HOHHOF : Early Era round-up!

MXD · Nov 29, 2010

VanIslander · Nov 29, 2010

I'm a bit busy at the moment. But I'll contribute here.

One single post per player.

Shall do. Bios to be dug up!

MXD · Nov 29, 2010

VanIslander said:
I'm a bit busy at the moment. But I'll contribute here.

We're all busy, don't worry...

VanIslander · Nov 29, 2010

The defensive star of the first Stanley Cup playoffs ever in 1894, in a losing effort, defensive defenseman Harvey Pulford. He went on to become the star defensive defenseman of hockey's first dynasty team, a 14-year veteran of the club, from his rookie year when he was praised in the newspapers for his defensive play in the first ever Stanley Cup playoff game in 1894 in trying valiantly to maintain a 1-0 lead (before the team fell 1-3 to the champion Montreal club), to his veteran stability as the young Cyclone Taylor's point man, an original inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945, the captain of the Silver Seven.

“The sight of big him on defence struck waves of fear through the hearts of the enemy.” – Ultimate Hockey

“He was considered a masterful defensive defenseman.” – Who’s Who in Hockey

"If it wasn't for Lionel Conacher, he would have been named the top Canadian sportsman of the first half of the 20th Century.” – Gordie Howe

“He could take out a man with hits that "could have crippled even the Creator himself." All hyperbole aside, he was a bruiser, a battleship on blades.” – Total Hockey

“He was a brick wall on blades. In a 1905 Stanley Cup match against the speedy Rat Portage Thistles, he was given the green light to throw the body around. The result was one of the most impressive displays of one-man ganging ever seen, and his teammates were enough for Ottawa to take the next two games 4-2 and 5-4, en route to the Stanley Cup.” – Ultimate Hockey

Awards and Achievements:
4 x Stanley Cup Champion (1903, 1904, 1905, 1906)
Ottawa Hockey Club Captain: 1900-1906

Ultimate Hockey’s “Best Body-Checker” from 1900 to 1909
Ultimate Hockey’s “Best Shot-Blocker” from 1900 to 1909
Ultimate Hockey’s “Finest Athlete” from 1900 to 1909
Ultimate Hockey’s “Strongest Player” from 1900 to 1909

Biography:
Harvey Pulford was one of Canada’s top all-around athletes of the 20th century. He was a pure athlete; a man with outstanding natural strength, power, speed, and agility. He wasn’t just a multiple sport athlete; however, he was a multiple sport champion. He won four championships with the Ottawa Rough Riders in 1898, 1899, 1900, and 1902. He also won four national titles with the Ottawa Lacrosse club. As a boxer, he won Eastern Canadian light heavyweight and heavyweight titles between 1896 and 1898. He was also an excellent rower, winning national and U.S. championships and leading his crew to the semifinals at the 1911 Henley Royal Regatta. In his late 40s, he won the Ottawa squash championship and held it from 1922 to 1924.

Pulford begam his hockey career when he joined the Ottawa Hockey Club, as an 18 year-old, in 1894. Under the tutelage of a wily Ottawa veteran, Pulford quickly learned the tricks of the trade, and became an elite defensive defenseman. He provided the Ottawa team with a hard-rock defender who specialized in shutting down and punishing opposing star forwards. Pulford’s arrival in Ottawa immediately transformed them into a team that nobody wanted to face. While he helped his team become one of the best defensive clubs in the world, they couldn’t manage to dethrone the Champion Montreal Hockey Club.

During their Silver Seven days, Ottawa provided more than just offensive firepower. A big part of Ottawa’s success was the fear they instilled in their opponents, and big Harvey Pulford was their main source of terror. When given the green light, Harvey was capable of completely taking over a game with his physical play. As tough and mean as he was, he was not a dirty player, and he was one of the most well-respected players in the game.

Harvey Pulford was one of the original Hockey Hall of Fame inductees.

Adjusted Size:
6’6” 245 lbs

a masterful defensive defenseman… a pure defender who.. rarely ventured past his opponents’ blueline...

http://books.google.ca/books?id=wpbL...um=1&ct=result [/quote]

Pulford was one of Canada's greatest athletes of all time. As a running back Pulford captained the Ottawa Roughriders to three championships, as a rower he beat Canadian and American champions, was on four national champion lacrosse teams, was the light heavyweight and heavyweight boxing champion for Ontario and eastern Canada and later in his life in the 1940's he was Canada's senior squash champion. His eye-hand coordination, strength and ability to play the physical rough-and-tumble style of hard hitting hockey he was known for clearly transcends his generation in looking at all-time competition.

The first organized hockey team in Ottawa was the Ottawa Hockey Club, who were formed in 1884 at the 1884 Montreal Winter Carnival. They would later be dubbed the Generals, because of their war emblem style logo in 1890. The Generals would help found the first major organized hockey league in Canada called the AHA (Amateur Hockey Association) in 1886. In 1890 they also helped found the OHA (Ontario Hockey Association) and played in both leagues until about 1895/96 where they dropped out of the OHA to concentrate exclusively on the AHA. In 1893 the Generals barely lost out to the Montreal AAA as champions of the AHA and therefore just lost out on winning the very first Stanley Cup. Desperate to win a Cup for Lord Stanley (who lived in Ottawa at the time) the Generals faced off against the Montreal AAA on March 22, 1894 in what is considered the first Stanley Cup Finals game ever played. Ottawa grabbed an early 1-0 lead thanks to xxxxxx's goal, as the Generals dominated thanks mostly to the inspired play by a young Harvey Pulford. However, Montreal stormed back with 3 straight goals to win 3-1 and retain the Cup. The Generals would not challenge for the Stanley Cup for 10 years as their 1901 CAHL Championship was too late in the year to put a challenge in for the Cup.

http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nhl...ginalsens.html

In 1904, a hockey team from Dawson City submitted a challenge to the Ottawa Silver Seven looking for the chance to compete for the Stanley Cup. The Dawson City Nuggets began their trek to Dey's Arena in Ottawa on December 19, 1904, and after 25 days and 4,400 miles, covered by foot, bicycle, dogsled, boat and train, the team finally arrived in Ottawa on January 12, 1905. After a night of celebration as guests of their competitors, Game 1 took place the next day with Ottawa defeating Dawson City 9-2. Three days later, on January 16, Ottawa finished off the Nuggets 23-2. In a later celebration, Silver Seven star Harvey Pulford drop-kicked the Stanley Cup from a bridge onto the frozen Rideau Canal. The next morning, playing coach Alf Smith remembered the Cup's fate and went back to retrieve the trophy.

http://www.hhof.com/html/exSCJ_09.shtml

Kyle McMahon · Nov 29, 2010

Assuming this isn't something that needs to be done at breakneck speed, I'll be in here throughout the week to contribute hopefully.

