Pete Muldoon
Encyclopedia
Pete Muldoon born Linton Muldoon Treacy, was a Canadian ice hockey
pioneer in the western United States
, particularly known for bringing a Stanley Cup
championship to Seattle
, Washington. He is known best for reportedly putting a curse
on the Chicago Black Hawks
, as well as team owner Major Frederic McLaughlin
, after Muldoon was fired at the end of the 1927 season; however, it has been alleged that a Toronto
sportswriter had come up with the "curse" due to a bout of writer's block in 1943. Muldoon was the Black Hawks' first head coach.
, as Linton Muldoon Treacy. He played hockey in the OHA
in the 1900s before moving to the Pacific coast in order to pursue a boxing
career. He changed his name to Pete Muldoon because the pursuit of a professional sports career was discouraged in Ontario at the time. Muldoon won regional titles in both the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions while boxing.
. He played professionally for a Vancouver
club in 1911. He was also an ice dancer who was able to skate, as well as play hockey, while on stilts. In 1914, he took over as the coach and manager of the Portland Rosebuds
. He led them to the PCHA
championship, making Portland the first team from the United States to compete for the Stanley Cup
. For the 1915 season, he changed teams, and went to Seattle to manage a new team in the PCHA, the Metropolitans
. He spent eight seasons coaching in Seattle, and amassed a record of 115 wins, 105 losses, and four ties. The Metropolitans competed for the Stanley Cup. The Mets played for the Stanley Cup three times under his leadership, and winning it once in 1917 during their first trip. Muldoon was the first and, at age 30, youngest coach of a Stanley Cup Championship team based in the United States
. In 1919, the Metropolitans made for the second time, but the series against the Montreal Canadiens
was cancelled after 4 games due to a flu epidemic
. Seattle lost in the Stanley Cup finals in the next year.
The Seattle Metropolitans ceased operations in the spring of 1924. Muldoon returned to Portland
, and moved on to the Chicago Black Hawks
of the NHL
in 1926. In Chicago, he was appointed the first head coach of the new team. He accepted the position because his wife
Dorothy was a Chicago
native and pregnant with the family's second child. After the Black Hawks ended the 1926–27 season with a playoff berth after finishing in third place in the American Division with a 19–22–3 record, he resigned because of constant meddling from team owner Major McLaughlin.
After spending a year in Chicago, Muldoon returned to Seattle. He became involved in efforts to bring a professional team back to Seattle, as a new arena was constructed in 1928. Muldoon, with the help of a group of investors, established the Seattle Ice Skating and Hockey Association, while aiding to establish the PCHL. This new league had its first season in 1928, and the Seattle team was dubbed the Eskimos.
. Muldoon was fired because Chicago had finished third in its division during the 1926–27 season, but McLaughlin felt the team should have finished first. Muldoon was then reported to have placed an Irish curse on the Hawks that would keep them out of 1st place forever. It is unknown if this actually happened, as it has been alleged that it was a hoax by a Toronto sportwriter, yet other sources maintain that "41 years is plenty long enough for any "curse," real or imagined".
with co-owner and local boxing promoter Nate Druxman to search for a location to build a new rink in order to establish a team. While in Tacoma, on March 6, 1929, Muldoon died due to a heart attack. Without their coach, the Seattle Eskimos were able to win a playoff series against Portland, before losing to Vancouver in the league finals. The following season the Eskimos established the Pete Muldoon Trophy, presented to the player "deemed most inspirational by his teammates". It was awarded for a few seasons, and disappeared from records during the Great Depression
years.
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...
pioneer in the western United States
Western United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
, particularly known for bringing 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...
championship to Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Washington. He is known best for reportedly putting a curse
Curse of Muldoon
The Curse of Muldoon was an alleged curse that supposedly prevented the Chicago Black Hawks of the National Hockey League from finishing in first place, either in their division or, from 1938 to 1967, in the single-division NHL...
on the Chicago Black Hawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
, as well as team owner Major Frederic McLaughlin
Frederic McLaughlin
Frederic McLaughlin was the first owner of the Chicago Black Hawks.Born in Chicago, Illinois, McLaughlin inherited a successful coffee business from his father, who died in 1905. McLaughlin was a graduate of Harvard University and served in the United States Army during World War I...
