Discussion: Who were the 10 best players 1895-1900?

[ted2019]

Here are the bios I am able to dig up:

Fred Scanlan:
2012: MLD 2012 Bios (pic, quotes, stats, accomplishments, everything)

Art Farrell:
2009: MLD11 Draft Thread
2013: MLD, AAA & AA 2013 BIOs

Harry Trihey:
2010: HOHHOF : Early Era round-up!

Are these going to be added to the ATD Bios master page?

 

[Theokritos]

Are these going to be added to the ATD Bios master page?

I've already added them & I plan to fix a few more tomorrow.

 

[tarheelhockey]

and was played by individuals who didn't play another position (or another position frequently)...

Worth noting that Rat Westwick (who is a candidate in this thread) played about half a season as a goalie.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

My wild speculation is that people contemporary to the time period may not have distinguished goalies from everyone else as prominently as future observers would. It might have been more like how we distinguish between a forward and a defenseman today. Different positions but in general they still perform the same tasks on the ice, unlike a goalie.

Given the lack of equipment, it's conceivable to me that a goaltender in the very early days may have acted more like the last defenseman back than a guy waiting to purposefully block the puck. We kind of see this today when a team pulls the goalie and the defending team ends up with the puck in the offensive zone. Defensemen that sort of act like a goaltender in desperation, but not entirely similar.

Do we know exactly when wearing leg pads became standard? This would seem to be an important benchmark in terms of specialization. Gloves surprisingly came well after pads as far as I know, but that would be another important thing to consider. Use of a glove impairs stickhandling, and I wonder if perhaps stickhandling for a goalie was still considered too important a skill to sacrifice by wearing a glove up to a certain time.

 

[Theokritos]

I've already added them & I plan to fix a few more tomorrow.

Actually I find that the existing links are working anyway. Let me know if you find any that are broken.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Do we know exactly when wearing leg pads became standard?

Did @tarheelhockey suggest 1896 recently...? Or was that an isolated/experimental case...?

 

[Sanf]

Did @tarheelhockey suggest 1896 recently...? Or was that an isolated/experimental case...?

Whitey Merritt used it then in Stanley Cup game if I remember correct, but I do remember that there was earlier use in Manitoba prior to that. There are some mentionings about different kind of paddings used from time to time in Montreal newspapers too. I think the first recorded use of goalie mask goes to this timeframe too (though to protect broken nose?). I think that there is good possibility that players did use somekind of common sense and tried different kind of protections and paddings.

 

[Sanf]

I don't mean to be a main boards poster, but yous know me...at what point do we suspect that goalers evolved from Craig Ludwig to something more, hmm, specialized...? Yeah, let's go with specialized. Even if goaltender was a position of note and was played by individuals who didn't play another position (or another position frequently)...using that 1910 practice (?) film and some context clues, I'm not certain that isn't just a statue of standing shot blocking back there...

Its not easy question to get answer. Ofcourse rules prevented the goalies to kneel or go down to ice to prevent goal before 1916-1917 in PCHA and 1917-1918 in NHL. Though the I do not believe that goaltending was sort of balancing act even before that. Clip from 1913 from NHA when the league president clarified the rule for referees.

The Montreal Gazette - tammikuu 11, 1913
Do not give a goal keeper a major for falling on the ice after he has stopped the puck, the rule states he must not deliberately lie or kneel on the ice to stop the puck.

My personal opinion to this is circa 1900. Last generation retired around that time and it brought guys like Billy Nicholson and Paddy Moran. Both played to the end of NHA. Even thought I do believe WW1 and the scarcity of players who wanted to turn pros may have prolonged some careers (even the great ones). Lehman started his pro career in 1906 and senior hockey even few years earlier. He survived to post consolidation hockey. Benedict, Vezina and Holmes all started senior hockey around 1908-1910. All would have probably survived to post consolidation hockey. They easily survived the quite big rule change. With longer careers and career overlaps it comes to the Jaromir Jagr logic. Lehman was considered one of the best goalies in the late first decade. Was he so much better goalie in 1927 to survive to play post consolidation hockey.

But in truth sometimes I wonder could it already be in circa 1890 when the first "career goaltenders" started to compete eachother. And sometimes could it be as late as the new generation arrivered to "pros" circa 1925.

 

[sr edler]

Here's a Turning Back Hokey's Pages bit from 1935 about development of goalies. Mentions Whitey Merritt & Frank Stocking.