I'm thinking the guys who would be considered "locks" probably don't need much of an introduction in this particular thread. Basically, a multi-paragraph write-up on Newsy Lalonde's accomlishments probably isn't required to get him on the ballot.

For lesser players, how in depth do we need to go? As I understand it, the goal of this right now isn't to argue somebody's way onto the ballot, merely to introduce them to the group consciousness. Are a few sentences enough at this point, even if it's a guy who may be a longshot for eventual indiction?

MXD · Nov 29, 2010

Kyle McMahon said:
Assuming this isn't something that needs to be done at breakneck speed, I'll be in here throughout the week to contribute hopefully.

I'm thinking the guys who would be considered "locks" probably don't need much of an introduction in this particular thread. Basically, a multi-paragraph write-up on Newsy Lalonde's accomlishments probably isn't required to get him on the ballot.

For lesser players, how in depth do we need to go? As I understand it, the goal of this right now isn't to argue somebody's way onto the ballot, merely to introduce them to the group consciousness. Are a few sentences enough at this point, even if it's a guy who may be a longshot for eventual indiction?

Don't worry about breakneck speed.

Sure, the faster we get, the better it is. Still, I somebody realizes at round 5 that Georges Vezina is missing, well...

You get the point right about Lalonde. The posts here will probably be linked to the voting rounds. But yeah, you get the point. Nobody will go for a 5 pages message explaining why Gretzky is a worthy player. Let's use our time wisely

VanIslander · Nov 29, 2010

Lester Patrick

Nickname: The Silver Fox, The Praying Colonel
Height: 6'1''
Weight: 180 lbs
Position: Defense
Shoots: Left
Date of Birth: December 31, 1883
Place of Birth: Drummondville , Quebec, Canada
Date of Death: June 01, 1960 (Age: 76)

Stanley Cup Champion (1906, 1907)
Stanley Cup Finalist (1904, 1908, 1914, 1918, 1926)
First All-Star Team (1907) *ECAHA*
First All-Star Team (1913, 1915, 1916, 1917) *PCHA*
Second Team All-Star (1918, 1920) *PCHA*
Norris Trophy (1915) *PCHA*
Team Captain (1907)
Stanley Cup Game Winning Goal (1906)
Canada Sports Hall of Fame (1975)
Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (1947)

Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association [1905-1907] *FORWARD*
Top-10 Scoring (8th)
Top-10 Goalscoring (7th)
Top-10 Assist (7th, 9th)
Top-10 Penalty Minutes (9th)

Top-10 Playoff Scoring (2nd, 6th)
Top-10 Playoff Goalscoring (2nd, 6th)
Top-10 Playoff Penalty Minutes (2nd)

National Hockey Association [1909-1910] *FORWARD*
Top-10 Scoring (3rd)
Top-10 Goalscoring (3rd)

Pacific Coast Hockey Association [1911-1922] *DEFENSE*
Top-10 Scoring (5th, 5th, 9th, 10th)
Top-10 Goalscoring (2nd, 7th, 10th, 10th)
Top-10 Assist (3rd, 5th, 8th, 9th, 9th, 9th)
Top-10 Penalty Minutes (6th, 8th, 9th)
Top-10 Scoring Among defenseman (1st, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd, 6th, 6th)
Top-10 Goalscoring among defenseman (1st, 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, 3rd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th)
Top-10 Assist among defenseman (1st, 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 4th, 5th)
Top-10 Penalty Minutes among defenseman (1st, 2nd, 4th, 4th, 6th, 6th, 6th, 9th)

Top-10 Playoff Scoring (1st, 1st, 6th)
Top-10 Playoff Goalscoring (1st, 1st)
Top-10 Playoff Assist (3rd)
Top-10 Playoff Scoring Among defenseman (1st, 1st, 2nd)
Top-10 Playoff Goalscoring among defenseman (1st, 1st)
Top-10 Playoff Assist among defenseman (1st)

Western Hockey League [1925-1926]
Top-10 Assist (9th)
Top-10 Scoring Among defenseman (4th)
Top-10 Goalscoring among defenseman (9th)
Top-10 Assist among defenseman (3rd)

Top-10 Playoff Penalty Minutes among defenseman (7th)

- Lester is the father of Muzz and Lynn and the older brother of Frank
- With the exception of Newsy Lalonde, there is no other player whose career extended over such a period of time as that of Lester Patrick
- Today, the Lester Patrick Memorial Trophy is given out annually to recipients who shows ''outstanding service to hockey in the United States''

Trail of the Stanley Cup said:
He was captain and rover of the Redbands when they lifted the cup from the Silver Seven in 1906 and repeated the following year... Although he was probably at his best as a player with the Wanderers, he was on a championship team with Victoria in 1914 and was chosen an all-star defenseman of the PCHA (multiple times)

Ottawa's hopes for a championship rested on defeating the Wanderers in their return match at the capital on March 2nd... there seemed little doubt as to the outcome after play got started. The smooth skating Patrick and Johnson were all over the Senators. Russell played a magnificent game, scoring five goals but Patrick, who had moved back to the defense was judged the best man on the ice.

The Wanderers were now forced to open up their play and for a while it seemed that they had waited too long as Ottawa continued to press. Lester Patrick featured with several of his spectacular dashes and was finally rewarded with a goal that put the Redbands back in the lead. A few minutes later Patrick clinched it with another goal and the game ended 9-3 for Ottawa, but 12-10 Wanderers on the round.

Due to injuries to his defensemen, he returned to action in 1926, and played through the schedule at age 42.