, after Muldoon was fired at the end of the 1927 season; however, it has been alleged that a Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
sportswriter had come up with the "curse" due to a bout of writer's block in 1943. Muldoon was the Black Hawks' first head coach.
Early life
Muldoon was born in OntarioOntario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, as Linton Muldoon Treacy. He played hockey in the OHA
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
in the 1900s before moving to the Pacific coast in order to pursue a boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
career. He changed his name to Pete Muldoon because the pursuit of a professional sports career was discouraged in Ontario at the time. Muldoon won regional titles in both the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions while boxing.
Ice hockey career
Muldoon was accomplished at other sports, including lacrosseLacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
. He played professionally for a Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
club in 1911. He was also an ice dancer who was able to skate, as well as play hockey, while on stilts. In 1914, he took over as the coach and manager of the Portland Rosebuds
Portland Rosebuds
Portland Rosebuds is the name of at least three professional teams based in Portland, Oregon during the first half of the 20th century. Two were professional men's ice hockey teams playing their home games at the Portland Ice Arena, one from 1914 to 1918 and another in 1925-6...
. He led them to the PCHA
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...
championship, making Portland the first team from the United States 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...
. For the 1915 season, he changed teams, and went to Seattle to manage a new team in the PCHA, the Metropolitans
Seattle Metropolitans
The Seattle Metropolitans were a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle, Washington which played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association from 1915 to 1924. They won the Stanley Cup in 1917, becoming the first American team to do so...
. He spent eight seasons coaching in Seattle, and amassed a record of 115 wins, 105 losses, and four ties. The Metropolitans competed for the Stanley Cup. The Mets played for the Stanley Cup three times under his leadership, and winning it once in 1917 during their first trip. Muldoon was the first and, at age 30, youngest coach of a Stanley Cup Championship team based in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1919, the Metropolitans made for the second time, but the series against 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 ...
was cancelled after 4 games due to a flu epidemic
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
. Seattle lost in the Stanley Cup finals in the next year.
The Seattle Metropolitans ceased operations in the spring of 1924. Muldoon returned to Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, and moved on to the Chicago Black Hawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
of the NHL
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...
in 1926. In Chicago, he was appointed the first head coach of the new team. He accepted the position because his wife
Wife
A wife is a female partner in a marriage. The rights and obligations of the wife regarding her spouse and others, and her status in the community and in law, varies between cultures and has varied over time.-Origin and etymology:...
Dorothy was a Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
native and pregnant with the family's second child. After the Black Hawks ended the 1926–27 season with a playoff berth after finishing in third place in the American Division with a 19–22–3 record, he resigned because of constant meddling from team owner Major McLaughlin.
After spending a year in Chicago, Muldoon returned to Seattle. He became involved in efforts to bring a professional team back to Seattle, as a new arena was constructed in 1928. Muldoon, with the help of a group of investors, established the Seattle Ice Skating and Hockey Association, while aiding to establish the PCHL. This new league had its first season in 1928, and the Seattle team was dubbed the Eskimos.
Curse of Muldoon
Muldoon was highly upset about being fired after only one season by owner Frederic McLaughlinFrederic McLaughlin
Frederic McLaughlin was the first owner of the Chicago Black Hawks.Born in Chicago, Illinois, McLaughlin inherited a successful coffee business from his father, who died in 1905. McLaughlin was a graduate of Harvard University and served in the United States Army during World War I...
. Muldoon was fired because Chicago had finished third in its division during the 1926–27 season, but McLaughlin felt the team should have finished first. Muldoon was then reported to have placed an Irish curse on the Hawks that would keep them out of 1st place forever. It is unknown if this actually happened, as it has been alleged that it was a hoax by a Toronto sportwriter, yet other sources maintain that "41 years is plenty long enough for any "curse," real or imagined".
Death
In the spring of 1929, Muldoon went to TacomaTacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
with co-owner and local boxing promoter Nate Druxman to search for a location to build a new rink in order to establish a team. While in Tacoma, on March 6, 1929, Muldoon died due to a heart attack. Without their coach, the Seattle Eskimos were able to win a playoff series against Portland, before losing to Vancouver in the league finals. The following season the Eskimos established the Pete Muldoon Trophy, presented to the player "deemed most inspirational by his teammates". It was awarded for a few seasons, and disappeared from records during 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...
years.