The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search

 

[Black Gold Extractor]

Harry Trihey and Mike Grant have the best cases for top 2, IMO. Maybe Dan Bain.

So first impression:

1. Grant
2. Trihey
3. Bain (though Bain is harder for me to get a handle on than the above two.

Trihey was WAY better than his linemates Farrell and Scanlan.

I'm just going to say that I'm disappointed in the record-keeping of the 19th-century Manitoba Hockey Association. (Heck, for the 1895-96 Cup win, the Cup-winning goal is attributed to *either* Dan Bain or Jack Armytage, depending on the source.)

In terms of peak, Trihey is likely the best forward of the pre-1900 era. Using an altered opponent GA method quoipourquoi uses (adjusting for the ability of one player to noticeably influence opponent GA due to the smaller sample):

Dan Bain	GP	G	Lg. Avg. GA	Teams/Lg.	Team GP	Team Players/GP	Team GA	Oppo.GA	Oppo. GA/GP	Adj. Oppo. GA/GP (est.)	Adj. GP	Adj. G	League
1895-96	5	10	25.5	2	5	6	15	36.0	7.20	6.24	82	26	MHA
1899-00 SC	3	4	10.5	2	3	6	11	10.0	3.33	2.40	6	3	SC Challenge
1900-01 SC	2	3	5	2	2	6	4	6.0	3.00	1.80	4	3	SC Challenge
SC Total	5	7	15.5	2	5	6	15	16.0	3.20	2.16	10	6	SC Total
Harry Trihey	GP	G	Lg. Avg. GA	Teams/Lg.	Team GP	Team Players/GP	Team GA	Oppo.GA	Oppo. GA/GP	Adj. Oppo. GA/GP (est.)	Adj. GP	Adj. G	League
1898-99	7	19	29.4	5	8	6	21	31.5	3.94	3.49	72	56	CAHL
1899-00	7	17	37.6	5	8	6	26	40.5	5.06	4.73	72	37	CAHL
1899-00 SC1	3	7	10.5	2	3	6	10	11.0	3.67	1.60	6	9	SC Challenge
1900-01 SC	2	1	5	2	2	6	6	4.0	2.00	1.80	4	1	SC Challenge
SC Total	5	8	15.5	2	5	6	16	15.0	3.00	1.68	10	10	SC Total

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Spoiler: Sanity check: post-consolidation NHL players

Cook	GP	G	Lg. Avg. GA	Teams/Lg.	Team GP	Team Players/GP	Team GA	Oppo.GA	Oppo. GA/GP	Adj. Oppo. GA/GP (est.)	Adj. GP	Adj. G
1926-27	44	33	88	10	44	10	72	89.8	2.04	1.98	82	52
Morenz	GP	G	Lg. Avg. GA	Teams/Lg.	Team GP	Team Players/GP	Team GA	Oppo.GA	Oppo. GA/GP	Adj. Oppo. GA/GP (est.)	Adj. GP	Adj. G
1927-28	43	33	84	10	44	10	48	88.0	2.00	1.94	80	53
Richard	GP	G	Lg. Avg. GA	Teams/Lg.	Team GP	Team Players/GP	Team GA	Oppo.GA	Oppo. GA/GP	Adj. Oppo. GA/GP (est.)	Adj. GP	Adj. G
1944-45	50	50	184	6	50	15	121	196.6	3.93	3.78	82	54
Howe	GP	G	Lg. Avg. GA	Teams/Lg.	Team GP	Team Players/GP	Team GA	Oppo.GA	Oppo. GA/GP	Adj. Oppo. GA/GP (est.)	Adj. GP	Adj. G
1952-53	70	49	168	6	70	16	133	175.0	2.50	2.39	82	64
Hull	GP	G	Lg. Avg. GA	Teams/Lg.	Team GP	Team Players/GP	Team GA	Oppo.GA	Oppo. GA/GP	Adj. Oppo. GA/GP (est.)	Adj. GP	Adj. G
1965-66	65	54	213	6	70	16	187	218.2	3.12	3.00	76	56
1966-67	66	52	209	6	70	16	170	216.8	3.10	2.99	77	54
Gretzky	GP	G	Lg. Avg. GA	Teams/Lg.	Team GP	Team Players/GP	Team GA	Oppo.GA	Oppo. GA/GP	Adj. Oppo. GA/GP (est.)	Adj. GP	Adj. G
1981-82	80	92	321	21	80	17	295	322.3	4.03	3.98	82	67
1983-84	74	87	316	21	80	18	314	316.1	3.95	3.91	76	68
Lemieux	GP	G	Lg. Avg. GA	Teams/Lg.	Team GP	Team Players/GP	Team GA	Oppo.GA	Oppo. GA/GP	Adj. Oppo. GA/GP (est.)	Adj. GP	Adj. G
1988-89	76	85	299	21	80	18	349	296.5	3.71	3.66	78	71
1992-93	60	69	305	24	84	18	268	306.6	3.65	3.62	59	56
Ovechkin	GP	G	Lg. Avg. GA	Teams/Lg.	Team GP	Team Players/GP	Team GA	Oppo.GA	Oppo. GA/GP	Adj. Oppo. GA/GP (est.)	Adj. GP	Adj. G
2007-08	82	65	223	30	82	18	223	223.0	2.72	2.70	82	72
2018-19	82	51	244	31	82	18	248	243.9	2.97	2.96	82	52