Ultimate Hockey said:
Lester Patrick was one of the classier figures in hockey history, and was one of the sport's most prolific builders. He was a perrenial All-Star rover and defender for 21 seasons.

It was with the mighty Redbands that he reached the peak of his considerable talent. Players like Ernie Russell, Frank Glass and Cecil Blachford benefitted enormously from Patrick's smooth passing.

Kings Of The Ice said:
He was one of the top rushing defensemen of his day and a team leader... His exceptional passes benefitted his teammates

Stanley Cup Centennial Book said:
Lester Patrick, a slick speedster who moved across the ice more like a sprinter than a skater.

Fischler's Hockey Encyclopedia said:
Lester could play any position, from goalie to defenseman to rover. A rover could play forward or defense, and Lester did both with equal agility.

HHOF said:
Patrick was a swift, graceful skater and a magician with the puck, pioneering defensive innovations.

The Patricks: Hockey's Royal Family said:
It said something of Lester's leadership qualities that after being made captain of the Stanley Cup Champion Montreal Wanderers in his second year, he was named skipper of the Renfrew Millionaires in their first season, before the players had even had their first casual skate together.

The new partnership got off to an auspcious start. In Patrick's first game with the Wanderers, an 11-5 rout of the Victorias, Lester, on one wing, scored three goals and Moose Johnson, on the other, scored one... Johnson was hailed in the newspaper as one of the game's outstanding performers, second only to Lester.

The record will also show that the new Brandon cover-point rushed the length of the rink to score a spectacular goal in a game against Winnipeg. This tactic broke the unwritten law that said a defenseman should play defense only, and should never leave his beat to stray into the offensive zone. With that one audacious move against Winnipeg, Lester Patrick had become possibly the game's first rushing defenseman, the first of a long line... While lavishing praise on Lester's overall play, the Ottawa reporters criticized him for "his tendency to wander off down the ice away from his position". But then they had no way of knowing that this was the way the game would be played in the future.

With both teams suffering from extreme fatigue, it was Lester who sensed the kill as the Ottawa forwards labored deep in the Montreal zone, drawing their defensemen with them. He got the puck, flipped it to Moose Johnson on a break, and a moment later beat the goaltender with the goal that burst the Ottawa bubble. There were just 90 seconds to play, and then just before the end, Patrick, now plainly the coolest man in the arena, scored again to end the Sporting News' pick as the Greatest Hockey Game In History.

Now 42, Lester hadn't skated in anger for three seasons. But here in 1925 with the Cougars down to just one defenseman because of injuries, Lester shrugged, laced up his boots, grabbed a stick and went out to help.

After a shaky start in his first game in Calgary, the old boy got his legs back and set up Frank Fredrickson for the winning goal. A week later against the powerful Edmonton lineup he had two assists in a 4-2 victory, plus a direct hit on Eddie Shore, the young hard-rock who was already being hailed as the toughest, meanest defenseman in hockey. Eddie figured to no more than toy with the 42-year old before, if necessary, dispatching him to the infirmary. But it didn't work out that way. Instead, the old crook caught Shore with a crackling bodycheck that sent the cocky youth, 18 years Lester's junior, off the ice on a stretcher.

Portland was next. There, Lester tied the game with an unassisted goal and then set up Fredrickson for the winner. Then before a hostile but admiring Saskatoon crowd in Saskatoon, he stickhandled through the entire Saskatoon team and beat George hainsworth in overtime.

Several games later, it was the Cougars' ageless defenseman who assured his team of a playoff berth when he again netted the winning goal against Vancouver. That victory gave the Cougars a streak of six straight, and during that spell Lester had scored five of the club's 26 goals. He was the bulwark of a defense that had allowed just seven goals in return.

The boss was still out there for the first game of the playoffs against Saskatoon, and he received a thunderous ovation as he skated out to his post. The cougars came from behind to salvage a tie in that game, but they lost their ace defenseman in the process. Lester had to leave the ice in the 2nd period when a stick swung by Cy Denneny broke his thumb.

Now, having personally shown the way into the playoffs, Lester settled back to watch his team win the league title and the right to travel to Montreal for the Stanley Cup.

Those 21 games played in relief by a 42-year old following a three-year layoff must surely represent one of the more amazing comebacks in the history of sport.

The Renfrew Millionaires said:
The whole evening was a great success. Renfrew had won the game 6-3; Taylor had put on a show and scored two goals; and Lester Patrick, "the tall Renfrew captain, was a good second to Taylor and his stickwork netted three goals."

Lester, as captain and supporter of Frank, found himself constantly involved with the fiery Lalonde. Three times they were sent off together:

"The rival captains were slashing at eachother with their sticks and fists on several occasions. In the second half, Patrick cut Lalonde's head open with a swing of his stick, and as soon as the Renfrew leader got back on the ice, Lalonde caught him with a wicked cross check that sent the famous rover into the air as if shot from a cannon."

Montreal player Barney Holden swung his stick in the direction of the Cyclone's head. Taylor retaliated in kind and connected. Holden's nose was bloodied. He rushed Taylor. Lester Patrick led the Renfrew players to their teammate's defense.

The Wanderers, as everyone knew Lester was the glue that held the team together, ended up on the long end of a 9-1 score in game 1!

As did Phil Esposito in 1972, Patrick called his teammates together in a huddle near the end of game 2. They had to play hockey the way they knew how, they way they had played in the first game, scoring nine goals.

Honoured Members said:
As a player, Patrick was a defenseman who liked to rush the puck instead of lifting it into enemy territory.

The Stanley Cup said:
Only two members of the (unsuccessful 1904 Challengers)Wheat kings played well enough to catch the attention of the Ottawa crowds. One was Lester patrick, a 20-year-old point man playing in his first Stanley Cup series. Even then he demonstrated a flair for playing the game his way. "Patrick at point was another good one", The Citizen noted, "when he wasn't doing the forward act in an attempt to score."

Legendary Stanley Cup Stories said:
Lester Patrick was the best of the Wanderers, and was very much in the game from start to finish. Some of his dashes were exceedingly good to look on. It was in the final stages when the game had to be won in short order that Patrick scintillated. he went down the ice, nursing the puck, sidestepping and dodging and had the Ottawa defense dazed.

