NHL history in a 127 years of bite sized pieces.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

Odie Cleghorn who was considered to be one of the toughest players of all time and used a strategy of spitting tabacco juice in opposing players faces

That sounds like such an Odie Cleghorn thing to do.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

That sounds like such an Odie Cleghorn thing to do.

Sprague was the tougher Cleghorn brother.

Sprague is the reason there's a Lady Byng Trophy.

This is not about the men who exhibited the sort of decorum and restraint that behoved the Lady Byng Memorial Award. It is about the man whose on-ice play was so foul, so violent, so disturbing, that upon seeing this man play, Marie Evelyn Moreton, the Lady Byng, wife of the Viscount Byng of Vimy, Governor General of Canada, was so repulsed by his tactics that she was inspired to present a trophy to the NHL that would celebrate the very polar opposite behaviour.

Sprague Cleghorn.

https://www.habseyesontheprize.com/l...diens-history/

[Jay Random]

Bad Joe Hall, one of the most fearsome defencemen of all time. He was once expelled outright from the NHA (though later reinstated), and once kicked a referee in the shins and then swung his stick at him. But he had a reputation as a ‘friendly fellow’ off the ice.

As CaptainCrunch mentioned, he died of Spanish flu after the 1919 Stanley Cup finals were cancelled.

[CaptainCrunch]

Its funny looking at these old pictures and it shows how tough life was even 120 years ago. Joe Hall was only 37 when he died, but he looks 50 in that picture. You see that alot in the old picture that people seemed to just age quicker.

[Buzzard]

Odie Cleghorn. Has there ever been a better name?

[Dion]

Benedict was responsible for a significant rule change that allowed goalies to leave their feet to stop the puck. It's hard to believe in an era of goaltending acrobatics, but goalies used to be assessed a two-minute penalty for falling on the ice to make a save. Benedict made an art out of the "accidental" fall on the puck, and in February 1918, during the NHL's first season, the rule was changed.

He also was way ahead of his time in another area that fans take for granted now. Though Jacques Plante is often portrayed as the first goalie to wear a mask, and was the first to regularly do so, Benedict was the first to don a mask in an NHL game. On Jan. 7, 1930, he was hit in the face by a shot from Howie Morenz of the Montreal Canadiens. He missed six weeks before returning against the New York Americans on Feb. 20, wearing a mask. Benedict wore the mask for five games before being hit in the face again on March 4 against the Ottawa Senators in what turned out to be his final NHL game.

https://www.nhl.com/player/clint-benedict-8449817

[CaptainCrunch]

1919-1920


After two turbulent seasons, the NHL seemed to be settling in with bigger attendance and more word of mouth. The NHL goes to a four team league as the Quebec Bulldogs finally enter the league after being dormant for two years. This was the year of the goalscorers. When we talk about generational players like Orr, Gretzky, Howe, Morenz, we need to talk about Joe Malone who played for a terrible team in Quebec and lead the league in scoring putting up 39 goals and 48 points in 24 games. At a time where the NHL was looking for a marketable star, they positioned Phantom Joe as the Babe Ruth of Hockey.


Ottawa dominated the league as they won the first and second half titles with a 19-5 record. Because of that there were no NHL playoffs and Ottawa went straight to the Stanley Cup finals against Seattle. Despite complaints that Seattle bought in a ringer in Bernie Morris to play in the finals, Ottawa in 5 games.


Trivia

• Toronto changed their name from the Arenas to the St Pats
• On Jan 10th Newsy Lalonde scored 6 goals in a game as Toronto beat Montreal 14-7 to set an NHL record for total goals in a game. That record wouldn't be broken for 66 years.
• On Jan 31st, Joe Malone set the all time record for goals in a game with 7 goals against Toronto in a 10-6 win.
• On Feb 21st Toronto sets an attendance record of 8,500.
• On March 1 The Canadians trash Quebec 16-3 breaking the all time record for goals in a game.
• On March 10th Joe Malone scores 6 goals against Ottawa.
• Ottawa's Clint Benedict leads the NHL in GAA average at 2.67.
• Jack Darragh scores a hat trick in game 5 of the finals as they crush Seattle to win the Stanley Cup.
• The first Memorial Cup is awarded as the Toronto Canoe Club takes time out from the rowing to play some puck.
• Canada plays in their first international appearance in the 1920 Olympics in Antwerp, Belgium. Represented by the Winnipeg Falcons, Canada won its three games by a total of 29 goals to 1. At the time Hockey was in the Summer Olympics.

[Reggie Dunlop]

It's a well-known fact that Eddie Shore was nicknamed "the Edmonton Express" because he couldn't wait to get out of town.

[ThisIsAnOutrage]

Cool thread, Captain!

Just wondering if there are any old stories about suspicious officiating/bribes or weird things like a player working as a ref during season.

As a Flames fan, I am obviously interested in knowing if terrible officiating is a proud NHL tradition, or a newer phenomenon.

