeks after the collapse of the Western League, the Tigers were reformed as a charter member of the five team Prairie Hockey League
Prairie Hockey League
The Prairie Hockey League was a Canadian professional ice hockey league in Alberta and Saskatchewan that was created following the demise of the Western Hockey League in 1926. It operated for two seasons....
. The team struggled to attract fans in the Prairie League, and consequently announced late in the season that it would cease operations after one year. The Tigers were successful on the ice, however, as they finished atop the league standings and met the 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...
in a best-of-three series for the league title. Calgary dropped the first game, 2–1 in Saskatoon, but tied the series with a 2–1 victory in Calgary on the strength of two goals in the last five minutes by Andy Aikenhead. The Tigers were then awarded the league championship after the Sheiks defaulted the third game, refusing to play in opposition to the referee assigned for the deciding game. As Prairie champions, the Tigers traveled east to face the Winnipeg Maroons
Winnipeg Maroons (ice hockey)
The Winnipeg Maroons were an ice hockey team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The 1964 team beat the Woodstock Athletics to win the Allan Cup, the championship trophy for senior hockey in Canada....
for the western Canadian professional championship. Calgary won the first game, then were awarded the title after the Maroons were unable to play the second game when the American Hockey Association
American Hockey Association (1926–1942)
The American Hockey Association was a minor professional hockey league that operated between 1926 and 1942. It had previously operated as the Central Hockey League , and before that as part of the United States Amateur Hockey Association. The founding president was Alvin Warren, who also owned the St...
re-scheduled their league playoff series and created a conflict. The Tigers ended their season with exhibition games in the United States before the team was disbanded.
North Western Hockey League
Revival (sports team)
In sports, a revival of a sports team is the naming of a new franchise or club in a sports league after a defunct franchise or club in a possibly defunct league.Sports teams names or nicknames are copyrighted in North America and elsewhere...
as a charter franchise of a reformed, minor-professional, Western Canada Hockey League
Western Canada Hockey League (minor pro)
The Western Canada Hockey League was an ice hockey minor league with teams from western Canada that existed for one hockey season, 1932 to 1933...
. They opened the season with a 1–0 defeat in Edmonton on December 7, 1932 in what was the first professional game for either city in six years, while a near capacity crowd of 4,100 fans witnessed a 7–0 victory by the Tigers over the Eskimos two nights later in Calgary. The Tigers finished the season in first place with on the strength of giving up the fewest goals against during the season, but struggled to attract fans. Attendance declined throughout the season to a low of just 560 for their victory over Saskatoon in early March that clinched the league's top record. Overall, the team averaged 2,270 fans per game. Having earned a bye to the championship series, the Tigers faced the Eskimos in a best-of-five series marred by poor ice caused unseasonably warm weather in both cities. Following a 1–1 tie in the first game at Calgary, the league ordered the remaining games of the series be played in Edmonton due to the poor condition of the ice surface. The second game was also tied at 1 after bad ice in Edmonton forced it to be ended early. Two victories for the Eskimos pushed Calgary to the brink of elimination before the Tigers rebounded with a 5–1 victory in the fifth game. The ties earlier in the series forced the teams to a sixth game that also went to overtime tied at 1 before the Eskimos scored to win the championship after four minutes of an extra period.
The league reformed as the North Western Hockey League
North West Hockey League
The North West Hockey League was an ice hockey minor league with teams in the western United States and western Canada that existed from 1933 to 1936...
following the season after the Saskatchewan clubs dropped out and were replaced with three teams on the Pacific Coast. Calgary again won the regular-season title in 1933–34, advancing directly to the league championship, on the strength of a 12–3 victory over the Vancouver Lions in the final game of the regular season. Dutch Gainor
Dutch Gainor
Norman "Norm, Dutch" Gainor was a Canadian ice hockey forward, most notable for playing on the Dynamite Line with Cooney Weiland and Dit Clapper, the first "named" forward line in NHL history....
won the league scoring title with 43 points. Fearing a repeat of the previous season's playoff disaster, the league ordered Calgary to play their championship series against the Lions in Seattle and Vancouver as both cities had arenas capable of making artificial ice. The disadvantage did not affect the Tigers in the opening game of the series, a 5–2 victory at Seattle. The teams traded victories in the next three contests, ending in a 2–1 Vancouver win in the fourth game that tied the series at 2 wins apiece. Calgary won the championship with a 6–1 victory before a Vancouver crowd of over 6,000 fans.