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

... Eh. It's okay. For post-WHA merger, it's effectively the same as Hockey-Reference.com's adjusted stats. It has the usual caveats with regard to O6-era talent compression and overestimating players who played in environments with large number of PP opportunities.

Trihey and Bain played against one another in consecutive years in Cup challenges, with the Cup exchanging hands. It's fair to say that both clubs were fairly even. Bain had 7 goals in 5 games, and Trihey had 8 in 5 games. Trihey does a fair bit better adjusted for opponent GA (one where I assume that the Stanley Cup Challenge is its own league! ... of 2 teams, just like the MHA). (Stats are adjusted to an environment where a total of 6 goals are scored per game and rosters consist of 18 players.)

Unfortunately, the MHA was simply not an equivalent "league" (again, of only 2 teams) to the AHAC/CAHL, so regular-season numbers are of questionable usefulness. Just like the WWII NHL had it's scoring skyrocket, just a brief glance at the opponent GA for the lone recorded MHA season (that I could find so far) versus the two CAHL seasons indicates the difference in quality of competition. (When both Cup-contenders met, opponent GA dropped even further.)

That being said, there are a couple of factors in favor of Bain. This match-up occurred during Trihey's peak and at the end of Bain's prime, so it's conceivable that a younger Bain could have been better. Additionally, Trihey's peak is a couple of seasons and his prime is basically that plus one additional season during which he permanently injured his hand, which ended his career. Bain did have a clear-cut 6-year prime.

So as it turns out, even at the beginning, it's the same argument we see all the time. Peak vs longevity.

I don't really consider Harvey Pulford, Blair Russell, and Alf Smith as pre-1900 players. Should I? Seems especially weird to include Blair Russell, whose best years were spent as Russell Bowie's defensive conscience. I think of what Pulford and Smith did playing with Frank McGee, but I realize they did start up before he did.

Edit: I also think of Westwick as mostly post-1900.

I agree with this.

 

[Sanf]

And because it is always risky to talk from memory I quickly searched few articles. It does seem to verify my memory that it was a thing in Manitoba prior to the time that Merritt use them in finals. And that article also seem to clarify that it wasn´t a thing in Montreal atleast prior 1893 and probably took time to be more popular. Other one that I found may suggest that there may have been some use in Ontario too before it became popular.

Winnipeg vs. Montreal A.A.A. game from 1893

Goalkeeper in this game most likely was Art Stow (so not Merritt)

The Montreal Gazette feb 16. 1893
Their get up was somewhat of a revelation to Montrealers. The goal keeper wore a pair of cricket greaves and every man on the team wore shin pads. Their method of facing is also different from that accepted in East.

So from game where all of the players of Kingston Limestones were pads.

The Ottawa Journal 6.Mar 1895
The Electrics returned this morning well pleased with treatment they had received form the Kingstonians. The team humoriously explain their defeat by stating that each player on the Limestone team wore cricket pads for protection and the pad took up so much room when the Limestones were protecting their goals that there was no opening for the puck to get through the flags.

 

[Sanf]

So the answer to the "goalie pad" question is similar to Jacques Plante "first to wear mask". It probably was used locally in some parts and some individuals may have used it in various leagues, but Merritt wearing pads in 1896 challenge game popularized the use of cricket pads.

