1904–05 FAHL season

The 1904–05 Federal Amateur Hockey League (FAHL) season lasted from December 31, 1904, until March 3. Teams played an eight-game schedule.

League business

The Ottawa Hockey Club, who officially joined the FAHL prior to the end of the last season, played its first full season in the league. Montreal Le National left the league and joined the rival Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL). Ottawa had negotiated with the CAHL to return, along with the Wanderers joining, but this was turned down. The Ottawa Capitals also left the FAHL.

Regular season

The newly transferred Ottawa Hockey Club won the league championship – and retained the Stanley Cup – with a record of seven wins and one loss.

Highlights

Ottawa's Frank McGee scored five goals against the Montagnards on February 4.

Final standings

Team	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals For	Goals Against
Ottawa Hockey Club	8	7	1	0	60	19
Montreal Wanderers	8	6	2	0	44	27
Brockville	8	4	4	0	34	30
Cornwall HC	8	3	5	0	18	37
Montreal Montagnards	8	0	8	0	19	62

Results

Month	Day	Visitor	Score	Home	Score
Dec.	31	Cornwall	4	Wanderers	6
Jan.	2	Montagnards	3	Brockville	10
	7	Wanderers	3	Ottawa	9
	11	Cornwall	2	Brockville	3
	13	Wanderers	6	Montagnards	1
	21	Montagnards	2	Cornwall	4
	23	Ottawa	3	Brockville	5
	27	Cornwall	3	Montagnards	2
	28	Wanderers	3	Brockville	2
Feb.	1	Brockville	4	Wanderers	8
	1	Ottawa	7	Cornwall	2
	4	Montagnards	4	Ottawa	14
	8	Brockville	0	Ottawa	7
	11	Ottawa	4	Wanderers	2
	13	Brockville	1	Cornwall	2
	17	Brockville	9	Montagnards	2
	18	Wanderers	7	Cornwall	1
	24	Cornwall	0	Ottawa	9
	25	Montagnards	2	Wanderers	9
Mar.	3 (†)	Ottawa	7	Montagnards	3

† Ottawa HC lock down League Championship, retain Stanley Cup.

Goaltending averages

Name	Club	GP	GA	SO	Avg.
Finnie, Dave	Ottawa	8	19	2	2.4
Baker, W.	Wanderers	7	23	0	3.3
Kerr	Brockville	8	30	0	3.8
Lavigne	Montagnards	1	4	0	4.0
Brighton	Wanderers	1	4	0	4.0
Hunter, Jack	Cornwall	8	37	0	4.6
Menard, Henri	Montagnards	7	58	0	8.3

Scoring leaders

Name	Club	GP	G
McGee, Frank	Ottawa	6	17
Marshall, Jack	Wanderers	8	17
Westwick, Harry	Ottawa	8	15
Smith, Alf	Ottawa	8	13
Blachford, Cecil	Wanderers	7	10
Glass, Frank	Wanderers	6	9
Lannon, W.	Brockville	8	7
Shore, Hamby	Ottawa	3	6
Marks, Jack	Brockville	8	6
Mallette, Bob	Cornwall	8	5

Stanley Cup challenges

Ottawa vs. Dawson City

The Klondike Hockey Club, in a letter dated August 24, 1904, from team president Weldy Young, a former Ottawa player, issued a challenge to the Ottawa Hockey Club. The Dawson City team had won no championships and was not a member of any recognized senior league, yet Stanley Cup trustees P.D. Ross and JohnSweetland approved the challenge. Author Paul Kitchen has speculated that the series was approved because Young knew both Ross and federal government minister Clifford Sifton.[1]

In January 1905, the Dawson City Nuggets travelled 4,000 miles (6,400 km) from the Yukon to Ottawa for a best-of-three Cup challenge series. The Nuggets actually left Dawson City on December 19, 1904, and travelled on a month-long journey by dog sled (Dawson to Whitehorse), ship (Skagway to Vancouver), and train (Whitehorse to Skagway, and Vancouver to Ottawa). The team was no match for the Silver Seven. Ottawa defeated them in the first game, 9–2. Numerous Stanley Cup records were then set in game two, including Frank McGee's 14 goals, which included eight consecutive goals scored in less than nine minutes,[2] and a 23–2 rout, the largest margin of victory for any challenge game or Stanley Cup Final game to date.

