The 1918-19 season - Everything we know

tarheelhockey

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1918 Offseason

Toronto began its defense of their Cup win with an early-April 3-game barnstorming tour against a team of All-Stars collected from the other NHL squads. Winger Reg Noble was turned back at the border as he had just been called up for military service within the previous few days and the border agents were undoubtedly on the lookout for dodgers. I can’t find much information about this series of games, other than that it started in Cleveland and that the following players were on the All Star team:

Newsy Lalonde and Bert Corbeau (Montreal)
Frank Nighbor and Cy Denneny (Ottawa)
Rusty Crawford (Toronto)
Hugh Lehman (Vancouver)

In early May, longtime Canadien Jack Laviolette was involved in a car accident that crushed his left leg, requiring its amputation below the knee. Laviolette had played for Montreal teams in 14 of his 17 seasons, starting with the Nationals of the FAHL in 1907. He had been a member of the Habs since the foundation of the NHA.

The late-offseason was dominated by daily drama between the ownership groups of the NHL and the former NHA. This is chronicled elsewhere, and had little effect on the ultimate composition of rosters in the hockey season. Likewise, the declaration of armistice and easing of the Spanish flu bug relieved the very real possibility that rinks might shut down for conservation or health purposes.

In October, future HoF’er Goldie Prodger was wounded while serving in France with the Railway Construction Troops. Conn Smythe wrote from a German POW camp to let the Canadian press know he was still alive. He had caught and then recovered from the Spanish flu, a brush with death that could have changed hockey history. Likewise, Odie Cleghorn (who had been out of action while doing his military service) and Eddie Gerard both managed to survive the flu epidemic. The Senators’ Hamby Shore wasn’t so lucky, dying of pneumonia in an Ottawa hospital a few days later at the age of 32.

Just before the beginning of the season, the NHL announced that the Art Ross puck would become the league’s official puck, replacing the Spalding puck with its sharper edges.
 

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Regular Season overview

The most immediate change from the previous season was a sudden influx of talent as players returned from overseas in the wake of armistice. Aside from adding higher-quality skaters and seeing more competition for roster spots, each team invited backup goaltenders to training camp. Invited to training camps were Lindsay, McCullough and Dwyer (Toronto), Hague and Hebert (Ottawa),

The biggest off-ice drama of the season was a clash between the Toronto media and the Canadiens organization over the matter of “bunk†injuries to the Habs when they visited the Arenas. In four consecutive Montreal @ Toronto matches going back to the previous season, the Habs left one or more of Lalonde, Malone or Pitre back in Montreal. This came to a head on Jan 21, when Lalonde did not travel with the Habs despite no report of an injury or illness. The Toronto World was the first to make a direct accusation of “crookedness†in the Habs’ lineup decisions, accusing them of throwing matches in which they were favored heavily in the betting line (for context, a game-throwing scandal was being prosecuted in MLB at that time). The Toronto Telegram jumped into the fray as well, asserting that the Habs were harming the financial viability of the league by withholding their marquee players. Habs owner George Kennedy replied with a threat to file both criminal and civil libel charges against the World, and league president Frank Calder demanded that the World back their claims with evidence. Toronto manager Charlie Querrie threatened to cancel his next home game against the Habs if they didn’t bring their full squad. Thus provoked, the Habs embarrassed the Arenas 10-0 in their next match in Montreal, one of the few games that Montreal seriously contested in the second half of the schedule (see below). Aside from the injured Joe Hall, the entire Canadien club made the next trip to Toronto where they lost 6-3 in a surprisingly “listless†game. The gambling accusations died quietly and without public resolution, which in my opinion implies that the threats of a lawsuit were taken seriously at some point and the matter settled behind closed doors.

In any event, Montreal secured a berth in the league final by winning the first half of the schedule, then rested their players as Ottawa cruised to a second-half win and the opposing berth. Falling apart at the seams both on and off the ice, Toronto cancelled their final two games of the season in order to allow Montreal and Ottawa to play a full 7-game series for the league title.
 

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NHL Playoffs

In an unfortunate stroke of timing, Frank Nighbor had to stay in Ottawa to attend to a death in his family and therefore missed games 1 and 3 in Montreal.

Game 1

Montreal
Berlinguette – Lalonde (3) – Pitre (1)
Hall – Corbeau
Vezina
(Malone (2), O. Cleghorn (2), MacDonald, Coutu)

Ottawa
Denneny (1) – Darragh (2) – Broadbent
S. Cleghorn – Cameron (1)
Benedict
(Gerard, Boucher)

The Senators protested the appointment of Jack Marshall as one of the referees. They threatened to hold out rather than play the game with him in charge, but the matter was settled privately and the game went on as scheduled. Without Nighbor and with Harry Cameron still skating tenderly in returning from a badly cut foot, Ottawa had to settle for the moral victory of taking an early lead before getting run out of the building in the second and third periods. Cy Denneny in particular took some criticism for his weak play in the absence of Nighbor.

Game 2

Montreal
Malone (2) – Lalonde – Pitre
Corbeau – Hall
Vezina
(Berlinguette, O. Cleghorn (3), MacDonald, Coutu)

Ottawa
Gerard – Nighbor – Darragh
Cameron (1) – S. Cleghorn
Benedict
(Denneny (1), Boucher (1))

As in the previous game, Ottawa took an early lead only to be throttled once the Habs got rolling. The game summary notes that Montreal dropped their centerman back to a defensive position after taking the lead. Despite the outburst of scoring, this game was described as “hard fought, featureless†hockey in which both teams engaged in a slow-paced war of attrition.

Game 3

Montreal
Berlinguette – Lalonde (5) – Pitre (1)
Corbeau – Hall
Vezina
(Malone, O. Cleghorn, MacDonald, Couture)

Ottawa
Gerard (1) – Darragh – Broadbent (2)
Cameron – S. Cleghorn
Benedict
(Denneny, Boucher)

Not a lot of description of this game is available, but it sounds like it was very one-sided. Newsy Lalonde played so well that he was presented with a bouquet of flowers when he stepped off the ice – who would have presented such a thing to him at that particular moment, I have no idea. Being on the road, the Sens played without Nighbor again.

Game 4

Montreal
Berlinguette – Lalonde (2) – Pitre
Corbeau – Hall
Vezina
(Malone, O. Cleghorn (1), Coutu, Macdonald)

Ottawa
Denneny (1) – Nighbor – Broadbent
Cameron (1) – S. Cleghorn (1)
Benedict
(Gerard (2), Boucher (1), Darragh)

Frank Nighbor returned to the lineup at home, and must have played a hell of a game because he was singled out in the game summary despite not scoring any points. The game was more one-sided than the 6-3 score indicates, as Vezina actually made a number of remarkable saves to keep it relatively close.

