George "Gerry" Geran The First American Born Player in the NHL

[James Laverance]

"George "Gerry" Pierce Geran - Born August 3, 1895 in Holyoke, Massachusetts - Died September 1981 in Brooklyn, New York was a American Professional Ice Hockey center.
Geran played two years at Dartmouth College with the Big Green Hockey team from 1915 to 1917.
Geran was the first player from the United States to make the NHL, starting with the Montreal Wanderers in the NHL's inaugural season, 1917–18. He played in four of the Wanderers' six games. After the fire that burned down the Wanderers' arena, the team was disbanded.
Geran then played for the Boston Navy Yard of the United States Navy Hockey League to finish the season, and then the Boston Shoe Trades Hockey team of the United States Amateur Hockey Association / USAHA until 1921.
On April 29, 1920 he won a silver medal with the (11-member) U.S. ice Hockey team at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. In spite of his previous professional experience, he was nevertheless allowed to play in the Olympic Games.
Geran played 1 season in France for the French Flying (Paris Francais Volants) during the 1921-22 season. Stats show Geran scoring 88 times in 8 games for the Volants.
Geran returned to the United States for the 1922-23 season, playing again in the USAHA for the Boston A.A. Unicorns. Geran played for the Unicorns for 3 seasons until he signed as a free agent by the NHL Boston Bruins, November 23, 1925, and played 33 games for the Bruins, scoring just 5 goals, 1 assist.
Geran then finished his Hockey career with the American Hockey League St. Paul Saints during the 1926-27 season.
Upon his retirement from the NHL, he was the last active player from the Montreal Wanderers roster."
Gerry Geran 1921 Boston Shoe Trades Hockey Team | HockeyGods

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[Robert Gordon Orr]

Geran then finished his Hockey career with the American Hockey League St. Paul Saints during the 1926-27 season.
Upon his retirement from the NHL, he was the last active player from the Montreal Wanderers roster."

During his first stint in Paris 1921/22 he earned the nickname "Duke of Paris".
But what few know is that Geran actually returned back to France and made a comeback in 1932/33.
He played for Stade Français, and from the research I did on him, he scored 27 points (18 goals and 9 assists) in 21 games.

One French habit stuck with him after returning back home to the United States.
He always enjoyed a good glass of wine to his meals.

Gerry Geran in France while playing for Club des Patineurs de Paris in 1921/22
He was the first former NHL'er to play in Europe

 

[James Laverance]

During his first stint in Paris 1921/22 he earned the nickname "Duke of Paris".
But what few know is that Geran actually returned back to France and made a comeback in 1932/33.
He played for Stade Français, and from the research I did on him, he scored 27 points (18 goals and 9 assists) in 21 games.

One French habit stuck with him after returning back home to the United States.
He always enjoyed a good glass of wine to his meals.

Gerry Geran in France while playing for Club des Patineurs de Paris in 1921/22
He was the first former NHL'er to play in Europe

I did not know that.
Great to have such further in depth researched information.Thanks

 

[James Laverance]

The Second American Raised NHL Player was Mickey Roach Shown Below as a member of the Hamilton Tiger's in 1920.

Michael Richard Roach - Born May 7, 1895 in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia – Died April 1, 1977 in Whitby, Ontario was a Canadian-American professional ice Hockey player.
Roach was born in Nova Scotia, but played most of his early Hockey in New England.
The first records of Roach playing Hockey is with the Boston English High and the Boston Pilgrims in 1913.
Roach then played for the Boston Arenas of the American Amateur Hockey League in 1914, where he became a goal scorer, where he totaled 14 goals in just 10 games to lead the league in scoring. He remained with the Arenas for 1915-16 season, scoring 11 goals.
Roach would then join the AAHL Brooklyn Crescents for the 1916-17 season, who played their home games at the Claremont Rink, and would score 5 goals in six games.
Roach was a Member of the AAHL First All-Star Team in 1916 and 1917.
Roach remained in New York for the 1917-18 season, only now with the Wanderers of New York of the United States Navy Hockey League where he scored another dozen goals in 10 games.
Roach was a member of the USNHL First All-Star Team in 1918.
Roach would then move north and join the Ontario Hockey Association Hamilton Tigers, and lead the league in scoring with 17 goals and 29 points in only 8 regular season games, and helping the Tigers win the Canadian amateur championship Allan Cup in 1919.
Roach was a member of the OHA-Sr. First All-Star Team in 1919.
Roach caught the attention of the Toronto St. Patricks of the National Hockey League, which was about to embark on only its third season of play. Playing a season twice as long as any he had before, Roach scored 11 goals and 13 points in 1919-20, which included Roach becoming only the fourth player in the NHL to score five goals in one game on March 6, 1920 as Toronto defeated the Quebec Bulldogs 11-2.
Roach began the 1920-21 season with the St. Patricks, but after 9 games, he was sold to the first year Hamilton Tigers of the NHL, a different Hamilton Tigers than who Roach had won the Allan Cup with in 1919.
In 1921-22, Roach, playing center, scored 14 goals and 20 points prior to setting career highs in 1922-23 with 17 goals and 27 points to lead the Tigers in scoring and finish 6th overall in the NHL.
Roach would score only 5 goals and 8 points the next season for the Tigers, but the 1924-25 Tigers would finish first overall in the NHL with a 19-10-1 record, giving Roach his first NHL playoff birth - he thought. Unfortunately for Roach their team would announce a strike for the playoffs, as they were not being paid for the extra games. The NHL suspended the Tigers, and after Montreal defeated Toronto, NHL President Frank Calder met with the Tigers management, declared the Canadiens champions of the NHL and fined the Tigers players $200 each.
The Hamilton franchise was then revoked at the September 22nd NHL league meetings, bringing an end to the Tigers franchise.
The New York Americans, a expansion club set to begin play in New York's Madison Square Garden for the 1925-26 season would purchase the rights to the Hamilton players, a would please all the players buy agreeing to pay them a higher fee for all their games played, including the playoffs.
Roach managed a mere 3 goals in the first season of the New York Americans, but rebounded in 1926-27 with 11 goals in 44 games, second on the Americans in goals for the season, which proved to be his last in the NHL.
Roach then joined the Niagara Falls Cataracts of the Canadian Professional Hockey League as a player-coach for the 1927-28 season.
Roach would then play one season with the Windsor Hornets of the CPHL before again spending a season as a player-coach, this time with the Buffalo Bisons in the same league, now renamed the International Hockey League, but with a much more limited amount of playing time, as he appeared in just 10 games. He retired for good as a player after the 1929-30 season.
Roach played 211 NHL games with 77 goals and 34 assists for 111 points
Mickey Roach Hamilton Tigers 1920 | HockeyGods