The 1934 championship would prove to be the Tigers' last hurrah, as the team fell to the bottom of the NWHL standings in 1934–35, winning only three games. They once again finished in last place in 1935–36 and were embroiled in another disputer with Edmonton over the rights to a player as the Eskimos claimed they had gained the rights to Tony Savage
Tony Savage
Anthony "Tony" Savage was a basketball and baseball player and coach of American football and basketball. He served as the head football coach at University of Washington in 1918 and at New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, now New Mexico State University, in 1919, compiling a...
from the Montreal Canadiens though he had already been sent to Calgary on loan. The Tigers issued an ultimatum to the league, threatening to disband for the season if Savage did not remain in Calgary. Savage ultimately remained with Calgary for the entire season.
1936 proved to be the final year for the Tigers, as the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
and declining interest in professional hockey in favour of the senior game
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....
had threatened the team's viability. After the Eskimos announced intentions to relocate to Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
as part of a realignment of the league, Tigers' manager Clair Manning contemplated relocating the franchise to Spokane, Washington
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
. The team instead hoped to operate for another season in Calgary, but met its final demise after the NWHL reformed into the Pacific Coast Hockey League
Pacific Coast Hockey League
The Pacific Coast Hockey League was an ice hockey minor league with teams in the western United States and western Canada that existed in several incarnations: from 1928 to 1931, from 1936 to 1941, and from 1944 to 1952.-PCHL 1928-1931:...
for 1936–37 and denied the Tigers' application to join the new league.
Season-by-season record
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against| Season | League | GP | W | L | T | Pts | GF | GA | Finish | Playoffs |
| 1920–21 | Big-4 Big-4 League 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... |
15† | 10 | 4 | 1 | 21 | 61 | 45 | 1st overall | Won Intercity championship |
| 1921–22 1921-22 WCHL season The 1921–22 WCHL season was the first season for the now defunct Western Canada Hockey League. Four teams played 24 games each. The Regina Capitals defeated the Edmonton Eskimos in a two-game total-goals series to win the inaugural league championship.... |
WCHL 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:... |
24 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 28 | 75 | 62 | T-2nd overall | Lost semi-final |
| 1922–23 1922-23 WCHL season The 1922–23 WCHL season was the second season for the now defunct Western Canada Hockey League. Four teams played 30 games each.-Final standings:Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points... |
WCHL | 30 | 12 | 18 | 0 | 24 | 91 | 106 | 3rd overall | Did not qualify |
| 1923–24 1923-24 WCHL season The 1923–24 WCHL season was the third season for the now defunct Western Canada Hockey League . Four teams played 30 games each. The Calgary Tigers defeated the Regina Capitals to win the WCHL title... |
WCHL | 30 | 18 | 11 | 1 | 37 | 83 | 72 | 1st overall | Won championship Lost Stanley Cup |
| 1924–25 1924-25 WCHL season The 1924–25 WCHL season was the fourth season for the now defunct Western Canada Hockey League. With the collapse of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association , two teams, the Vancouver Maroons and Victoria Cougars joined the WCHL... |
WCHL | 28 | 17 | 11 | 0 | 34 | 95 | 79 | 1st overall | Lost final |
| 1925–26 1925-26 WHL season The 1925–26 WHL season was the fifth and last season for the now defunct Western Canada Hockey League , which was renamed Western Hockey League at the start of the season due to one of its Canadian teams, the Regina Capitals, moving to Portland, Oregon in the United States and being renamed the... |
WHL | 30 | 10 | 17 | 3 | 23 | 71 | 80 | 5th overall | Did not qualify |
| 1926–27 1926-27 PrHL season The 1926–27 season was the first year for the Prairie Hockey League . The PHL was, in essence, a reorganisation of the Western Hockey League after it folded the previous year... |
PrHL Prairie Hockey League The Prairie Hockey League was a Canadian professional ice hockey league in Alberta and Saskatchewan that was created following the demise of the Western Hockey League in 1926. It operated for two seasons.... |
32 | 22 | 9 | 1 | 45 | 119 | 68 | 1st overall | Won championship |
| 1932–33 | WCHL | 30 | 16 | 10 | 4 | 36 | 70 | 61 | 1st overall | Lost final |
| 1933–34 | NWHL North West Hockey League The North West Hockey League was an ice hockey minor league with teams in the western United States and western Canada that existed from 1933 to 1936... |
34 | 17 | 11 | 6 | 40 | 117 | 76 | 1st overall | Won championship |
| 1934–35 | NWHL | 26 | 3 | 15 | 8 | 14 | 60 | 104 | 5th overall | Did not qualify |
| 1935–36 | NWHL | 40 | 15 | 21 | 4 | 34 | 107 | 141 | 5th overall | Did not qualify |
- †Denotes Tigers' record when the league collapsed. Exhibition games played after are not included
Hall of Famers
The WCHL's short and unstable existence was a result of salary escalation caused by having three leagues competing for top talent. As a result, by the mid 1920s, hockey players were among the highest paid athletes in North America, with top players able to demand even higher salaries than the top baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
stars of the time. Though the WCHL lasted only five years, the Tigers boasted five 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 on their roster during that time.