Hockey's Captains said:
"With five minutes to go, Lester Patrick spoke to the timekeeper and to each Wanderer individually", wrote Bill Westwick of The Ottawa Journal in a cup flashback article in 1957. "It was probably one of the greatest pep talks ever spoken." "It was a masterly stroke; the genius of a general," said the 1906 Ottawa Journal writer about Patrick.

Win said:
Midway through the first half, Ottawa partisans fell silent as rover Lester Patrick scored - the same Patrick, who in 1904 as the point for Brandon, thwarted numerous Ottawa rushes... Patrick was all over the ice...

Putting a Roof On Winter said:
So they arranged for an exhibition match between the pacific Coast league champion Victoria Aristocrats and the Cup-Winning Quebec Bulldogs, who consented to leave the frozen east to play a little indoor hockey... Yet the talents of "Phantom Joe" and his teammate "Bad" Joe Hall were not enough to conquer the Aristocrats of Victoria. The Patricks had a point to prove, and their manager and founder, 29-year old Lester Patrick, inspired his team with four goals in three games, to lead Victoria to a two-games-to-one victory. the fact the Patricks' teams way out there on B.C. Island had outscored the reigning Cup champs 16-12 sent a message to the rest of the hockey world: The PCHA was not some pampered experiment.

Joe Pelletier said:
Known for his great speed and puck skills, in 1903-04 he used his abilities as one of game's earliest offensive defensemen.

Sites:
http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=P194704#photo
http://www.sihrhockey.org/member_player_sheet.cfm?player_id=2931&CFID=1956941&CFTOKEN=32966801
http://nyrangerslegends.blogspot.com/2007/05/lester-patrick.html

Thanks for seventieslord for part of this biographyhis_wol_wol-regnoble[/url]

VanIslander · Nov 29, 2010

Ernie "Moose" Johnson, D/LW

- 5'11, 185 lbs
- Member of the HHOF
- Stanley Cup Champion (1906, 1907, 1908, 1910)
- Stanley Cup Finalist (1916)
- ECAHA 2nd All-Star Team (1907, 1908)
- PCHA 1st All-Star Team (1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919)
- PCHA 2nd All-Star Team (1921)
- 8th, 10th in Scoring in two ECAHA Seasons (1906, 1907)
- Top-5 in Scoring by NHA Defensemen Twice (3rd, 5th)
- Top-3 in Scoring by PCHA Defensemen Four Times (3rd, 3rd, 3rd, 3rd)
- Top-4 In Stanley Cup Scoring Twice (1st-1908, 4th-1907)
- Top-6 in League PIM Five Times (2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 5th, 6th)
- Led all Defensemen in Playoffs in Points with 2 (1916 - including NHA and PCHA and Stanley Cup games)
- Named to the 1893-1926 All-Star Team on Defense by historian and author Charles C. Coleman

loh.net said:
... After playing two seasons in the Canadian Amateur Hockey League he signed on with the Montreal Wanderers for the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association's inaugural season of 1905-06 where he finished tenth in scoring with 12 goals in a ten-game schedule. In March 1906 the Wanderers ended the three-year reign of the legendary Silver Seven by defeating Ottawa in a two-game challenge for the Stanley Cup.

Prior to the start of the 1906-07 season the ECAHA ruled that professionals would be allowed to play with the amateurs in the league and the Wanderers were quick to sign Johnson (and others) to lucrative contracts. Those men officially became the first five pro players allowed to compete for the Stanley Cup when the Wanderers successfully won a Cup challenge from New Glasgow in December 1906, prior to the start of the new ECAHA season.

The Wanderers were three games into the 1907 ECAHA season when they hosted the Kenora Thistles in a two-game, total-goals, Stanley Cup challenge series at Montreal. Kenora won both games and took the Cup from the Wanderers by a total score of 12-8, though the Wanderers returned to league play and posted a perfect 10-0-0 season record to qualify to challenge right back.

Johnson continued to impress during the regular season, increasing his goal production to 15 from the previous season and again finishing in the top ten of league scoring. The Wanderers traveled west to Winnipeg in late March 1907 to avenge their earlier loss to the Thistles and reclaimed the Cup in the two-game, total-goal series by a score of 12-8. After the final game a Kenora player cracked Johnson over the head with his stick and cut him for 13 stitches.

Johnson was named to the ECAHA Second All-Star Team in 1908 as he and his Wanderer teammates defended their Stanley Cup title again in January, March, and December of that year, before losing the ECHA title, and thus the Stanley Cup, to Ottawa in 1909. They were champions again in 1910 after winning the newly formed National Hockey Association title from the Ottawa Senators and defended the Cup against Berlin (now Kitchener) on March 12, 1910.

Moose Johnson played one more year for the Wanderers before moving west to play for the New Westminster Royals of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association. He was a perennial all-star in the western league, making the PCHA First All-Star Team in 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, and 1921. It was while playing in Victoria as a member of the Cougars that he was first called Moose. "As far as I know," he recalled later, "I was the first 'Moose' in sports history. Now there are dozens." He was noted for using the longest stick in hockey and had a 99-inch reach. "The year I quit they buried my stick," said Johnson. "It was the longest stick ever used. In those days there was no size regulations and they couldn't take it from me because it was my livelihood." His final year in the PCHA was with Victoria in 1921-22.

Ultimate Hockey said:
Johnson was a powerful skater and one of the faster men of his day. Oddly, he played his entire career without any fingers on his right hand! In 1900, he lost the fingers after receiving a 2,300 volt electrical jolt.

**** *******, who played point behind Johnson in Montreal, held the big blond in high regard: "By the time a forward got around Johnson on defense, the rest was easy for me," ******* explained. "They were usually somewhere over by the boards."

Johnson was a regular First-Team All-Star on PCHA referee Mickey Ion's famous hand-picked squads and has been considered the finest all-around rearguard in hockey between 1900 and 1925. Regularly playing with broken jaws, fractured arms, even separated shoulders, Johnson was a gamer in the truest sense.