 

[sr edler]

Raymie Skilton played a game for the Wanderers in 17–18.

 

[James Laverance]

Hugh "Muzz" Murray Was the Second American Born and Raised Player to Participate in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Muzz is on the far left on the photo below.

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan was an early spawning ground for hockey in the United States. The first professional hockey league in the world, the International League, was even centered there under the guidance of United States Hockey Hall of Fame (USHHF) enshrinee Dr. J.L. "Doc" Gibson. It was under such influence that American greats such as Joe Linder, Nick Kahler, Taffy Abel, and Murray were developed.
"Muzz" Murray was the second American developed player to participate in the Stanley Cup Finals when he played for the Seattle Metropolitans in the historic 1919 series against the Montreal Canadians. (The series was suspended at 2-2-1 due to an influenza epidemic). Murray was the third leading scorer in the series and subsequently appeared in the 1920 Finals against Ottawa. After one more season with Seattle, he closed his professional career with Calgary of the Western Canada League in 1922.
He later played briefly for Tulsa in the American Hockey Association. It was Murray's brilliant play as a cover point (defenseman) with Sault Ste. Marie, MI, of the American Amateur Hockey Association, however, that brought him to pro hockey in the Pacific Coast League. Between 1912-1918, playing in the Western Division of the Association, then the highest level of competition in the United States, Murray was a consistent standout.
An early press account said of him: "Murray, with his energetic outburst of speed and his remarkable elusive power starred for the Soo. "Muzz" proved the effectiveness of his rushes by scoring one of the Soo's goals after bringing the puck the entire length of the rink and passing all the Calumet players." Murray captained the 1915 Soo team to the Western Division championship before losing to Cleveland in the finals. He was also named to the All-Western team of the American Hockey Association for that season.
The Michigan native was known as both a rough and tumble player as well as a scorer. His spirit, fire and drive made him a team leader. Another early writer noted this when he said: "Hugh (Muzz) Murray took an ugly slide into the boards striking his face on the side. His nose was injured and also his head. Another time he got a jab in the mouth with a stick, but none of these Pejorative Slured his playing in the least."
Murray continued playing local senior amateur hockey until he was nearly 60-years old, while serving the city of Sault Ste. Marie as Superintendent of Streets. He also took an active role in the development of youth hockey in his hometown as well.
HUGH "MUZZ" MURRAY

 

[Sanf]

Hugh "Muzz" Murray Was the First American Born and Raised Player to Participate in the Stanley Cup Finals.

Very nice compilation of info, but I believe Charley Uksila was the first? american born and trained player in SC finals. Atleast he did it before Murray.

 

[James Laverance]

Very nice compilation of info, but I believe Charley Uksila was the first? american born and trained player in SC finals. Atleast he did it before Murray.

Your Right.Totally slipped my mind.Thanks for the correction.
Charles Uksila played for the Portland Rosebuds in the 1916 Stanley Cup Finals against the Montreal Canadiens.

Charlie Uksila - Wikipedia

 

[James Laverance]

Apparently Geran was also responsible for the organization of the first NHL Player's Association Union in 1941.
16 years earlier than Ted Lindsay and Doug Harvey would have formed theirs in 1957.
National Hockey League Players' Association - Wikipedia

"In 1941, Geran suggested that hockey start a players' association and stage all-star games to benefit former players who had fallen on hard times, but the idea gained little support from the moguls in the game."
The First Season
"In 1941 a former player, George P. Geran, wrote to Frank Calder, proposing to establish a hockey version of the Association of Professional Ball Players of America, a benevolent society for retired players. Geran got some publicity and support from Rangers players, but by fall the plan dissipated for apparent lack of interest, and player issues continued to be addressed within the councils of the league by the owners, without player consultation.Informed by the owners' paternalism, the clubs made business decisions on issues such as taking out life and disability insurance on the players, compensating players for serious injuries through the Injured Players' Fund, and prorating seasonal salaries to account for the playoffs.With peace, player interest in collective negotiation would be renewed, and the clubs would be asked for even more."
Joining the Clubs

 

[sr edler]

During his first stint in Paris 1921/22 he earned the nickname "Duke of Paris".
But what few know is that Geran actually returned back to France and made a comeback in 1932/33.
He played for Stade Français, and from the research I did on him, he scored 27 points (18 goals and 9 assists) in 21 games.

One French habit stuck with him after returning back home to the United States.
He always enjoyed a good glass of wine to his meals.

Gerry Geran in France while playing for Club des Patineurs de Paris in 1921/22
He was the first former NHL'er to play in Europe

That's a nice pic. Quite uncharacteristic for NA shots to feature semi-bombastic hallways like that.

 

[James Laverance]

These are some articles from the New York Times stating Geran's plan to start an NHL Players Union in 1941.