 

[sr edler]

I think the first recorded use of goalie mask goes to this timeframe too (though to protect broken nose?).

Could be you're thinking of Edgar Hiscock goalie of the Kingston Frontenacs who wore a baseball mask as protection in 1899.

Lots (almost a plurality) of multi-athletes in this era, so not that strange that equipment or protection was brought cross sports. I know later on in the American league (c. 1910) there was a skater wearing a baseball mask for the same reason (broken nose). It also happened in the collegiate circuit.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Lots (almost a plurality) of multi-athletes in this era, so not that strange that equipment or protection was brought cross sports. I know later on in the American league (c. 1910) there was a skater wearing a baseball mask for the same reason (broken nose). It also happened in the collegiate circuit.

I find it interesting that during the days of multi-sport athletes, it wasn’t terribly controversial for a goalie to play around with protective equipment like pads and masks. And likewise early experiments with skater helmets. Seems that it was all taken as common sense, even up through the 1930s with Art Ross pushing for helmets and widespread suggestions that goalie masks were overdue.

Maybe it’s just in my perception, but it seems to me the shift to single-sport athletes happened around the same time as the anti-mask/helmet culture became entrenched, circa WWII or right after. That’s a weird coincidence, because athletic specialization was driven largely by the promise of a big payday, while a lack of protective equipment would put that payday at risk (perhaps permanently). Whereas in the early era the players seemed much less enthusiastic about being seriously injured, perhaps because they weren’t able to rely on hockey as a sole long-term source of income. Maybe this isn’t the thread to pick this topic apart, but there is an odd contrast between early-era attitudes and those of the O6 era, especially when it comes to goalies.

 

[Sanf]

Could be you're thinking of Edgar Hiscock goalie of the Kingston Frontenacs who wore a baseball mask as protection in 1899.

Lots (almost a plurality) of multi-athletes in this era, so not that strange that equipment or protection was brought cross sports. I know later on in the American league (c. 1910) there was a skater wearing a baseball mask for the same reason (broken nose). It also happened in the collegiate circuit.

Yeah that is the one. Though I haven´t seen that article myself, but I believe it was RGO from here, who had seen it.

True. There were quite a many baseball mask exmperiments. Mostly to protect injuries like broken nose, but I have seen ones that used the mask solely for preventing injuries. Harry Stuat (or was it Stewart), Ivor Anderson, Lawrence Jones are some goalies that used or experimented mask prior to Elisabeth Graham.

Still kind of interesting that it took so long that masks were brought to hockey. William Bannon modified his own version of baseball mask and it became mandatory already in 1904 in roller polo in states.

The Indianapolis Journal March 20, 1904
William Bannon of the Indianapolis team, the king of goal tenders, received the following letter of thanks from the league magnates who drew up the letter at a recent meeting in Anderson: "Dear Sir-At a meenting of the directors of the Western Roller Polo League a vote of thanks was officially extended to you for your services in inventing a mask for goal tenders which has been tried and found eminently succesful. The Accidents avoided by the use of the same have demonstrated its great value. We, one and all,thank you for your part in giving to the game of polo this greatly needed protection

 

[sr edler]

I find it interesting that during the days of multi-sport athletes, it wasn’t terribly controversial for a goalie to play around with protective equipment like pads and masks. And likewise early experiments with skater helmets. Seems that it was all taken as common sense, even up through the 1930s with Art Ross pushing for helmets and widespread suggestions that goalie masks were overdue.

Maybe it’s just in my perception, but it seems to me the shift to single-sport athletes happened around the same time as the anti-mask/helmet culture became entrenched, circa WWII or right after. That’s a weird coincidence, because athletic specialization was driven largely by the promise of a big payday, while a lack of protective equipment would put that payday at risk (perhaps permanently). Whereas in the early era the players seemed much less enthusiastic about being seriously injured, perhaps because they weren’t able to rely on hockey as a sole long-term source of income. Maybe this isn’t the thread to pick this topic apart, but there is an odd contrast between early-era attitudes and those of the O6 era, especially when it comes to goalies.

It's hard to puzzle out the motives sometimes. I've found that some of the early 1900s players not very excited about the over-the-top violence in the sport were the same that were not excited about the professional game. It's in this Billy Breen quote for instance after a game between the Winnipeg HC and the Winnipeg Maple Leafs in 1907.