Game 5

I can’t find a direct source showing the starting line-ups for this game. I’ll keep an eye out, but a hint or link would be appreciated.

Goal-scorers were:
Montreal – Lalonde, Malone, Corbeau, O. Cleghorn
Ottawa – Cameron, S. Cleghorn

Montreal was said to be the better team in all facets of the game, from beginning to end. In particular, they benefitted from their ability to roll out twice as many substitute players (4) as the Senators (2). This was a rare game in which Nighbor was described as ‘weak’ and his backchecking specifically criticized.
 

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NHL/PCHA Exhibition Series

Montreal vs Vancouver

Arriving in Vancouver prior to their trip to Seattle for the Stanley Cup, the Habs played a final exhibition against the Millionaires who had just lost the PCHA championship. Here are the lineups for that game:

Montreal
Berlinguette (1) – Cleghorn (1) – Pitre (1)
Lalonde (1)
Corbeau – Hall
Vezina
(MacDonald, Coutu)

Vancouver
Harris (1) – Taylor (1) – Stanley
Cook (1)
Griffis – Duncan
Lehman
(Irvine, Uksila)

The game summaries I’ve found haven’t been especially detailed, but it’s clear enough that this game was much more lopsided than the 4-3 score would indicate. Both goalies made spectacular saves, but Lehman in particular did more than his share of work that night. Also, there were some interesting lineup decisions in play for Montreal. As usual, Joe Malone remained in Quebec where he had work commitments, and the Habs were obliged to send Newsy Lalonde back to rover in order to satisfy the 7-man roster requirements (which made sense because he had played there occasionally during the season). That cut deeply into the forward depth that had been such an advantage in their NHL championship win over Ottawa. The game summaries include substitution info, so we know that the Habs made only one change during the game – MacDonald came in for Cleghorn at center. Seattle, for some reason, substituted Irvine for Si Griffis and later reversed the swap. This game summary also informs us that the LD/RD dynamic was Corbeau/Hall and Griffis/Duncan, information that was usually unavailable in the east where they were simply listed as “defense†or even referred to as “point†and “cover†in certain publications.


Ottawa vs Victoria

Unfortunately the summary and box score for this game are mostly illegible in the only account I’ve found. Ottawa won 11-3, with goals by Nighbor (4), Cameron (2) and Broadbent (1). The Aristocrats got a goal apiece from Eddie Oatman and Wilf Loughlin.

Ottawa vs Vancouver – Game 1

The pro runners-up engaged in a best-of-3 playoff. In the first game, Ottawa jumped on Vancouver quickly and took a 3-0 lead within the first 10 minutes. Punch Broadbent apparently had a heck of a game, as he is credited with an assist as well as two goals. Cy Denneny started on the bench, but frequently worked in and out of the lineup with both Broadbent and Boucher; apparently he even took a turn at rover late in the game. As in the Montreal game, the western-style box score lets us know that Sprague Cleghorn was the LD and Harry Cameron the RD. For Seattle, Charlie Uksila cycled as a substitute on the wings.

Ottawa
Boucher (1) – Nighbor (1) – Broadbent (2)
Gerard
Cleghorn – Cameron
Benedict
(Denneny)

Vancouver
Harris – Taylor (1) – Stanley
Cook
Griffis – Duncan
Lehman
(Irvin, Uksila)

Ottawa vs Vancouver - Game 2

Not much info on this game other than that it was "warmly contested". Note that at this point, each team had won a game under the other's rulebook, bucking the trend seen in Stanley Cup competition.

Ottawa
Boucher (1) - Nighbor - Broadbent (1)
Cleghorn - Cameron (1)
Benedict
(Denneny, Gerard)

Vancouver
Harris (1) - Taylor - Stanley (3)
Cook - Duncan
Lehman
(Griffis, Irvin, Uksila)


Ottawa vs Vancouver - Game 3

Ottawa raced out to another large lead, this time 6-0 after two periods. Vancouver charged back in epic fashion, scoring 5 unanswered goals in the 3rd period and pressing for the tie when Ottawa was finally saved by the whistle.

Ottawa
Boucher - Nighbor (2) - Broadbent (2)
Cleghorn (1) - Cameron
Benedict
(Denneny (1))

Vancouver
Harris (1) - Taylor - Stanley (1)
Irvin
Cook (1) - Griffis (1)
Lehman
(Uksila (1))


What's particularly fascinating about this series is that each team thrived under the opposite league's rules. Ottawa won the 7-man Game 1, and Vancouver won the 6-man Game 2. In the third game, the rules were switched after 30 minutes. Ottawa was leading 3-0 after half a game of 7-man hockey, and added three more goals in the remainder of the second period. All 5 of Vancouver's goals were scored under the 6-man NHL rules. All of this was in direct contradiction to the ongoing pattern in Stanley Cup play in which the winner was invariably playing under "home" rules.
 
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Stanley Cup Series

Following on the results of the 1918 “World’s Seriesâ€, in which the series alternated between the NHL and PCHA rulebooks and the results of each game alternated accordingly, Frank Patrick proposed in advance that the leagues essentially use eastern-style rules for the entire 1919 series. This would have meant 6-man hockey, an eastern-style penalty system, and a neutral zone 55 feet wide (splitting the difference between the leagues). In the event, the series was played with alternating rules as it had been in previous seasons.

Patrick also proposed shortening the series to a best-of-3, but Habs owner George Kennedy protested, stating that the gate receipts from such a short series would barely cover the $4000 overhead costs with no profit left over for the players to share. Patrick relented, and Kennedy was quoted saying that the full-length series would likely generate around $750 per player with a $50 bonus for the Cup winner (in the event, the money was split 50/50 and each player got $262.70) Patrick also proposed a 4-game series between Montreal, Ottawa, Vancouver and Seattle for a ‘new international trophy’, but that apparently came to nothing.

There is some mention in the press of how Pete Muldoon ran the Mets’ last practice prior to the series, which included drills that simulated Montreal’s game strategy. It’s interesting to see evidence of this kind of tactical coaching during a period when coaching itself was still in development. Aside from the Xs and Os of defending Canadien rushes, the Mets generally planned to play the same speed-based game that had led to a resounding cup win two years earlier.

Just prior to the series, Seattle received a severe blow to their lineup when it was announced that their leading goal-scorer, Bernie Morris, was being held for draft evasion. Despite their confidence that he would return for the end of the series, Morris spent the entire following year in jail.