[Jay Random]

‘Phantom’ Joe Malone, the NHL's first superstar and still the record-holder for most goals in one game (7) and most goals per game in a full season (2.2).

Take one look at the guy, and try to tell me he wasn't marketable as hell.

This photo was taken in 1920, when he played for the Hamilton Tigers:

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by ThisIsAnOutrage

Just wondering if there are any old stories about suspicious officiating/bribes or weird things like a player working as a ref during season.

There certainly are, though most of that stuff happened before the NHL got started.

In the days when hockey was strictly an amateur sport, players often moonlighted as referees. Shenanigans ensued.

Fred Chittick was the goalie for the Ottawa Hockey Club (later known as the Silver Seven, then the Senators) in the 1890s. In 1899, he refereed a game between the Quebec Bulldogs and the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association. The Bulldogs played an extremely violent game, and the MAAA were incensed that Chittick just let it happen. With 12 minutes to go, the MAAA quit the game and conceded the forfeit, accusing Chittick of being drunk. He threatened to sue the club for defamation.

A month later, Chittick gave up 16 goals in a game and was replaced by a prospect named Bouse Hutton (now in the Hall of Fame). Chittick was so mad, he quit the team in protest. It is not recorded that anybody missed him, on or off the ice.

[CaptainCrunch]

1920-1921


Ottawa continues to roll as they as they win their second straight Stanley Cup. They had a rich source of talent in the Ottawa valley, since there was no draft and scouting of their territory was key. When you look at their lineup they had the best goalie in Clint Benedict, and forwards like Cy Denneny, Jack Darragh and Frank Nighbor. Their blue line included renowned jerk Sprague Cleghorn and Eddie Gerard who formed the best blue line in the league.


Ottawa fans has named Denneny and forwadr Harry Broadbent as the Gold Dust Twins.



Since hockey started awarding the Stanley Cup Ottawa had taken it home 8 times


Trivia

• The Quebec Bulldogs were sold and relocated to Hamilton.
• Babe Dye goes from Toronto to Hamilton and Biully Couture moves from Toronto to Hamilton to help the new team become competitive.
• After Dye goes on a scoring streak, Toronto takes back Babe Dye and sends Hamilton Mickey Roach in a jerk move.
• Hamilton finishes last in the league with a 6-18 record
• Ottawa wins the first half title with a 8-2 record. Toronto wins the second half with a 10-4 record.
• Corbert Denneny of Toronto scores 6 goals against Toronto on Jan 26, 2021
• Cy tells his brother to hold his beer as he scores 6 goals in a game against Hamilton on March 7th
• Newsy Lalonde takes the scoring title with 33 goals and 41 points.
• Clint Benedict is the best goalie in the league with a 3.13 gaa.
• In a two game total goal series Ottawa crushes Toronto 7-0.
• In the PCHA Vancouver destroys Seattle 13-2 in a 2 game series.
• In game 1 of the finals a crowd of 11,000 people show up in Vancouver.
• Ottawa wins a close series in 5 games as Jack Darragh scores both goals in a game 5 victory o win the game 2-1.
• Harry Cameron leads all defensemen with 18 goals, he had the unique ability to be able to curve his shots using a straight blade.

[Jay Random]

The relocation from Quebec to Hamilton was another of those shady deals that were quickly becoming the NHL’s trademark.

The owner of the Quebec team was Mike Quinn, a smooth, dapper fellow, and the only one of the NHL brass who got along with Eddie Livingstone. This kind of treason could not go unpunished. He did not, in fact, sell his franchise. Frank Calder, the league president, stripped the franchise from him (ostensibly because it was financially unstable), and sold it to the Abso-Pure Ice Company of Hamilton. Those were the days before electric refrigerators, when every well-equipped kitchen had an ice box and the iceman called regularly with fresh blocks of factory-made ice. Abso-Pure actually provided the icemaking equipment for the Tigers' new arena – a brilliant marketing idea.

Abso-Pure made their cheque out, not to Mike Quinn or even to the NHL, but to Francis Calder personally. It is not recorded what he did with the money, but there is no record that Mike Quinn ever got a penny for the forced sale of his franchise.

[CaptainCrunch]

1921-1922


Professional hockey comes to the prairies as the Western Canada Hockey League is formed. Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon and Regina were granted teams. The new league went after star players right away. Edmonton featured Hal Winkler in goal and Bullet Joe Simpson on defense. The Calgary Tigers had Mervyn "Red" Dutton and Herb Garner on defense. Saskatoon had Bill Cook who was one of the best wingers of his time, they also lured Rusty Crawford and Sammy Herbert from the NHL. REgina picked up Dick Irvin George Hay and Charles McVeigh.