"Our fellows are purely amateur and cannot afford to appear at their offices with their heads all bandaged up. Their employers object, and so do the men themselves. If they cannot go through a game without being disfigured, they do not want to play. There is no use trying to play with such players as we were against in this game, so we retire from the game entirely. We want no more of it under any circumstances. Such hockey is nothing short of brutal."

– Ottawa Journal, Dec. 23, 1907, pg. 2
​

A player who didn't want anything to do with going pro was Russell Bowie, and he was also a clean type of player from what I remember reading, who didn't like the violence. There were non-violent type of players in the pro game too though, like Nighbor, Walker, et cetera. Not everyone there was a stick-wielding maniac.

 

[sr edler]

Yeah that is the one. Though I haven´t seen that article myself, but I believe it was RGO from here, who had seen it.

It's in the 3rd column & 7th paragraph here

Ottawa Citizen - Google News Archive Search

(Ottawa Citizen, Jan. 23, 1899, pg. 6)

 

[Black Gold Extractor]

The AHAC/CAHL is probably the standard bearer during the Cup Challenge years (with only the Winnipeg Victorias and Kenora Thistles in 1907 winning from outside the league). As such, it might be of interest to start analyzing it like we do with the NHL.

First up, here are the leaderboard appearances for skaters (must have scored more than one goal to be ranked) in the AHAC/CAHL up until 1900:

Skater	Leaderboard	Notes
Swift, Albert E. "Dolly"	1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 6	Somehow, not in the HHOF. Most prolific pre-1900 goal-scorer.
Macnaughton, Archibald Edward “Archie”	1, 1, 3	Star forward for Montreal HC. Also played lacrosse, and was an 8-time amateur boxing champion.
Routh, Haviland	1, 1, 3	Set league goal-scoring record of 19 goals in 1895. The rest of his team scored 14.
Trihey, Harry	1, 1	HHOF. Tied league goal-scoring record in 1899. Scored 36 goals in 14 games in consecutive years. Career cut short by a hand injury.
McKerrow, Clare	1, 2, 2, 2	One second-place finish was 12 goals in 4 games in an 8-game season.
Bradley, Robert	1, 2
MacDougall, Robert	1, 3, 3, 7	Star forward for the Montreal Victorias.
Russell, Herbert	1, 3	Ottawa HC captain.
Davidson, Cam	1, 4, 8	Younger brother of Shirley Davison (see below).
Campbell, Jack	1, 4
Kingan, Alex	1, 4
Smith, Alf	1, 6, 9	HHOF. Would go on to have an excellent career in the 1900’s.
Elliot, D.A.	1
Virtue, James	1
Bowie, Russell	2, 3	HHOF. Would go on to have an excellent career in the 1900’s.
Findlay, Jack	2, 3
Lowe, George	2, 5, 6, 8
Davidson, Shirley	2, 5, 6	“Known as a fast skater, good checker and good puckhandler who would never have a bad game.”
Rankin, Norman	2, 5
Hodgson, Archie	2, 6, 7, 8
Westwick, Harry	2, 6	HHOF. Would go on to have an excellent career in the 1900’s.
Craven, J.	2
Hodgson, Billy	2
Holder, Kirby	2
Barlow, Billy	3, 3, 7	Scored the first ever Stanley Cup-winning goal in 1894.
Brown, Dave	3, 4, 5
Lee, Sam	3, 5, 6, 6
Christmas, Billy	3, 10	Pure speculation, but I think he has an entire holiday season named after him.
Kirby, Chauncey	4, 4, 5, 9	Ottawa HC captain for 1895-96 season.
Ashe, Fred	4
Brown, Desse	4
Kinghorn, James	4
McLea, Ernie	4	Scored first ever Stanley Cup hat-trick. His third, scored with less than two minutes left, was the game-winner over the Winnipeg Victorias in 1897 (6-5).
Stuart, Bruce	4	HHOF. Early power forward. Would go on to have an excellent career in the 1900’s.
Gillespie, James	5, 5
Drinkwater, Graham	5, 6, 6	HHOF. Captain of the Montreal Victorias. Assisted on Ernie McLea’s third goal of the 1897 Stanley Cup game. (See above.)
Farrell, Arthur	5, 6	HHOF. Wrote first ever book on ice hockey, “Hockey: Canada’s Royal Winter Game”. (Only 4 copies exist in the world.)
Shearer, Andy	5, 6	Father of Hollywood actresses Norma and Athole Shearer and recording director Douglas Shearer.
Brannen, Jack	5, 10	Extremely fast skater. In 1900, won a 220-yard race against speed skating world titleholder Morris Wood.
Arnton, Jack	5
Cameron, Allan	5
Dowd, Frank	5
Findley, John	5
McQuisten, Sam	5
Ritchie, A	5
Scott, Arthur D.	5
Virtue, William	5
Russell, Blair	6	HHOF. Would go on to have an excellent career in the 1900’s.
Ewing, Jack	7
Fairbairn, ???	7
Hutchison, Howard	7
Doyle, Pat	8, 8
Horsfall, Herbert	8, 10
Howard, R.	8
Liffiton, Charlie	8	Would later play in multiple professional hockey leagues.
Murray, William	8
Davidson, K	9
Gillilan, David	9
McCarron, George	9
McDougall, Sam	9
Mussen, Adurey	9
Roger, Mac	9