Game 1

Montreal
Cleghorn – Berlinguette – Pitre
McDonald
Corbeau – Lalonde
Vezina
(Hall, Coutu)
Substitutions: Hall for Cleghorn, Coutu for Berlinguette, McDonald and Cleghorn back-and-forth repeatedly

Seattle
Wilson – Murray (2) – Foyston (3)
Walker (1)
Rickey – Rowe
Holmes
(McDonald (1))
Substitutions: McDonald for Wilson, McDonald for Murray

Needless to say in a 7-0 game, the play heavily favored Seattle. However, it would seem that Hap Holmes had a very strong shutout; it wasn’t THAT one-sided in terms of opportunities. There were a number of interesting lineup decisions by Montreal: Lalonde playing at the blue line, Hall as a substitute, Cleghorn and MacDonald alternating at rover. Seattle’s lineup was more or less the same as usual, with the big exception of Muzz Murray taking Morris’ spot at center. Murray suffered a thumb injury during this game after taking a slash across the hand. Newsy Lalonde played a strong game on defense for Montreal, but Seattle’s team game stifled the Canadien attack and beat them handily in transition.

Game 2

Montreal
Berlinguette – Lalonde (4) – Pitre
Corbeau – Hall
Vezina
(McDonald, Cleghorn, Coutu)

Seattle
Foyston (1) – Walker – Wilson
Rickey – Rowe (1)
Holmes
(McDonald)

Consistent with what had become an established pattern, the tables turned when the eastern rules came into effect. One of the game reports notes that Seattle’s offense was broken up by the smaller neutral zone, which reduced the amount of space available for forward passing. The Seattle paper complained that the Habs played overly physically and that Mickey Ion was too lenient. Jack Walker and Cully Wilson were recognized for their strong defensive work for the Mets. But the difference in the game was Newsy Lalonde, who scored all 4 goals for Montreal. By all indications he was a dynamo in this game, increasing his already lofty prestige among western fans. Seattle rallied with two quick goals to make it a game, but Vezina closed the door to their final push.

Game 3

Montreal
Berlinguette (1) – Lalonde – Pitre
MacDonald
Corbeau – Hall
Vezina
(Coutu, Cleghorn (1))

Seattle
Foyston (4) – Murray (1) – Wilson (1)
Walker
Rickey (1) – Rowe
Holmes
(MacDonald)

As expected, Seattle dominated under 7-man western rules. Specifically, Montreal seemed to have a very difficult time breaking through the Mets’ 3-man defensive alignment. But regardless of the strategic battle, the game summaries agree that Seattle simply outskated the Habs and beat them with pure speed. Leading the attack was Frank Foyston, who had a signature game similar to Lalonde’s in the previous match. In the opening period alone Foyston scored 3 goals and assisted on another. That first period was a disaster for the Habs, who saw Bert Corbeau retire from the game with a badly injured shoulder, followed by Lalonde stuck watching on the penalty bench as Foyston scored his second and third goals. The goaltending was more or less even in quality, though Vezina had by far the greater workload. Pitre and Lalonde were the standouts for Montreal. Mickey Ion cracked down on physical play in this game, perhaps in response to the increasing roughness of the series.

Game 4

Montreal
Berlinguette – Lalonde – Pitre
Corbeau – Hall
Vezina

Seattle
Wilson – Foyston – Walker
Rickey – Murray
(Holmes)

This was the notorious double-overtime scoreless tie that would eventually leave the series undecided, and the Stanley Cup unawarded for the only time in the 20th Century. Frank Patrick called it “the hardest played game in hockey historyâ€. The roughest game of the series saw several key figures playing through injury by the end of the game: Jack Walker had 3 fresh stitches in his forehead, Bobby Rowe skated with a limp after being slashed across the ankle by Joe Hall, Hall likewise slowed down Frank Foyston with an injured thigh, Berlinguette left blood splotches on the ice, and Bert Corbeau was skating with a badly injured shoulder from the previous game. The game became a war of attrition, with a steady parade of players to the penalty box (though the eastern rules made the injuries and penalties less of an issue). For the first time in two years, an NHL team couldn’t take advantage of the eastern-style gameplay, and the scoreless tie persisted through two 10-minute overtime periods. In an amusing and anti-climactic finish to the deadlock, everyone had to stand around and wait for a messenger to go hunt down an eastern rulebook to determine the procedure for declaring a draw. When he finally returned, it was determined that the game had been officially tied when the second overtime expired. It had been the longest game in history to that point.

Game 5

Montreal
Coutu – Lalonde (1) – Pitre
Corbeau – Hall
Vezina
(Berlinguette, MacDonald, Cleghorn (2))

Seattle
Wilson – Foyston (1) – Walker (2)
Rickey – Rowe
Holmes
(Murray, McDonald)

The most important battle of the series may have been fought in the day between games 4 and 5. Habs manager George Kennedy managed, in a marathon session of negotiations, to have the fifth game played as an extension of the tied fourth game – meaning eastern rules would still be in play. Nevertheless, Seattle raced out to a 3-0 lead after two periods and was on the verge of clinching the Cup. In one of the most remarkable comebacks in Stanley Cup history, Montreal surged back in the third period against the exhausted Mets. Their endurance and longer bench played a key role as injuries and fatigue influenced Seattle’s ability to defend against fast rushes, and Newsy Lalonde was identified as the catalyst at both ends of the ice. In a bizarre and climactic moment in overtime, Seattle had run out of substitutes (Jack Walker had a broken skate, and Frank Foyston had badly aggravated his thigh injury) when Cully Wilson dragged himself to the bench looking for a rest that his bench couldn’t provide. While Wilson leaned against the fence with his head down, George Kennedy recognized the opportunity and sent a fresh Jack MacDonald into the game. MacDonald cut through the stunned Mets and ended the game, tying the series forever.

Famously, the series was cancelled two days later when the Canadiens were hit by an outbreak of the deadly Spanish flu. The worst afflicted were Jack MacDonald ,Joe Hall and manager George Kennedy. Lalonde, Coutu, Berlinguette, Cleghorn were also stricken, while Pitre and Vezina managed to escape the bug. Remarkably, Kennedy proposed borrowing players from the Victoria Aristocrats in order to finish the series; Seattle declined, preferring instead to cancel the series. Shortly thereafter, members of the Metropolitans – Muzz Murray, Roy Rickey and manager Pete Muldoon – also contracted the virus.