The Trail Of the Stanley Cup said:
A long and spectacular career... was the speedy left wing for the Wanderers... In those days there he was described as a six-footer with terrific speed, a bullet shot and indomitable courage... He developed a marvelous poke check and was a very difficult man to get around... developed an extraordinary skill at playing the puck rather than the man, although he was by no means backward with his bodychecking... In his first years in the PCHA he was a hard man to keep in training, and was inclined to draw useless penalties for rough play. However, when he steadied down there was no better defenseman in the estimation of those who saw him perform...He played eleven years in the PCHA, and was chosen as an all-star defenseman ten times. He was never sold or traded, being too valuable an attraction... He earned the nickname "Moose" for the fortitude he displayed in brushing off injuries that would put other players out of action for weeks. During his career he had his nose broken twice, received three bad cuts over his eyes, a piece cut from a thigh, many ankle cuts, and a badly gashed foot. Black eyes, jammed fingers and bruises didn't count. In spite of these injuries, he missed only twelve games in ten years of play... at times he was unpopular for his rough play... He developed the poke check so well to such an art that in his last few years with Victoria, Lester patrick used him frequently at rover to spearhead the defense. In his final years with Victoria he had regained all his popularity and the fans applauded him everywhere. Near the close of the 1921 season a special Johnson night was held in Victoria. He was presented with a trophy from the PCHA inscribed "To Moose Johnson as a token of appreciation of his brilliant career as the greatest defense player in the PCHA during the past ten years."

Fischler's Hockey Encyclopedia said:
The most feared pokechecker on hockey's ponds...

The Patricks: Hockey's Royal Family said:
A magnificent and extremely popular defenseman for over a decade... certainly not named Moose because of his delicate nature... big, fun-loving, good-natured...

Ultimate Hockey says he lost all his fingers. But was it only two?

Players: The Ultimate A-Z Guide Of Everyone Who Has Ever Played In the NHL said:
His poke check made it virtually impossible for forwards to get around him with any success... He was a big man, and he played much longer than the average star player... Perhaps most amazing was that in 1900 he absorbed a 2300 volt shock and lost two fingers on his right hand.

Honored Members said:
He had a successful career, despite losing some fingers on his right hand from an accident in his youth.

Montreal Gazette said:
Johnson was put out for some minutes with a crack on the arm, but aside from this, the two escaped injury. Both played excellent games for their respective teams, Johnson's work being particularly good. He went right into the thick of the fray and took all that was going.

The Trail Of the Stanley Cup said:
(ECAHA, key game late in the season) There seemed little doubt as to the outcome after play got started. The smooth skating Patrick and Johnson were all over the Senators.

The Trail Of the Stanley Cup said:
The Kenora team roughed it up considerably and Johnson took a going over from **** *********. However, Ernie was playing hockey and got a brace of goals in spite of the heavy going.

Montreal Gazette said:
Johnson worked like a trojan, and never let up in following back when Quebec had possession of the puck.

The Renfrew Millionaires said:
And if you got past the forwards and were able to move into the Wanderers' end, Moose Johnson and his point partner **** ******* were right there, ready to play it however you wanted. Those two wouldn't back down from anyone!

The Renfrew Millionaires said:
The feature was the play of the two cover points, Taylor and Johnson, generally considered to be the two greatest men to have ever donned skates.

Toronto Star said:
(a list of many pro players and who takes the cake in what categories)
Gordon Roberts has the honor of being the most matter of fact.
Fred Taylor is the most eccentric.
Ernie Johnson gets the diploma as the most sensational.
Arthur Ross is the most selfish player.
Newsy Lalonde is the wickedest of the lot.

Montreal Gazette said:
Among the contracts which Patrick secured is one calling for the services of Ernie Johnson, the sensational cover-point player of the New Westminster champions...

Ottawa Citizen said:
Ernie Johnson, the Westminster cover-point is a great drawing card, and one of the Vancouver/Westminster games may be transferred to Victoria so that the fans there may have an opportunity to see "The Cyclone" and "The Bull Moose" up against one another.

The Trail Of the Stanley Cup said:
The schedule opened at Victoria January 2nd... Ernie Johnson was the star of the game, scoring two goals and giving a great display of his steady defence work.

On February 2nd, Johnson was struck above the eye by a puck that inflicted a bad gash. The doctors were afraid the eye had been damaged and wanted Johnson to leave the game. However, Ernie insisted on returning to the game in which he scored two goals. He missed one game but was back in the lineup on February 16th playing with blurred eyesight. The press was now referring to him as The Big Moose.

The Trail Of the Stanley Cup said:
Ernie Johnson had a piece of flesh gouged out of his thigh by a skate, but The Moose was back in action three days later.

Moose Johnson said:
I noticed that the ice near my defense area was stained with blood. I said to my defense partner, "gosh, someone has a bad cut". We finished the half and went to the dressing room where I was surprised to discover blood-covered snow around the top of one of my skates. The club doctor looked at it and said "Well, Moose, you're through for the night." That was a calamitous declaration in those days. "No, I said, just fix me up so I can finish the game." An artery had been cut, but the doctor tied it up, put in a few stitches, and I played straight through the second half. And a long 30 minutes it was, too.

The Trail Of the Stanley Cup said:
Another casualty was Ernie Johnson who required 14 stitches in a gashed foot. however, he was only off the ice long enough to have the surgical repairs. Two weeks later Johnson received another bad ankle cut but he didn't miss a game.

The Trail Of the Stanley Cup said:
The game on December 14th was featured by a bulldozing stunt by Ernie Johnson. In a headlong rush he crashed into the boards and a whole section toppled over.

Ernie Johnson continued to play a rough game and drew the ire of president Lester Patrick for his work when the Rosebuds defeated the Mets January 7th.

NY Times said:
Moose Johnson was a tower of strength for Portland on both the offense and the defense, and it was his work that broke up the concerted attacks of Les Canadiens not once, but almost every time that he dove after the puck.

In the second period Moose Johnson began to show signs of his famous speed, and with ****** as his chief assistant, he made many daring and spectacular raids on the Canadian cage. Although time after time, these two players passed the defensemen of Les Canadiens, their shots to the cage were blocked by Vezina.

Johnson was stopping most of the attacks of Les Canadiens before they got within hailing distance of the Portland goal...

NY Times said:
Brilliant playing by ***** and Moose Johnson put them in the running... Their work was the best of the evening, each of them showing wonderfully clever stick work and passing.