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Black Gold Extractor]

Top-2 finishes in GAA for goalies in the AHAC/CAHL until 1900. Goalies must have played at least two games to rank.

Goalie	Leaderboard	Notes
Paton, Tom	1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2	Undefeated in 1889-90 and 1890-91 (13 games). In 1885 Montreal Winter Carnival and 1886 Burlington Winter Carnival, played 8 games and recorded 7 shutouts.
Chittick, Fred	1, 1
Collins, Herbert	1, 2, 2
Jones, Robert	1, 2, 2	In 1893-94, 1894-95, and 1895-96, had a regular season record of 12-1, but lost the Cup challenge game to the Winnipeg Victorias.
Morel, Albert	1, 2, 2
Lewis, Gordon	1, 2
Arnton, Tom S.	1
Nicholson, Billy	1
Tobin, A.	1
Norris, ???	2, 2	EDIT: Thanks to Sanf for pointing this out below!
Crathern, J.C.	2
Hutton, Bouse	2	HHOF. Would go on to have an excellent career in the 1900’s with Ottawa HC/Silver Sevens.
McKenna, James H.	2
Stocking, Frank	2

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Sanf]

Top-2 finishes in GAA for goalies in the AHAC/CAHL until 1900. Goalies must have played at least two games to rank.

Goalie	Leaderboard	Notes
Paton, Tom	1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2	Undefeated in 1889-90 and 1890-91 (13 games). In 1885 Montreal Winter Carnival and 1886 Burlington Winter Carnival, played 8 games and recorded 7 shutouts.
Chittick, Fred	1, 1
Collins, Herbert	1, 2, 2
Jones, Robert	1, 2, 2	In 1893-94, 1894-95, and 1895-96, had a regular season record of 12-1, but lost the Cup challenge game to the Winnipeg Victorias.
Morel, Albert	1, 2, 2
Lewis, Gordon	1, 2
Arnton, Tom S.	1
Nicholson, Billy	1
Tobin, A.	1
Crathern, J.C.	2
Hutton, Bouse	2	HHOF. Would go on to have an excellent career in the 1900’s with Ottawa HC/Silver Sevens.
McKenna, James H.	2
Norris, J.	2
Norris, W.	2
Stocking, Frank	2

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Good job gathering these. W. Norris and J.Norris on the goalie list are actually the same player as far as I know.

Gordon Lewis surpassed Robert Jones as starting goalie of Montreal Victorias in 1894, but suffered broken kneecap while playing football which caused him to miss two season. Robert Jones has wiki page, but it is fairly misleading.

Also as sidenote there was such a thing as 1886 season. Wiki does not have it I believe. It wasn´t AHAC season, but it went wuth similar challenge mode as 1887 and Montreal Victorias were the last holders of the championship of that season.

 

[tarheelhockey]

The AHAC/CAHL is probably the standard bearer during the Cup Challenge years (with only the Winnipeg Victorias and Kenora Thistles in 1907 winning from outside the league). As such, it might be of interest to start analyzing it like we do with the NHL.