It’s noteworthy that Frank Patrick passed on an opportunity to claim the Cup on the technicality that the Canadiens had forfeited the final game. A lesser man might have rationalized doing exactly that – his goalscoring star Bernie Morris was sitting in jail, his team had run up a 19-10 goal differential, Patrick had generously agreed to play the crucial fourth game under eastern rules, and the Habs’ practice of injuring Metropolitan players had played a key role in the series’ being tied at all. He could also have accepted the revenue-minded Kennedy’s proposal to go ahead with the fifth game with borrowed players, and likely gained an easy win. But Patrick played the role of good sport, and allowed the series to go down in the record books as a tie. He also remained in Seattle to tend to the players during their recovery.

Hall, of course, never recovered and died on April 5th. He was believed to be the oldest player in professional hockey at the time, and highly respected in spite of his reputation for rough play. His body was taken to Vancouver for interment.
 

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Miscellaneous

Officials for the season were reported as follows:

Ottawa – Harvey Pulford, Charlie McKinley, Ernie Butterworth
Montreal – Art Ross, Tom Melville, Jack Marshall, Cooper Smeaton
Toronto – Percy Lesueur, Lou Marsh, Steve Vair

Apparently the Senators had an issue with Jack Marshall, as they unsuccessfully protested his appointment in the Finals series.

Rule Changes:

Shorthanded play was added for teams that committed penalties. The penalty system was as follows:
Minor penalty (holding stick, lying on the ice to block a shot) – 3 minutes, substitutions allowed
Major penalty (throwing stick, tripping, holding, cross-checking, boarding) – 3 minutes, no substitutions
Match penalty (deliberate injury) – Ejection, 5 minutes without substitution

Accidental kicking of the puck was legalized.

Forward passes were allowed inside the neutral zone, defined as 20 feet on either side of the center line.

The Boston Arena burned in early February, ending that city’s hockey season early.

February 13th saw the first rumblings of adding a team in Quebec. A deal by Percy Quinn to acquire the old Bulldogs franchise was said to have fallen through.

Future NHL’er Charlie Langlois was one of 8 players suspended by the Quebec branch of CAHA for violating amateurism rules. Langlois had played in an exhibition game that featured professionals on both teams, though he himself was not accused of taking payment.
The Habs played at least one charity exhibition to aid local hospitals in Cornwall, mixing with local stars to form two teams.
 

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1918-19 Montreal Canadiens

The Habs started their season auspiciously, signing Odie Cleghorn who had been released from duty with the RAF. They also tried out Harvey Dandurand, as well as Jack Doherty and players named Campbell and Langlois at training camp. None of these were of any real significance as the team remained more or less the same as the previous season.

Montreal played a speed game, particularly when ice conditions permitted them to skate crisply. It would appear that the Habs were the first team to successfully experiment with passing plays in the newly-created neutral zone, accelerating their attack against their more conservative opponents. The addition of Cleghorn provided a boost to their scoring depth, and Cleghorn would go on to have the best season of his career alongside Lalonde and Malone. They caught fire in the first half of the season, riding a red-hot offense to the first-half pennant and a guaranteed spot in the playoffs.

Through the first half of the season, the Habs had gone 7-2 and outscored their opponents 54-39. However, their guaranteed playoff spot provided no incentive for them to take the second half of the schedule seriously. They rested key players and developed a reputation for sniffing at meaningless contests. Joe Malone didn’t travel with the team at all that season due to outside work commitments, playing only in home games and leaving the Habs lineup depleted on the road. In the second half they cruised to a nonchalant 3-6 record, being outscored 34-12 in their losses. In the three wins – the games where they apparently decided to compete – they won by an aggregate of 22-5. All of this infuriated the editor of the Toronto World, who openly accused the Habs of collaborating with gamblers to play the odds on their own losses (see above).

Having locked up their berth in the Finals, the Habs took the week-long trip to the west coast to play for the Stanley Cup. Along the way they staged a couple of exhibition matches with local amateurs – a mixed-squad game in Regina, which was won 9-8 by the ‘substitute’ team over the starters, and a heavily-promoted game against a team of Calgary all-stars. In the latter game, in front of an over-capacity crowd at the Calgary rink, the Habs steamrolled the locals 12-1 in a display that apparently left an impression about the quality of the coastal pros as compared to the western amateurs. That Calgary team included a very young Herb Gardiner, the future Hart Trophy winner.

As detailed in the playoffs section, Montreal benefitted from Ottawa’s loss of Frank Nighbor for half of the NHL Finals, followed by Seattle’s Bernie Morris being jailed during the Stanley Cup finals. The Cup series was famously left undecided by an outbreak of the deadly Spanish flu, which sickened the majority of the Habs and killed veteran defenseman Joe Hall. The outbreak nearly took the life of Jack MacDonald, and would eventually contribute to the death of manager George Kennedy two years later. Hall was laid to rest in Vancouver, with his mother and brother present. Pallbearers were Lalonde, Coutu and Berlinguette as well as Cyclone Taylor and Si Griffis (Vancouver) and Lester Patrick (Victoria). Many other PCHA players and representatives of other athletic organizations attended to pay their respects.
 

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1918-19 Ottawa Senators

The Sens caught a lucky break, with a bit of tragedy in the backstory, before the season began. Punch Broadbent was given four months’ leave from war duty to attend to the estate of his recently-deceased younger brother, Spencer. The leave became effective in December, allowing Broadbent to play the second half of the hockey season. The team also made an effort to stage a pre-season benefit game to build a memorial to the late Hamby Shore, in which the Senators would host an All Star team.

Ottawa was perhaps the most aggressive team in the offseason. They re-acquired a major star in Sprague Cleghorn, who had sat out the previous season after a fluke non-hockey injury. The Sens also dealt the rights to Harry Hyland to Montreal for (depending on who you believe) the rights to either Skene Ronan, who returned from overseas just before the season began, or Sprague Cleghorn. Hyland had already announced his intentions to retire and take an industrial job, but the Habs tried to lure him out of retirement. With a surge of players becoming available, they opened up their training camp to try out several new faces: Aurel and Rene Joliat, Leth Graham, Billy Boucher, Jack Fournier, Billy Mooney, Ken MacKenzie, Frank Boucher, Billy O’Meara and goaltenders Billy Hague and Sammy Hebert. Hague won the backup goaltender position by default as Hebert was forced to undergo an unspecified surgery. Alf Smith was appointed “bench managerâ€, ie coach.

Early on, the Sens were plagued by inconsistency. Despite a formidable level of star power in the lineup, they were notoriously hot-and-cold in their performance. Media reports suggest that a large part of the problem was the lack of quality substitutes on their bench – Skene Ronan and Ed Lowrey were both near the ends of their pro careers, and George Boucher was only 22 at the time.

