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.