First up, here are the leaderboard appearances for skaters (must have scored more than one goal to be ranked) in the AHAC/CAHL up until 1900:

Skater	Leaderboard	Notes
Swift, Albert E. "Dolly"	1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 6	Somehow, not in the HHOF. Most prolific pre-1900 goal-scorer.
Macnaughton, Archibald Edward “Archie”	1, 1, 3	Star forward for Montreal HC. Also played lacrosse, and was an 8-time amateur boxing champion.
Routh, Haviland	1, 1, 3	Set league goal-scoring record of 19 goals in 1895. The rest of his team scored 14.
Trihey, Harry	1, 1	HHOF. Tied league goal-scoring record in 1899. Scored 36 goals in 14 games in consecutive years. Career cut short by a hand injury.
McKerrow, Clare	1, 2, 2, 2	One second-place finish was 12 goals in 4 games in an 8-game season.
Bradley, Robert	1, 2
MacDougall, Robert	1, 3, 3, 7	Star forward for the Montreal Victorias.
Russell, Herbert	1, 3	Ottawa HC captain.
Davidson, Cam	1, 4, 8	Younger brother of Shirley Davison (see below).
Campbell, Jack	1, 4
Kingan, Alex	1, 4
Smith, Alf	1, 6, 9	HHOF. Would go on to have an excellent career in the 1900’s.
Elliot, D.A.	1
Virtue, James	1
Bowie, Russell	2, 3	HHOF. Would go on to have an excellent career in the 1900’s.
Findlay, Jack	2, 3
Lowe, George	2, 5, 6, 8
Davidson, Shirley	2, 5, 6	“Known as a fast skater, good checker and good puckhandler who would never have a bad game.”
Rankin, Norman	2, 5
Hodgson, Archie	2, 6, 7, 8
Westwick, Harry	2, 6	HHOF. Would go on to have an excellent career in the 1900’s.
Craven, J.	2
Hodgson, Billy	2
Holder, Kirby	2
Barlow, Billy	3, 3, 7	Scored the first ever Stanley Cup-winning goal in 1894.
Brown, Dave	3, 4, 5
Lee, Sam	3, 5, 6, 6
Christmas, Billy	3, 10	Pure speculation, but I think he has an entire holiday season named after him.
Kirby, Chauncey	4, 4, 5, 9	Ottawa HC captain for 1895-96 season.
Ashe, Fred	4
Brown, Desse	4
Kinghorn, James	4
McLea, Ernie	4	Scored first ever Stanley Cup hat-trick. His third, scored with less than two minutes left, was the game-winner over the Winnipeg Victorias in 1897 (6-5).
Stuart, Bruce	4	HHOF. Early power forward. Would go on to have an excellent career in the 1900’s.
Gillespie, James	5, 5
Drinkwater, Graham	5, 6, 6	HHOF. Captain of the Montreal Victorias. Assisted on Ernie McLea’s third goal of the 1897 Stanley Cup game. (See above.)
Farrell, Arthur	5, 6	HHOF. Wrote first ever book on ice hockey, “Hockey: Canada’s Royal Winter Game”. (Only 4 copies exist in the world.)
Shearer, Andy	5, 6	Father of Hollywood actresses Norma and Athole Shearer and recording director Douglas Shearer.
Brannen, Jack	5, 10	Extremely fast skater. In 1900, won a 220-yard race against speed skating world titleholder Morris Wood.
Arnton, Jack	5
Cameron, Allan	5
Dowd, Frank	5
Findley, John	5
McQuisten, Sam	5
Ritchie, A	5
Scott, Arthur D.	5
Virtue, William	5
Russell, Blair	6	HHOF. Would go on to have an excellent career in the 1900’s.
Ewing, Jack	7
Fairbairn, ???	7
Hutchison, Howard	7
Doyle, Pat	8, 8
Horsfall, Herbert	8, 10
Howard, R.	8
Liffiton, Charlie	8	Would later play in multiple professional hockey leagues.
Murray, William	8
Davidson, K	9
Gillilan, David	9
McCarron, George	9
McDougall, Sam	9
Mussen, Adurey	9
Roger, Mac	9

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Top-2 finishes in GAA for goalies in the AHAC/CAHL until 1900. Goalies must have played at least two games to rank.