The Sens’ depth problems, along with their consistency issues, were solved with a single stroke. At literally the perfect moment in the season – the end of the first half, when the standings reset – the Arenas suspended Harry Cameron and forced him off the team. Aggressive as ever, the Sens intervened and purchased Cameron’s rights. Not only did this provide a generous measure of quality depth for their bench, it added a third star defenseman to the Sens’ blueline to cover for the ailing Eddie Gerard. From that day forward, the Sens went 8-1 and easily captured the second-half title.

In the Finals, the Senators were dealt a fatal blow by the loss of Frank Nighbor for two of the first three games (he was unable to travel due to a family bereavement), and Montreal surged to a dominant 3-0 lead. Nighbor helped inspire a rally to prevent a sweep, but the Habs closed out the series in the fifth game. By all indications, Ottawa simply never got any traction in the series and a short bench was a significant factor in their inability to keep up with Montreal for 60 minutes.

Having been knocked out of competition for the Stanley Cup, the Sens headed west to play exhibitions against PCHA teams.
 

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1918-19 Toronto Arenas

Gradually becoming known to the fans as the Arena team, Toronto brought only one new face to training camp: big Paul Jacobs, a former lacrosse player. They nearly lost a key asset in Rusty Crawford, who at one point indicated he would rather play in Ottawa before settling back in with Toronto.
However, they were unable to avoid an even greater blow to their roster – the season had hardly begun when star goaltender Hap Holmes (whose signing had sparked their 1918 championship run) was abruptly recalled to the PCHA. Holmes left the Arenas, after only two games, in a desperate scramble to find a starting goaltender. They settled on Bert Lindsay, the former Wanderers and PCHA netminder who turned out to be playing his final season in hockey.

The Arenas started their championship defense in inauspicious fashion, losing their first three games in a row. Conditioning was a noteworthy issue early on, as Crawford joined the team late and Mummery missed several early games with the flu. The loss of Holmes left the Arenas with very little margin for error on defense, the advantage of which had been a key factor in their championship run the previous season.

The season quickly turned sour after an optimistic win over first-place Ottawa was followed by another 3-game losing streak. Matters came to a head on January 11th in Montreal, when the Arenas were utterly trounced 11-3. After that game, Reg Noble and Harry Cameron were both suspended without pay for what Dick Carroll described as a failure to live up to training rules. It’s not clear what rules had been violated – the press had remarked repeatedly about a general lack of team play and proper conditioning early in the season – but a later Toronto World article gives us a hint in noting that Cameron was let go because he “tried to make a wet town out of a dry oneâ€.

Carroll actively searched for replacements, recruiting Dave Ritchie (formerly of the Wanderers and Sens) to bolster the defense. Cameron was eventually sold to Ottawa, rather than sent home on suspension... a decision which would come back to haunt the Blueshirts. In early February, after a blowout loss to Montreal, Querrie threatened to completely tear down and rebuild the team if they didn’t improve their form; they responded with a win. Turmoil erupted again in mid-February as the newcomer, Ritchie, was abruptly released and Harry Meeking suspended. The Toronto World printed a rumor that the two had become embroiled in a gambling scandal; Meeking denied any wrongdoing and told the press that he was abruptly bought out of his contract without any explanation whatsoever. Meeking left the team with a couple of games remaining on the schedule, taking a contract with the pro team in Glace Bay; Ken Randall soon followed, leaving the Arenas with a decimated lineup to finish the season.

Things got so bad that, in light of flagging attendance and a meaningless schedule, Toronto management offered to forfeit the rest of their schedule so that Montreal and Ottawa could play a longer series prior to the Stanley Cup competition out west. While Montreal and Ottawa were out west battling PCHA teams in the springtime, the Toronto club was busy suing the Arena Company for breaching agreements related to player contracts and profit sharing. The Arena Company would sell the franchise before the beginning of the following season.
 
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tarheelhockey

Offside Review Specialist
Feb 12, 2010
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Montreal Canadiens game-by-game roster and scoring

Game 1 – December 21, 1918 (vs Ottawa)
MacDonald – Cleghorn (1) – Pitre
Hall – Lalonde (1)
Vezina
(Berlinguette, Couture, Dougherty)
* Joe Malone (in Quebec) and Bert Corbeau (family illness) were unavailable.

Game 2 – December 23, 1918 (@ Toronto)
MacDonald (1) – Lalonde (2) – Pitre (1)
Hall – Corbeau
Vezina
(Cleghorn, Berlinguette, Coutu)
- Corbeau joined the team
- Lalonde played D at times, and played well
- Experimented with forward passing a couple of times
- Vezina outstanding

Game 3 – December 28, 1918 (vs Toronto)
Pitre – Lalonde – Cleghorn
Corbeau – Hall
Vezina
(Malone, Berlinguette, Coutu, Doherty)
- Fast ice favored the Habs
- Added Corbeau and Malone, greatly improving them over their previous games
- Forward passing in the neutral zone, resulting in a goal

Game 4 – January 2, 1919 (@ Ottawa)
McDonald – Lalonde – Pitre
Corbeau – Hall
Vezina
(Cleghorn, Coutu, Berlinguette)
- Habs checked to a standstill by the Sens, other than occasional outbursts

Game 5 – January 5, 1919 (vs Ottawa)
McDonald – Lalonde – Pitre
Corbeau – Hall
Vezina
(Cleghorn, Coutu, Berlinguette)
- Habs wore Ottawa down, won the game largely through superior stamina
- Joe Hall went after Nighbor, trying to aggravate him
- Habs scored twice shorthanded on Hall’s major penalty
- Vezina, Malone, Corbeau noted for strong games

Game 6 – January 7, 1919 (@ Toronto)
Coutu – Lalonde (2) – Cleghorn (2)
Corbeau (1) – Hall (2)
Vezina
(McDonald, Berlinguette)
* Pitre and Malone unavailable
- Lalonde was the star of the game, surging in the 3rd period
- Hall had a strong two-way game; Cleghorn loafed near the Toronto net and played little defense
- Vezina reliable

Game 7 – January 11, 1919 (vs Toronto)
Coutu (2) – Cleghorn (1) – Pitre (2)
Lalonde (4) – Hall (1)
Vezina
(Malone (2), McDonald (1), Berlinguette)
- Beat the Arenas with a speed game
- Pulled starters from the game once the score got out of hand