Several players playing for Dawson were from the Ottawa area. Jim Johnstone was from Ottawa. Norman Watt was from Aylmer, Quebec. Randy McLennan had played in a Stanley Cup challenge for Queen's University of Kingston, Ontario. Another player has Stanley Cup challenge experience: Lorne Hanna, "formerly of the Yukon", had played for Brandon Wheat Cities in their 1904 challenge of Ottawa.[3]

Date	Winning Team	Score	Losing Team	Location
January 13, 1905	Ottawa Senators	9–2	Dawson City Nuggets	Dey's Arena
January 16, 1905	Ottawa Senators	23–2	Dawson City Nuggets
Ottawa wins best-of-three series 2 games to 0

Game One Dawson at Ottawa, January 13, 1905 Ottawa 9 P Dawson 2 Dave Finnie G Albert Forrest Arthur "Bones" Allen P Jim Johnstone Arthur Moore CP Lorne Hanna^A Harry Westwick 2 RO Randy McLennan 1 Frank McGee 1 C Hector Smith Alf Smith 4 RW George Kennedy 1 Frank White 2 LW Norman Watt Referee – Harlow Stiles, Cornwall^B A. ^ Coleman lists spelling as Lorne Hanna, other spellings include Hannay (Reddick's spelling) and Hanney (in The Globe article) B. ^ Coleman lists E. Butterworth as referee. However, Boyle is recorded as complaining about Stiles missing off-side calls. Source: Coleman[4]

According to The Globe: The score was 9 to 2 but Ottawa might have increased its proportions had they set to work to run up a score on the men who had travelled 4,000 miles from the far north in quest of the trophy. During the first twenty minutes of play, the challenging team made a remarkably fine showing against the champions, but after that they gradually faded away and were never seriously in the running, indicating that the chief fault with the team is that they are not in condition to stand the test of a hard battle after their long trip of 23 days from the north. While defeated to-night, it is undoubtedly the fact that the team will be a different proportion in the second game on Monday.[5]

Sources:

• The Globe, January 14, 1905[5]
• Fischler[6]

Game Two Dawson at Ottawa, January 16, 1905 Ottawa 23 P Dawson 2 Dave Finnie G Albert Forrest Harvey Pulford P Jim Johnstone Arthur Moore CP Lorne Hanna Harry Westwick 5 RO Dave Fairburn Frank McGee 14 C Hector Smith 2 Alf Smith 3 RW George Kennedy Frank White 1 LW Norman Watt Referee – E. Butterworth, Ottawa Source: Coleman, pg. 112

After the second game, The Globe reported: The visiting team was outclassed to-night quite as decisively as the score indicates. In fact had it not been for the fact of Forrest's presence in the Dawson goal the score against them might have been a great deal larger. Ottawa simply skated away from them at the whistle and continued to pile up the goals with a merciless monotonous regularity which was farcical in the extreme.[7]

Sources:

• The Globe, January 17, 1905[7]
• Fischler[6]

After the series, Ottawa held a banquet for Dawson City at the Ottawa Amateur Athletic Association (OAAA) clubhouse. After the banquet, the Stanley Cup was drop kicked into the frozen Rideau Canal. It was retrieved the next day.

Ottawa vs. Rat Portage Thistles

In March 1905, the Rat Portage Thistles issued another challenge to the Senators. McGee did not play in the first game and the Thistles crushed Ottawa, 9–3. However, he returned to lead the Senators to 4–2 and 5–4 victories in games two and three, respectively. McGee returned in game two, with his good forearm wrapped in a cast, and only a light bandage on his broken wrist, to decoy the Thistles. Alf Smith scored three goals in game two on slow ice, which the Thistles claimed was salted to slow down the Thistles. There was hard ice in game three, and the lead exchanged hands several times. The Thistles led 2–1 at halftime and 3–2 midway through the second half. Ottawa took a 4–3 lead, before Tommy Phillips scored his third of the game to tie the score. However, McGee came through with the winning score late in the game to win it for Ottawa.[8]

Date	Winning Team	Score	Losing Team	Location
March 7, 1905	Rat Portage Thistles	9–3	Ottawa	Dey's Arena
March 9, 1905	Ottawa	4–2	Rat Portage Thistles
March 11, 1905	Ottawa	5–4	Rat Portage Thistles
Ottawa wins best-of-three series two games to one.

March 7, 1905

Rat Portage Thistles 9			Ottawa HC 3
Player	G	Pos	Player	G
Eddie Geroux		G	Dave Finnie
Matt Brown		P	Harvey Pulford, Capt.
Theo Bellefuille	1	CP	Arthur Moore
Si Griffis	2	R	Harry Westwick	1
Billy McGimsie		C	Horace Gaul
Tom Hopper	1	RW	Alf Smith
Tommy Phillips, Capt.	5	LW	Hamby Shore	2
Referee - Hartland McDougall

• Spare - Rat Portage - Roxy Beaudro -LW/D
• Spare - Ottawa - Arthur "Bones" Allen -D, Billy Bawlf -F Bill Gilmore -LW, Frank White -F

March 9, 1905

Rat Portage Thistles 2			Ottawa HC 4
Player	G	Pos	Player	G
Eddie Geroux		G	Dave Finnie
Matt Brown		P	Harvey Pulford, Capt.
Theo Bellefuille		CP	Arthur Moore
Si Griffis	1	R	Harry Westwick
Billy McGimsie		C	Frank McGee
Tom Hopper	1	RW	Alf Smith	3
Tommy Phillips, Capt.		LW	Billy Gilmour	1
Referee - Mike Grant