Ernie had a bit of a rough 1917 but despite being an alleged drinker, was the star of the game most nights:

The Trail Of the Stanley Cup said:
On December 12th 1500 fans were on hand to see Ernie Johnson roughing it up.

Although Johnson was easily the outstanding star of the Portland team, he was making himself very unpopular with his continued rough play.

Johnson was captain of Portland and recognized as the best defenseman in the league. He was many times noted as the star of the game but just as often criticized for his unnecessarily rough play. In a game against Vancouver February 3rd, he specialized in knocking sticks out of players' hands and it was alleged that he was probably drunk. A few days later he was reported as the star of the game, scoring two goals in sensational end-to-end rushes.

The Trail Of the Stanley Cup said:
Ernie Johnson was again a standout on defense. he still played his rugged game that drew many penalties.

The Trail Of the Stanley Cup said:
Although Victoria proved to be weak it was not due to lack of effort on the part of Moose Johnson. He was playing better than ever and keeping out of the penalty box.

The Trail Of the Stanley Cup said:
Ernie Johnson was still starring on defense using his great poke check to advantage. He was playing clean steady hockey in spite of being the target for many butt ends and cross checks.

The Trail Of the Stanley Cup said:
This was the final year for Ernie Johnson who was now beginning to show signs of slowing up but his great spirit and checking power kept him in the lineup... In a game against Seattle January 4th, Johnson was cut badly over the eye and had to be carried from the ice. Manager Patrick had to take away his skates to keep him from returning to the ice.

VanIslander · Nov 29, 2010

Dickie Boon

â€œThe Winnipeg team was big, and the newspapers loved to point out that the Montrealers were small. Montrealâ€™s speediest â€“ and smallest â€“ player was Dickie Boon, a 118-pound dynamo whose slaughter was widely predicted when he first entered the league two years earlier at the defense position of cover-point. Using his small size and punishing speed to advantage, Boon instead crippled his opponents â€“ not with bodychecks, but by stealing the puck and racing away with it.â€ â€“ Putting A Roof On Winter

â€œBoon made nay-sayers eat crow. Boon combined blistering speed, spuerior hand-eye coordination, and a knowledge of the scientific aspects of the game to become one of hockey's first great rushing defenders...His skills and leadership inspired the MAAA "Little Men of Iron" of 1901-02, and he won the Canadian speed skating competitions from 1901 to 1904...Boon was one of the first to adopt "rusher" as as his official role. Boon was also more than just a rusher: he used the poke check to great effect long before Frank Nighbor and Jack Walker, the two usually credited with originating the maneuver...Montreal Shamrock **** *******, himself a champion speed skater, thought Boon was the hardest defender in the league to stick-handle past, because of his quickness, coordination, and anticipatory skills.â€ â€“ Ultimate Hockey

â€œFast and wiry, Boon is credited with being the first player to use the poke-check.â€ â€“ Legends of Hockey

â€œLittle Dickie Boon was the â€œbrightest starâ€ in Montrealâ€™s firmamentâ€¦â€ â€“ Putting A Roof On Winter

â€ Dick Boon was the best for Montreal, whose fast little forwards could not get going at any stage.â€ â€“ Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1

"In a word: LINCHPIN" -- Ultimate Hockey

The best of the â€œLittle Men of Iron".

Awards and Achievements:
2 x Stanley Cup Champion (1902, 1903)
Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame (1952)

Retro Norris Trophy (1903)

Scoring:
Scoring among Defensemen â€“ 1st(1901), 2nd(1902), 3rd(1900), 3rd(1903)

In 1900, Boon's 2 goals were more than any other defender except the great Hod Stuart and one other player.
In 1901, His 3 goals were the most among defensemen.
In 1902, his 2 goals were again 2nd to only Hod Stuart.
In 1903, his 3 goals were 2nd to one other player.

VanIslander · Nov 29, 2010

Art Ross

2 x Stanley Cup Winner (1907, 1908)

In addition to an exemplary career as a defenseman, He contributed to the development of hockey through his off-ice endeavors. He recorded 85 goals in 167 regular-season games and provided stability and savvy in the defensive zone.

In 1905 he made his first appearance for a major hockey organization by scoring 10 goals in eight games for the Westmount franchise in the Canadian Amateur Hockey League. He rapidly earned the distinction of being one of the top rushing defensemen in the game.

The following year he skated for Brandon of the Manitoba Hockey League. His play attracted the attention of the Kenora Thistles, who worked out a loan agreement with Brandon in time for their Stanley Cup challenge against the Montreal Wanderers in January 1907. During the two-game set, he received numerous ovations from the Montreal crowd. Although he didn't score, he made a number of quality offensive rushes that contributed to Kenora's Stanley Cup win. A year later, hiss services were purchased by the Wanderers in a move that strengthened an already formidable outfit. He was a key reason the Red Bands finished at the top of the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association standings and then beat back the Stanley Cup challenges from Winnipeg, Toronto and Edmonton. -legendsofhockey

In late 1910, he rejoined the Wanderers, putting up four seasons there before joining the Ottawa Senators. "Ross played like an eel," XXXXX once said. "He was one of the greatest stickhandlers I ever saw. He could spin on a dime, and he was so tricky there was no blocking him."-http://www.hockey-notes.com/1910_hockey_artross.html

He was viewed as a fearless player who never backed down from a fight in his life. Ross' highest PIM total was in 1913-14 with the Wanderers in the NHA. In 18 games, he spent 74 minutes in the penalty box! From 1912-17, Ross would never spend less than 55 minutes in the penalty box in one season despite only averaging 18 games per season in the NHA.