Game 8 – January 16, 1919 (@ Ottawa)
Coutu – Lalonde (3) – Pitre (3)
Corbeau – Hall (1)
Vezina
(Cleghorn (2), McDonald (1), Berlinguette)
*Malone unavailable
- Vezina with a phenomenal game
- Habs played a fast game on soft ice
- Used the neutral zone to better advantage than did Ottawa
- Malone out, Corbeau “battered up†and played a short game

Game 9 – January 19, 1919 (vs Ottawa)
Pitre – Cleghorn (2) – Lalonde (1)
Corbeau – Hall (1)
Vezina
(Malone, Coutu, McDonald (1), Berlinguette)
- Started strong, lots of speed
- Vezina played well enough, had little to do other than during 2nd-period push
- Habs a visibly better team than Ottawa

Game 10 – January 21, 1919 (@ Toronto)
Coutu (1) – Cleghorn (2) – Pitre
Corbeau – Hall
Vezina
(McDonald, Berlinguette)
*Lalonde (elbow) unavailable
- Very little effort, particularly on defense
- Notably bad game by Corbeau and Hall, Vezina left highly exposed. Sask. paper says Corbeau was good.
- Corbeau noted for 3 own-goals, Vezina for 2
- Pitre and Berlinguette noted for having a respectable game

Game 11 – January 25, 1919 (vs Ottawa)
Cleghorn – Lalonde – Pitre
Hall – Corbeau
Vezina
(Malone, McDonald, Coutu, Berlinguette, Barbour)
- Tight checking game, Habs played good defense thru 2 periods and Vezina played well.
- Ottawa carried the balance of play.

Game 12 – January 30, 1919 (@ Ottawa)
Cleghorn – Lalonde – Pitre
Hall – Corbeau
Vezina
(McDonald, Berlinguette)
* Malone (?) and Coutu (illness) unavailable
- Joe Hall took a key penalty in OT for running Clint Benedict, leading to the GWG. He also fought Sprague Cleghorn in OT.

Game 13 – February 2, 1919 (vs Toronto)
Berlinguette (2) – Cleghorn (4) – Pitre (1)
Lalonde (2) – Couture
Vezina
(McDonald (1), Malone, Corbeau)
* Hall (leg) unavailable)
- Ran Toronto off the ice with speed. Had been provoked by match-throwing allegations.

Game 14 – February 4, 1919 (@ Toronto)
Couture – Cleghorn – Pitre (1)
Lalonde – Corbeau
Vezina
(McDonald (1), Berlinguette (1))
* Hall (leg) unavailable
- “Listless†game, Habs got behind early and didn’t threaten much
- Pitre noted for shooting a lot.
- Lalonde took a particularly nasty slash at Reg Noble.

Game 15 – February 8, 1919 (vs Ottawa)
Cleghorn – Lalonde (1) – Pitre (1)
Corbeau – Hall
(Couture, Malone (1), McDonald, Berlinguette (1))
- Fast pace in spite of “sticky†ice.

Game 16 – February 11, 1919 (@ Toronto)
Cleghorn (1) – Lalonde (2) – Pitre (1)
Corbeau – Hall
Vezina
(MacDonald, Coutu, Berlinguette)
- Strong rushing, but poor passing and inaccurate shooting early on.
- Good game by Lalonde – rushing, passing, shooting

Game 17 – February 13, 1919 (@ Ottawa)
Cleghorn – Lalonde – Pitre
Corbeau – Hall
Vezina
(Coutu, Berlinguette)
- Habs were “outplayed, outskated and outgeneraledâ€.
- Lalonde/Nighbor and Coutu/Darragh scraps. Coutu injured Harry Cameron by kicking him in the foot.

Game 18 – February 15, 1919 (vs Toronto)
Berlinguette – Lalonde – Pitre (1)
Corbeau – Hall
Vezina
(Malone (4), Cleghorn (2), MacDonald (1), Couture)
- Habs showed good combination play, scored goals with ease
- Lalonde watched the 3rd period from the bench owing to the lopsided score
 

tarheelhockey

Offside Review Specialist
Feb 12, 2010
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Game 1 – December 21, 1918 (@ Montreal)
Darragh (1) – Nighbor (2) – Denneny (1)
Gerard – Cleghorn (1)
Benedict
(Lowery, Boucher, Ronan, W. J. Boucher?)

Game 2 – December 26, 1918 (vs Toronto)
Denneny (3) – Nighbor (1) – Darragh
Gerard – Cleghorn (1)
Benedict
(Lowery, Ronan)
* George Boucher(leg strain) unavailable

Game 3 – December 31, 1918 (@ Toronto)
Lowrey – Nighbor – Denneny (2)
Gerard – Cleghorn
Benedict
(Boucher, Ronan)
* Darragh unavailable
- “Improved work” of Denneny and Lowrey noticeable; Denneny and Nighbor most dangerous
- Benedict “phenomenal”, held the Sens in the game
- Team was fast and checked well, passing a little off; no use of the center zone for passing
- Cleghorn, Gerard better offensively than defensively.

Game 4 – January 2, 1919 (vs Montreal)
Denneny – Nighbor – Darragh
Gerard – Cleghorn
Benedict
(Boucher, Ronan, Lowery)
- Defensive game completely bottled up the Habs
- Much credit to Benedict for a strong game
- Darragh noted for strong game

Game 5 – January 5, 1919 (@ Montreal)
Denneny – Nighbor – Darragh
Gerard – Cleghorn
Benedict
(Boucher, Ronan, Lowery)
- Sens started with a fast pace, faded as the game went on
- Nighbor targeted by Joe Hall; Ottawa PP outscored 2-0 by Habs PK
- Benedict noted strong game

Game 6 – January 9, 1919 (vs Toronto)
Denneny (3) – Nighbor (1) – Darragh
Gerard – Cleghorn
Benedict
(Boucher, Ronan, Lowery)

Game 7 – January 14, 1919 (@ Toronto)
Denneny - Nighbor (2G) - Lowery
Gerard - Cleghorn
Benedict
(Ronan, Boucher)

Game 8 – January 16, 1919 (vs Montreal)
Denneny (1) – Nighbor (1) – Darragh (3)
Gerard (1) – Cleghorn
Benedict
(Boucher, Ronan, Lowery)
- Benedict had a bad night, letting in several long shots and a soft fluke 30 seconds in
- Soft ice, healthy lineup and large crowd should have benefitted the Sens, but didn’t
- Habs were content to play defensively, allowing Ottawa to score meaningless goals at the end

Game 9 – January 19, 1919 (@ Montreal)
Denneny – Nighbor (2) – Darragh
Gerard (2) – Cleghorn
Benedict
(Boucher, Ronan, Lowery)
- First period was a disaster
- Lacked quality team play
- Last game before purchasing Harry Cameron from Toronto, bolstering subs

Game 10 – January 23, 1919 (vs Toronto)
Denneny (1) – Nighbor (2) – Darragh
Cameron – Cleghorn
Benedict
(Gerard, Boucher, Broadbent)
- First game by Harry Cameron, attacked immediately by the Arenas
- Return of Punch Broadbent from war
- Gerard had taken ill, played briefly late in a close game
- Extremely rough play; Ottawa won in a comeback. Darragh and Cleghorn best players.