• Spare - Rat Portage - Roxy Beaudro - LW/D
• Spare - Ottawa - Arthur "Bones" Allen -D, Billy Bawlf -F, Hamby Shore -RW, Frank White -F

March 11, 1905

Rat Portage Thistles 4			Ottawa HC 5
Player	G	Pos	Player	G
Eddie Geroux		G	Dave Finnie
Matt Brown		P	Harvey Pulford, Capt.
Theodore Bellefuille		CP	Arthur Moore
Si Griffis		R	Harry Westwick	1
Billy McGimsie		C	Frank McGee	3
Tom Hopper	1	RW	Alf Smith	1
Tommy Phillips, Capt.	3	LW	Billy Gilmour
Referee - Mike Grant

• Spare - Rat Portage - Roxy Beaudro - LW/D
• Spare - Ottawa - Arthur "Bones" Allen - D, Billy Bawft - F, Hamby Shore - RW, Frank White - F

Ottawa Hockey Club 1905 Stanley Cup champions

The Ottawa Hockey Club in 1905

Players

  Centres

• Frank McGee
• Harry Westwick (Rover)

  Wingers

• Hamilton "Billy" Gilmour
• Horace Gaul
• McDonald&
• Hamilton Hamby Shore
• Alf Smith (playing-coach)
• Frank White
• Billy Bawlf

  Defencemen

• Harvey Pulford (Point-Captain)
• Angus "Bones" Allen (point)
• Arthur Moore (cover point),
• Rod Kennedy (cover point)

  Goaltenders

• Dave Finnie

&-first name unknown. McDonald is also missing from the team picture.

Coaching and administrative staff

• G.P. Murphy (President)&, Robert T. "Bob" Shillington (Manager)
• Patrick Baskerville (Treasurer), Thomas D'Arcy McGee (Secretary)
• Halder Kirby (Club Doctor), David Barred (Team Dentist)
• Llewellyn Bates, John Proctor "J.P." Dickson, Martin Rosenthal, Charles Sparks (Directors)
• Pete Green (Trainer), Mac MacGilton (Ass't Trainer)

Stanley Cup engraving

• Patrick "Paddy" Moran name was dotted P. MORAN under the Ottawa vs Dawson engraving on the bowl of the Stanley Cup. The engraving was most likely added during one of the Quebec Bulldogs' Stanley Cup wins in 1912 or 1913.[9]</ref>
• Tommy Smith name was scratched T SMITH next to 1905 Ottawa vs Kenora. Tommy Smith won the Stanley Cup in 1906 with Ottawa, 1913 with Quebec. The name was likely added in 1913.
• Weldy Young, a former member of the Ottawa team in the 1890s, and the captain of the Dawson City team, engraved his name on the Cup with a penknife. He had missed playing for Dawson as he was working in the federal election, although he did arrive in Ottawa during the series.[10]</ref>

See also

• List of Stanley Cup challenge games
• List of Stanley Cup champions
• List of pre-NHL seasons
• List of ice hockey leagues
• 1905 CAHL season

References

1. Kitchen 2008, pp. 141–142.
2. "History of McGee's Inn: Frank McGee, the hockey legend". mcgeesinn.com. McGee's Inn Bed & Breakfast – Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved May 16, 2011.
3. Reddick, Don. "Dawson City, Yukon · Friday, March 7, 1997:The Genesis of Dawson City's challenge". Klondike Sun. Retrieved October 31, 2008 – via yukonweb.com.
4. Coleman 1966, p. 112.
5. "none". The Globe. January 14, 1905. p. 21.
6. Fischler 1990, p. 261.
7. "none". The Globe. January 17, 1905. p. 12.
8. Zweig 2012, p. 301.
9. Podnieks 2004, p. 35.
10. Shea & Wilson 2006, p. 430.

Bibliography

• Coleman, Charles L. (1966). The Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1, 1893–1926 inc. NHL.
• Fischler, Stan (1990). Golden ice : the greatest teams in hockey history. Toronto: McGrawHill Ryerson. ISBN 0-07-549963-0.
• Kitchen, Paul (2008). Win, Tie or Wrangle: The Inside Story of the Old Ottawa Senators - 1883–1935. Manotick, Ontario: Penumbra Press. ISBN 978-1-897323-46-5.
• Podnieks, Andrew (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Fenn Publishing Company, Ltd.
• Shea, Kevin; Wilson, John Jason (2006). Lord Stanley: The Man Behind the Cup. Fenn Publishing Company, Ltd. ISBN 1-55168-281-8.
• Zweig, Eric (2012). Stanley Cup: 120 years of hockey supremacy. Firefly Books. ISBN 978-1-77085-104-7.