The WCHA immediately challenged the NHL And PCHA for the Stanley Cup. Edmonton, Calgary and Regina were extremely competitive with Edmonton winning the regular season title. Saskatoon bombed on the ice and the stands and were eventually relocated to Moose Jaw (wait let me check my notes . . . . yup Moose Jaw)



The WCHA didn't last long. They played out of old and small and likely smelly arenas when hockey palaces were being built in major US cities like Pittsburgh and New York while Boston and Chicago were also putting plans together for mega stadiums. The WCHA also couldn't pay their stars like the teams in the east and most of the major stars were lured away.



Trivia

• The NHL eliminates the split season schedule and creates a playoff against the two top teams.
• Minor penalties go from 3 to 2 minutes and a 20 minute limit is put on overtime.
• Montreal Canadians owner George Kennedy dies and leaves his team to his widow. She sells the team to Joe Cattarinich and Leo Dandurand for $10,000 (172,000 in today's dollar)
• Sprague "The jerk) Cleghorn is reclaimed by the NHL, he is assigned to Hamilton and then traded to the Habs. Montreal sends Harry Murmmery, Amos Arbour and Cully Wilson to Hamilton.
• On Jan 14 Sprague and Odie Cleghorn each score 4 goals against Hamilton.
• Newsy Lalonde leaves the Canadians over a dispute with management. The NHL intervenes and mediates the dispute and Lalond returns after a 4 game absence.
• Punch Broadbent scores goals in 16 straight games for the Senators setting a NHL record.
• The Sens win the regular season title
• The St Pats finish second and face Ottawa in a 2 game total goal series. The St Pats beat Ottawa in the first game and hang onto a 0-0 tie in the second game to win the NHL crown.
• The PCHA institutes the penalty shot for players tripped on a breakaway.
• Seattle wins the PCHA regular season title
• Lester Patrick debuts in goal for Victoria. Lester was the team manager he suited up with their regular goalie Norm Fowler is suspended for brawling.
• Vancouver beats Seattle in the PCHA playoffs then beat Regina to earn a Stanley Cup finals spot.
• Toronto lead by Babe Dyes 11 playoff goals scores 4 goals in game 5 as the St Pats win their second Stanley Cup.

[FBI]

Can’t wait till 1988/89

[FlamesAddiction]

It seems crazy to me how fast professional hockey grew in roughly 20 years. The first openly professional team started in 1900, and by the 1920s, the demand grew so much that cities started building massive structures to house their teams. The first organized hockey game was only played 25 years earlier in 1875.

It's hard to imagine a new sport being introduced nowadays being able to replicate that kind of growth.

[Jay Random]

Sadly, George Kennedy died from lingering after-effects of the same Spanish flu that killed Bad Joe Hall.

With the changes of ownership in Ottawa and Toronto, and the Wanderers and Quebec out of the league, every one of the owners who booted Eddie Livingstone out of the NHA was gone within six years. But the lawsuits and the feud had a life of their own.

‘Red’ Dutton is a name we'll be seeing a lot in future posts. A genuine Calgary legend.

[CaptainCrunch]

"Red" was a prototype defenseman.


He was physical, could skate, and could put up good offensive numbers including 16 goals in 22 games in his first year in Calgary.

[CaptainCrunch]

Also as we go through the years and I find old clips I'll add it. The earliest I found besides 1898 was 1925 so we'll see that soon.

[Jay Random]

A sidelight:

These were the days when the real power in hockey was wielded by the men who controlled the arenas. At one point, the usual split of gate receipts for a hockey game was 20% to each team, 60% to the arena owner. Naturally, arenas wanted to host a hockey team even if they had to buy and run it themselves.

In Ottawa, the ultimate power in hockey at this time was Ted Dey, who was a boat-builder by trade. He and his brothers built their boats on premises next to the Rideau Canal, and in the 1880s they built the city's first indoor skating rink next door. Ted was an enthusiastic athlete; he played for the Ottawa Hockey Club in its early years. In 1896, he moved both the rink and the boatyard to a larger location, and it was in this second edition of Dey's Arena that the Ottawa Silver Seven won their first Stanley Cup.

In 1917, as part of a deal to keep the Ottawa HC (now nicknamed ‘Senators’) in his arena, Dey bought a one-third interest in the team. A couple of years later, he forced one of his partners out and became majority owner. Along the way, he invented the goal light. Before this, the goal judges indicated that a goal had been scored by waving a red handkerchief.

When Dey retired in 1923, he sold the Senators to Frank Ahearn, whose family owned the Ottawa Electric Company and the local streetcar company. Ahearn's first order of business was to replace Dey's Arena with a large modern facility, the 7,500-seat Ottawa Auditorium.

Meanwhile, William Northey, head of the Canadian Arena Company, was making himself the most powerful man in the sport. His company owned the Arena Gardens in Toronto, and had directly owned the team itself for a time (as CaptainCrunch mentions). They had also been the owners of the old Westmount Arena until it burnt down in 1918, taking the Montreal Wanderers franchise along with it. In 1924, Northey made a triumphant return to the Montreal market, building the biggest, most fabulous, and most famous hockey arena of all: the Montreal Forum.

But that's a story for another season.