February 17, 1915 saw Ross square off in a fight with Toronto Blueshirts' player XXXX which ended up with both players being arrested for assault. The fine of $1 each was paid in total by XXXX who lost a coin toss to Ross while in jail. Referee Cooper Smeaton was almost arrested as well for his inability to control the fracas, but he escaped without penalty.-http://hockey-blog-in-canada.blogspo...visionary.html

... two years in Ottawa, where he introduced the "kitty bar the door" defensive alignment that baffled teams preferring a freewheeling offensive game. He then returned to Montreal to close out his playing career with the Wanderers.-legends of hockey

It was while Ottawa was travelling to Montreal for the 1915 NHA championship that Ross invented "kitty-bar-the-door" hockey, thinking that the fast, powerful Wanderers could be stopped by stringing three defensemen across the width of the ice, 30 feet in front of the goalie, defying any Montreal forward to skate through. The confident Wanderers, playing on home ice, even had a fleet of taxis waiting outside the rink to take them to the railway station so they could head west to meet Vancouver for the Stanley Cup. Their pride and Art Ross's defensive shell ensured that the taxis came in handy for the Ottawa Senators instead, who won the round on goals and caught the train to the coast.-Michael McKinley

VanIslander · Nov 29, 2010

Bobby "Stubby" Rowe

3 x First Team All-Star (1918, 1919, 1923)
2 x Second Team All-Star (1917, 1920)

Stanley Cup Champion (1917)
3 x PCHA Champion (1917, 1919, 1920)

â€He was one of the first players to jump from the NHA to the PCHA, joining Victoria for the league's inaugural season in 1911-12. Rowe went on to become a fixture in Seattle, playing in all nine of the Mets' seasons and ranking second on the all-time games played list with the team at 201.

Despite his small size Rowe was known as a tough customer, willing to drop the gloves and go at it whenever the need arose. He was also well known for playing through constant shoulder and leg injuries. During the 1919 Stanley Cup finals his ankle was injured so badly that he sat out the fourth game of the series under doctors orders, but when the game went into overtime and his banged up teammates began to falter he took to the ice and helped to hold of the Canadiens to preserve the 0-0 tie.â€ â€“ Seattle Hockey

Scoring:
Points among Defesemen â€“ 2nd(1919), 3rd(1917), 3rd(1920), 4th(1918), 4th(1924), 5th(1923)
Goals among Defensemen â€“ 2nd(1918), 2nd(1919), 3rd(1924), 4th(1920), 5th(1917), 5th(1923)
Assists among Defensemen â€“ 1st(1919), 2nd(1916), 2nd(1917), 3rd(1920), 4th(1918)

Penalty Minutes â€“ 1st(1923), 2nd(1921), 4th(1922), 9th(1924)

VanIslander · Nov 29, 2010

"Bad" Joe Hall

Though he was just 5'10" and 175lbs, rough and tumble defenceman Joe Hall was one of the most feared players of his time. "Bad" Joe Hall was known for his hard hitting, violent outbursts and sometimes less than clean play.-Joe Pelletier

Tough as nails, Joe found a perfect fit for his punishing style of play as a defenseman, though early on in his playing career he patrolled the ice as a forward and rover

He played his early hockey for the Brandon Regals and the Winnipeg Rowing Club in the early Manitoba Hockey League (M.H.L.). In 20 games from 1902-1905, Joe amassed 25 goals, and became widely known not only for his scoring prowess and gregarious off-ice manner, but also for his rough style of play. -hobokin.net

A rugged right-handed defenseman, "Bad Joe" Hall earned his nickname from his aggressive style of play. While he was hardly known for dropping the gloves, Hall's talent took care of striking fear in the hearts of his opponents.-canadiens.com

Hall and Mummery's crushing style of defense allowed the team's offense to shine. Joe Malone scored a league-high 43 goals while teammate Harry Smith added 39.-hobokin.net

he seemed to stir it up wherever he went. He was a very physical defender and, despite what his supporters said about him, he could be savage...was kicked out of the Manitoba senior league for dangerously rough play...fashioned a reputation for being a nutcase as well as a brute...Hall went on to become arguably the top defender in the NHA, and he certainly staked his territory as hockey's baddest man...His blood feud with Newsy Lalonde was quite possibly the most beastly ever witnessed in the history of organized sport.

In a word - BULLY- Total Hockey

The series proved to be everything hockeyists had hoped for, brilliant scoring and strong defense. Joe Hall was in an especially surly mood, making full use of his complement of defensive tactics-hobokin.net

Some accounts of his play from the globe and mail:

In the final session Ottawa started fast, but Vezina, Hall and Corbeau stood firm in the face of bombardment- Jan 31, 1918

Joe Hall, just out of the clutches of the Toronto police, drew down the only major foul of the night when he tripped Cy Denneny and saved a probable goal in the third period. -Jan 31, 1918

Hall and Corbeau played nice defence hockey, but they were outplayed and outguessed by the Toronto forwards.- March 12, 1918

Corbeau relieved the situation by making several clever rushes, and Hall was also prominent with his blocking. -december 24, 1918

2 x Stanley Cup Champion (1912, 1913)
3 x Stanley Cup Finalist (1912, 1913, 1919)

Scoring
Assists- 10th (1918)

Points Amongst defencemen- 5th (1918), 4th(1919)

Had 6 goals and points in 12 cup challenge games. Had 5 goals in 4 NHA playoff games.

VanIslander · Nov 29, 2010

Hod Stuart

In the Canadian magazine MacLeans, a panel of hockey experts in 1925 concluded Stuart was on the all-time team at defense. Westerners and former players Lester Patrick (Victoria) and Harry Scott (Calgary) listed Stuart as the best defenseman of all-time.

http://www.chidlovski.com/wwhhof/1950.htm
http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/members/splash/P194511S.jpg

from his HHOF bio:

He enjoyed playing rugby in the autumn but later rose to prominence as one of the greatest defencemen to play the game in hockey's early day. He was as complete a player as there was back in the days of the "onside" game. He could skate, shoot, and make the big play from his point position.
......
Stuart was a clean player who played for keeps. His punishing checks and long reach frustrated his opponents as much as his offensive rushes dazzled the fans.

Hockey Outsider said:
Also, while browsing through the newspaper from April 20, 1933, I read a fascinating discussion about whether Eddie Shore is the greatest defenseman in NHL history.
.....
The consensus was that Shore is roughly on the same level as Hod Stuart, Sprague Cleghorn, Cyclone Taylor, etc., as one of the greatest defensemen ever.

was a forward (perhaps for just some time):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hod_Stuart

was a coverpoint (the most often reference):
http://www.historysociety.ca/bea.asp?subsection=fea

He was the equivalent of an offensive defenseman, back in the days when instead of defensemen there was the lacrosse-style "point" in front of the goalie and a "coverpoint" in front of the point. Hod was a coverpoint who had played as a forward for some time.