Game 11 – January 25, 1919 (@ Montreal)
Denneny – Nighbor – Darragh (1)
Cameron – Cleghorn
Benedict
(Broadbent, Boucher, Ronan, Lowery)
*Gerard (illness) unavailable
- Defensive minded game. Sens took an early lead and did most of the attacking.

Game 12 – January 28 (@ Toronto)
Denneny – Nighbor – Gerard
Cameron – Cleghorn
Benedict
(Boucher, Broadbent)
- Cameron scored both goals, including the OT winner despite being checked closely
- Gerard to forward due to Cameron’s presence at D
- Benedict was very good.

Game 13 – January 30 (vs Montreal)
Denneny – Nighbor – Darragh (2)
Cameron (1) – Cleghorn
Benedict
(Gerard, Boucher)
- Fast, evenly played game
- Nighbor left with injury and returned fresh in OT. His fresh legs made a difference on the GWG.
- Cameron scored the winner, and didn’t stop to celebrate. Skated directly off the ice and to the dressing room.
- Cleghorn fought Hall.

Game 14 – February 6 (vs Toronto)
Denneny – Nighbor (2) – Darragh (1)
Cameron – Cleghorn
Benedict
(Gerard, Boucher, Broadbent)
- Fast, but tight checking game. Heavy checking.

Game 15 – February 8 (@ Montreal)
Denneny – Nighbor – Darragh
Cameron (2) – Cleghorn
Benedict
(Gerard (1), Boucher, Broadbent)
- Snapped a 5-game win streak
- Ottawa continued to play 3 men back (ie, Nighbor back) even after going down by 1 and then 2 goals. Summary says this is largely why they lost.

Game 16 – February 13, 1919 (vs Canadiens)
Denneny (1) – Nighbor (2) – Darragh
Cameron – Cleghorn (1)
Benedict
(Gerard (1), Boucher (1), Broadbent (1))
- Harry Cameron badly injured when Billy Coutu kicked him in the foot, piercing his skate.
- Fast and rough game; Lalonde/Nighbor and Darragh/Coutu incidents.

Game 17 – February 18, 1919 (@ Toronto)
Denneny – Nighbor (1) – Broadbent (2)
Gerard – Cleghorn (1)
Benedict
(Ronan, Boucher)
*Cameron (foot) unavailable
- Very strong game by Benedict, particularly in the clutch as Ottawa rallied to tie and win in OT.
- Ottawa noted for having strong rushes but not a particularly good passing game.

Game 18 – February 20, 1919
Darragh (1) – Nighbor (1) – Broadbent (1)
Gerard – Cleghorn (2)
Benedict
(Boucher (1), Denneny (3))
- The World has a starting line of Darragh-Nighbor-Broadbent with Gerard both starting and subbing. The above is reconstructed based on the likelihood of Denneny and Darragh both being in a position to score in the opening minutes.
- Among others, Nighbor, Gerard and Darragh were rested in order to save them for the playoffs.
- Ottawa attacked in 2- and 3-man combination rushes, overwhelming the Arenas defense.

PCHA Exhibition – March 19, 1919 (@ Victoria)

The lineup and much of the box score is illegible in the only mention I have found of this game. What’s visible are goals from Nighbor (4), Cameron (2) and Broadbent (1), with 4 goals unaccounted for.

PCHA Exhibition – March 21, 1919 (@ Vancouver)

Boucher (1) – Nighbor – Broadbent (1)
Cleghorn – Cameron (1)
Benedict
(Denneny, Gerard)

PCHA Exhibition – March 28, 1919 (@ Vancouver)
Boucher – Nighbor (1) – Broadbent (2)
Gerard
Cleghorn (1) – Cameron
Benedict
(Denneny (1))
 
Last edited:

tarheelhockey

Offside Review Specialist
Feb 12, 2010
84,982
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Toronto Arenas game-by-game roster and scoring

Game 1 – December 23, 1918 (vs Montreal)
Meeking – Skinner (1) – Noble
Cameron (2) – Randall
Holmes
(Crawford, Adams, Denneny)
* Harry Mummery (flu) unavailable
- Did not take advantage of forward passing at center ice
- Tired badly, blew a late lead in the closing minutes. Never showed speed of previous season.
- Excellent game by Hap Holmes

Game 2 – December 26, 1918 (@ Ottawa)
Noble (1) – Denneny – Skinner (1)
Cameron – Randall
Holmes
(Crawford, Adams, Meeking)
* Harry mummery (flu) unavailable
- Ken Randall failed to appear at court (receiving stolen goods) despite playing in this game
- Rusty Crawford still out of shape

Game 3 – December 28, 1918 (@ Montreal)
Crawford – Meeking – Noble
Cameron – Randall
Lindsay
(Denneny, Adams)
* Harry Mummery (flu) unavailable
- Criticized for being uncoached in “goal gettingâ€
- Sounds like a weak goal let in by Lindsay from near center ice
- Randall took a major penalty (ie, put his team on the PK) in the final minutes

Game 4 – December 31, 1918 (vs Ottawa)
Meeking – Adams – Skinner (1)
Cameron - Noble
Lindsay
(Randall, Denneny (3), Crawford)
- Noble moved to defense, played well
- Corb Denneny rushed well
- Team had good chemistry, but didn’t make much use of center ice passing

Game 5 – January 7, 1919 (vs Montreal)
Meeking (1) – Denneny – Skinner (1)
Cameron (2) – Noble (1)
Lindsay
(Crawford (1), Adams, Randall)
- Crawford was particularly strong in the checking game, “useful†offensively
- Denneny backchecked well, but couldn’t score
- Cameron and Noble noted strong on defense
- Toronto played a speed game, but were outplayed when close to either net

Game 6 – January 9, 1919 (@ Ottawa)
Skinner – Noble (1) – Crawford
Mummery – Cameron
Lindsay
(Denneny (1), Adams, Meeking)
- Added Mummery to the lineup; he started at D