Barney Stanley
Barney Stanley
Russell "Barney" Stanley was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the Calgary Tigers, Regina Capitals and Edmonton Eskimos of the Western Canada Hockey League...
, a former PCHA star, spent two seasons with the Tigers from 1920–22. Joining the Tigers in the last season of the Big Four League, he once again turned pro when the Tigers joined the WCHL. Stanley led the Tigers in scoring with 26 goals in 1921–22 before being traded to Regina
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:...
. Red Dutton
Red Dutton
Norman Alexander "Mervyn" "Red" Dutton was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach and executive. He played for the Calgary Tigers of the Western Canada Hockey League and the Montreal Maroons and New York Americans of the National Hockey League...
, a World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
veteran who refused doctors orders to have his leg amputated after suffering a shrapnel wound, played 123 games with the Tigers before moving to the NHL where he played 449 more with the Montreal Maroons
Montreal Maroons
The Montreal Maroons was a professional men's ice hockey team in the National Hockey League . They played in the NHL from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935...
and New York Americans
New York Americans
The New York Americans were a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League and the second to play in the United States. The team never won the Stanley Cup, but reached the semifinals...
. Rusty Crawford
Rusty Crawford
Samuel Russell Crawford was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Quebec Bulldogs of the National Hockey Association , Ottawa Senators and Toronto Arenas of the National Hockey League and Saskatoon Crescents, Calgary Tigers and Vancouver Maroons of the Western Canada...
, a former standout in the National Hockey Association
National Hockey Association
The National Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor organization to today's National Hockey League...
and National Hockey League before the war, spent three seasons in Calgary from 1922–25. Crawford recorded 19 goals in 64 games as a Tiger.
Herb Gardiner
Herb Gardiner
Herbert Martin Gardiner was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played for the Calgary Tigers of the Western Canada Hockey League and the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League . Additionally, he was the head coach of the Black Hawks for part of...
began his professional career in Calgary in 1920, remaining with the Tigers until he was sold to the Montreal Canadiens in 1926, where he would go on to win the Hart Memorial Trophy
Hart Memorial Trophy
The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, the "oldest and most prestigious individual award in hockey", is awarded annually to the "player adjudged most valuable to his team" in the National Hockey League . The Hart Memorial Trophy has been awarded 86 times to 53 different...
as NHL Most Valuable Player in 1927. Harry Oliver also began his pro career in Calgary, playing with the Tigers from 1921–26 where he scored 90 goals before being sold to the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
. Oliver would go on to play eleven seasons in the NHL with the Bruins and New York Americans
New York Americans
The New York Americans were a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League and the second to play in the United States. The team never won the Stanley Cup, but reached the semifinals...
.
Legacy
The uniform of the Calgary Tigers served as the inspiration for the "vintage" uniform of the Calgary FlamesCalgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
which was worn in the Heritage Classic game in February 2011. While the Calgary Flames do not trace their ancestry back to the Tigers (the Atlanta Flames club was purchased by Calgary businessmen in the 1980s), the organization had wanted to recognize the first professional hockey club in Calgary history for this event and selected the colourful uniforms of the Tigers.
See also
- List of ice hockey teams in Alberta
- Ice hockey in CalgaryIce hockey in CalgaryThe history of ice hockey in Calgary extends back well over a century to the first recorded ice hockey game in Alberta in 1893. Imported from eastern Canada, the game's popularity rapidly grew in the city, with teams at every level playing for and capturing Canada's national championships...
- Calgary CowboysCalgary CowboysThe Calgary Cowboys were an ice hockey team that played two seasons in the World Hockey Association from 1975–1977. The Cowboys played at the Stampede Corral in Calgary. The franchise was founded in 1972 as the Miami Screaming Eagles, though it never played a game in Miami...
- Calgary FlamesCalgary FlamesThe Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...