Stuart played from 1895 through 1907 - 12 seasons," Pelletier said.

Lets eliminate those early years where the statistics are all but missing and when he was still a teenager. We'll just look at when he joined the Ottawa Silver Seven in 1898, and he would have been 18 or 19 years old. Over the next NINE seasons he would go on a spectacular career that had earned him the reputation as the best defenseman or rover in all of hockey, and some even said the best hockey player in the world. Then he tragically died.

VanIslander · Nov 29, 2010

There are some of the great defensemen from the first quarter century of hockey history but it'll take some time to assemble bio info. I'll continue tomorrow. G'night.

kaiser matias · Nov 29, 2010

VanIslander said:
Hod Stuart
was a forward (perhaps for just some time):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hod_Stuart

I essentially wrote the Hod Stuart article on Wikipedia, and don't recall seeing anything talking about him playing as a forward. Always mentioned as coverpoint, and occasionally point, but that was about it. Wanted to nominate him here, but it seems I was beaten to it.

Anyways, my nomination:

One of the first, and best, two-way defensive forwards:

Tommy Phillips

One of the first 12 members of the HHOF, he is probably best known as the captain of the Rat Portage/Kenora Thistles, and won the Cup with them in 1907. Also won the Cup early in his career when he was a member of the Montreal HC in 1903. Played for the Cup another 4 times with the Senators, Vancouver Millionaires, Edmonton Pros, and Thistles.

He was one of the key players for the Thistles, he helped them grow into a powerhouse and able to challenge for the Cup. In the 1908 ECAHA season he was only 2 goals behind his teammate Marty Walsh and Russell Bowie for the scoring lead, while playing a defensive role. After one season with the Millionaires in 1911-12, he retired, and died after a pulled tooth led to an infection in 1923.

Dreakmur · Nov 29, 2010

Russell "Dubbie" Bowie
http://www.leafscentral.co.uk/showpost.php?p=472621&postcount=2859

Mike Grant
http://www.leafscentral.co.uk/showpost.php?p=490945&postcount=4977

Frank Patrick
http://www.leafscentral.co.uk/showpost.php?p=484438&postcount=73

Harry "Hap" Holmes
http://www.leafscentral.co.uk/showpost.php?p=488988&postcount=83

George Hay
http://www.leafscentral.co.uk/showpost.php?p=493952&postcount=5241

RabbinsDuck · Nov 29, 2010

It might help if someone can provide a list of these early guys who are already in from this period, and focus more on who shouldn't be and additionally should be using that as a basis.

For whatever reason I am not able to get on the HHoF site right now.

seventieslord · Nov 29, 2010

VI: Thanks for doing the work posting some of the old bios by LF, EB and myself.

A better Lester Patrick bio from ATD12 that doesn't convolute his offensive credentials beyond recognition is located here: http://hfboards.com/showpost.php?p=21650666&postcount=852

plus it has a lot more quotes. Hopefully you can all look past the fact that it doesn't mention he was once 7th in the WCHL in playoff PIMs by a defenseman (with two!!)

I submit two more for consideration:

Frank Patrick and Sprague Cleghorn.

Two other candidates who merit serious consideration: Jack Marshall and Joe Simpson. Simpson played 5 years beyond the merger, but was 33 in 1926 and everyone should agree that his prime was before that, in the west.

I realize Frank Patrick is not in the real hall and the goal of this seems to ultimately make a HOF that is even more exclusive than before, but I think that we would also, in very rare cases, like to include a player who was not. Patrick has a strong case as the best pre-merger player to not be inducted into the real hall. In any case, he was better than Bobby Rowe so we'll discuss his merits with everyone else.

I'm sorry that I can't edit a lot of these bios as the threads containing them are closed, so I can't easily transfer the formatting over here. But they are at least linked for you all to see.

kaiser matias · Nov 29, 2010

Cyclone Taylor

Don't really think an introduction is required for him here.

seventieslord · Nov 29, 2010

Dreakmur said:
Russell "Dubbie" Bowie
http://www.leafscentral.co.uk/showpost.php?p=472621&postcount=2859

Mike Grant
http://www.leafscentral.co.uk/showpost.php?p=490945&postcount=4977

Frank Patrick
http://www.leafscentral.co.uk/showpost.php?p=484438&postcount=73

Harry "Hap" Holmes
http://www.leafscentral.co.uk/showpost.php?p=488988&postcount=83

George Hay
http://www.leafscentral.co.uk/showpost.php?p=493952&postcount=5241

pffft. Nice Frank Patrick bio. :naughty:

Dreakmur · Nov 29, 2010

seventieslord said:
pffft. Nice Frank Patrick bio.

Mine's got the best quote :nod:

(from Cyclone)

kaiser matias · Nov 29, 2010

Dan Bain

Captain of the Winnipeg Victorias, first non-Montreal team to win the Cup. Did so twice, in 1896 and 1901. Had 10 goals in 11 Stanley Cup challenge games, 66 goals in 27 Manitoba league games. While not hockey related, he also won nearly every other sporting championship in most other sports he played, and was named the country's top athlete of the last half of the 19th century.

Dreakmur · Nov 29, 2010

seventieslord said:
I realize Frank Patrick is not in the real hall and the goal of this seems to ultimately make a HOF that is even more exclusive than before, but I think that we would also, in very rare cases, like to include a player who was not. Patrick has a strong case as the best pre-merger player to not be inducted into the real hall. In any case, he was better than Bobby Rowe so we'll discuss his merits with everyone else.

Agreed.

On a per-game basis, I think it could easily be argued that Frank was better than Lester. He just didn't play enough...

Dreakmur · Nov 29, 2010

Some of the obvious ones we're missing right now:

Frank Nighbor
Newsy Lalonde
Joe Malone
Mickey MacKay
Jack Walker
Tommy Dunderdale
Hugh Lehman
Clint Benedict
Eddie Gerard
Goerge Boucher

Nighthawks · Nov 29, 2010

How about two great snipers of the day:

Joe Malone
Frank McGee

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