Game 7 – January 11, 1919 (@ Montreal)
Denneny (1) – Noble (1) – Crawford
Mummery – Cameron
Lindsay
(Meeking (1), Skinner, Adams)
- Poor backchecking, little offensive support from the d-men
- Lindsay overwhelmed
- Scored goals after the game was already out of hand

Game 8 – January 14, 1919 (vs Ottawa)
Crawford (3) – Denneny – Skinner (1)
Mummery – Randall (1)
Lindsay
(Meeking, Adams)
- Cameron and Noble suspended
- Randall outstanding at both ends after taking starting D position, but was ejected after fighting Cy Denneny
- Mummery noted weak (flu, pneumonia) so unable to rush; played well defensively
- Crawford noted for two-way work

Game 9 – January 21, 1919 (vs Montreal)
Crawford (1) – Noble – Skinner (2)
Mummery (1) – Randall (1)
Lindsay
(Meeking (3), Ritchie, Denneny (1), Adams (1))
- Crawford the oustanding player, strong clean two-way play
- Toronto World openly accuses league of fixing the game, collaborating with gamblers

Game 10 – January 23, 1919 (@ Ottawa)
Noble – Crawford – Skinner (1)
Mummery – Randall (1)
Lindsay
(Meeking, Adams)
*Corb Denneny and Richie unavailable
- First game against Harry Cameron, went straight at him
- Very physical game. Crawford went too far and was held off the ice by police.
- “Stellar†game by Lindsay, Randall also good.

Game 11 – January 28, 1919 (vs Ottawa)
Crawford – Noble – Skinner
Mummery (1) – Randall
Lindsay
(Meeking, Denneny, Adams, Ritchie)
- Harry Cameron scored both Ottawa goals, including the OT winner.
- Crawford good in both directions, Randall played “heady†and rushed well.
- Noble below form.

Game 12 – February 1, 1919 (@ Montreal)
Adams – Noble – Denneny
Mummery – Randall
Lindsay
(Skinner, Ritchie, Crawford)
- Looked “like school boys against seniorsâ€
- Crawford mingled in the crowd for 2 periods, then played a few moments but was not useful.

Game 13 – February 4, 1919 (vs Montreal)
Crawford – Noble (3) – Skinner
Ritchie – Randall (2)
Lindsay
(Meeking (1), Adams, Denneny, Mummery)
- Noble noted for a good game

Game 14 – February 6, 1919 (@ Ottawa)
Crawford – Noble – Skinner
Mummery – Randall
Lindsay
(Meeking (1), Adams, Ritchie)

Game 15 – February 11, 1919 (vs Montreal)
Crawford – Noble (2) – Skinner (1)
Mummery – Randall (3)
Lindsay
(Denneny, Adams)
- Poor team game, outplayed Montreal but not up to their own standards.
- Noble had a strong game in backchecking and scoring
- Randall also strong in rushing the puck.

Game 16 – February 15, 1919 (@ Montreal)
Crawford (1) – Noble – Skinner
Mummery – Randall (1)
Lindsay
(Denneny, Adams)
- Forwards noted for being effective, defense “uselessâ€
- Lindsay was particularly bad in goal, taunted by the crowd and even laughed at by his teammates
- Arenas folded when the Habs took a lead, looked like “amateursâ€

Game 17 – February 18, 1919 (vs Ottawa)
Crawford – Noble (1) – Skinner
Mummery – Randall (1)
Lindsay
(Denneny (1), Adams)
- Randall leaves for a team in Glace Bay that offered him $700. Meeking follows.
- Noble stifled repeatedly by Benedict near the end of the game. Noted for his very strong game at both ends of the ice.
- Seems that Lindsay was not particularly strong in this game, particularly in blowing a 2-goal lead.

Game 18 – Fruary 20, 1919 (@ Ottawa)
Denneny (1) – Noble – Skinner (2)
Mummery – Crawford
Lindsay
(Adams)
- Arenas took a surprising early lead, but were overwhelmed by the constant attack of a much better Senators team.
- Lindsay was “bombarded†but “good in spotsâ€
- Noble and Denneny appear to have been the Arenas’ most effective players.
 

Finnished

Registered User
Jan 31, 2013
654
95
I really love reading about the early 1900s seasons. Thanks a lot for all the work you have done.
 

tarheelhockey

Offside Review Specialist
Feb 12, 2010
84,982
137,355
Bojangles Parking Lot
One huge area that I just haven't had time to dig into is the PCHA. I've captured the inter-league games that they played against the NHL, but at some point it would be ideal to get more detail about the goings-on of that league. Especially since it's often left out of analysis and databases (hockey-reference, for example).
 

Killion

Registered User
Feb 19, 2010
36,763
3,211
... awesome tarheel. Thanks so much for compiling & sharing all of this fascinating history, including the minutae which really puts flesh on the bones, color in the cheeks.
 

Sanf

Registered User
Sep 8, 2012
1,943
902
Great stuff. Haven´t gone this season complitely through so there was lot that I didn´t know. Can´t really add much. There was ofcourse the offseason Eddie Livingstone saga, but don´t know how well it fits to the subject.

Edit: deleted didn´t notice that those games were mentioned already :)

One thing that I have researched is the poor shape of the goaltending pool at the time. You have probably noticed how badly teams struggled to find decent goalkeeper outside the "big four". I have went through careers of lot of goalies from that era and war affected on many goalies. McCulloch who was in Torontos training camp had played in PCHA in 1915-1916 and was regarded quite promising, but enlisted after his first season as pro. There was quite many similar stories on pros who were starting their career and top amateur goalies. Old goalies like Hague and Lindsay seemed to be badly off their prime, but there was really no one to replace them (Moran and Nicholson were similar cases few years earlier).

So Holmes,Lehman,Benedict and Vezina could pretty much dominate the goaltending position because almost all of their (possible) challengers were gone (+ there was the group of that weren´t even interested of coming pros).
 
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Ohashi_Jouzu*

Registered User
Apr 2, 2007
30,332
11
Halifax
One huge area that I just haven't had time to dig into is the PCHA. I've captured the inter-league games that they played against the NHL, but at some point it would be ideal to get more detail about the goings-on of that league. Especially since it's often left out of analysis and databases (hockey-reference, for example).

Especially interesting for this particular season, since there were interesting wrinkles such as the Spanish Influenza messing with the World Cup of hockey, and the Portland franchise being suspended coupled with Victoria's rink being opened up for hockey again leading to the re-activation of the Victoria franchise (absorbed the contracts of the Portland players), etc.
 

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