Goalie	Leaderboard	Notes
Paton, Tom	1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2	Undefeated in 1889-90 and 1890-91 (13 games). In 1885 Montreal Winter Carnival and 1886 Burlington Winter Carnival, played 8 games and recorded 7 shutouts.
Chittick, Fred	1, 1
Collins, Herbert	1, 2, 2
Jones, Robert	1, 2, 2	In 1893-94, 1894-95, and 1895-96, had a regular season record of 12-1, but lost the Cup challenge game to the Winnipeg Victorias.
Morel, Albert	1, 2, 2
Lewis, Gordon	1, 2
Arnton, Tom S.	1
Nicholson, Billy	1
Tobin, A.	1
Crathern, J.C.	2
Hutton, Bouse	2	HHOF. Would go on to have an excellent career in the 1900’s with Ottawa HC/Silver Sevens.
McKenna, James H.	2
Norris, J.	2
Norris, W.	2
Stocking, Frank	2

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Great stuff!

From a purely superficial standpoint, this would seem to have the top-10 as:

1. Tom Paton 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2
2. Dolly Swift 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 6
3. Archie MacNaughton 1, 1, 3
4. Haviland Routh 1, 1, 3
5. Harry Trihey / Fred Chittick 1, 1
7. Clare McKerrow 1, 2, 2, 2
8. Herbert Collins / Albert Jones / Robert Morel 1, 2

Of course that trio of goalies at the end gives us the other extreme of the problem we had before, an over-emphasis on that one position. Perhaps instead:

8. Robert Bradley 1, 2
9. Robert MacDougall 1, 3, 3, 7
10. Herbert Russell 1, 3

That gives us a start, something to react to.

Some options who may be underrated by this system:
1. Dan Bain, Tony Gingras, Jack Armytage, Tom Howard -- the Winnipeg stars
2. Mike Grant - played cover-point, so he wouldn't show up on the scoring leaderboard but was one of the top handful of players during this era
3. Weldy Young - Another cover-point, not quite at Grant's level but still quite highly regarded
4. Frank Stocking, George Merritt, and "W." Norris seem to be the best goalies not yet named.

 

[tarheelhockey]

More fuel for the fire... Ultimate Hockey's projected award winners, as posted in this thread:

Hart
1890 A. McNaughton
1891 A. Cameron
1892 R. Bradley
1893 H. Routh
1894 A. Swift
1895 H. Routh
1896 M. Grant
1897 B. McDougall
1898 M. Grant
1899 H. Trihey

Norris
1890 A. Cameron
1891 A. Cameron
1892 J. Stewart
1893 W. Young
1894 W. Young
1895 M. Grant
1896 M. Grant
1897 M. Grant
1898 M. Grant
1899 M. Grant

Vezina
1890 T. Paton
1891 T. Paton
1892 A. Morel
1893 T. Paton
1894 H. Collins
1895 H. Collins
1896 F. Chittick
1897 F. Chittick
1898 H. Collins
1899 J. McKenna

 

[Sanf]

More fuel for the fire... Ultimate Hockey's projected award winners, as posted in this thread:

Hart
1890 A. McNaughton
1891 A. Cameron
1892 R. Bradley
1893 H. Routh
1894 A. Swift
1895 H. Routh
1896 M. Grant
1897 B. McDougall
1898 M. Grant
1899 H. Trihey

Norris
1890 A. Cameron
1891 A. Cameron
1892 J. Stewart
1893 W. Young
1894 W. Young
1895 M. Grant
1896 M. Grant
1897 M. Grant
1898 M. Grant
1899 M. Grant

Vezina
1890 T. Paton
1891 T. Paton
1892 A. Morel
1893 T. Paton
1894 H. Collins
1895 H. Collins
1896 F. Chittick
1897 F. Chittick
1898 H. Collins
1899 J. McKenna

I have seen those and I´m fairly sceptical with the Vezina voting. Or maybe they have just meant to do it in the way of the old Vezina (Jennings trophy) way. Winner was the goalie with lowest GAA with a significant amount of games. I can´t see goaltenders of those early days compared that way. For example one game recap from 1897 Chitticks winning season.


The Montreal Gazette - Feb 15, 1897
...Victorias were being outplayed and were kept continually on the defensive; in fact so much that Chittick sat on the edge of the rink; he was having nothing to do.

The games and the league seemed very lopsided at times. The teams unbalanced.

I need to start to think of the skaters bit more. I have done so much more work with goalie so it needs bit of time. And even as huge goalie fan I would probably rank best goalie in around 6-10.

 

[Black Gold Extractor]

That gives us a start, something to react to.

Some options who may be underrated by this system:
1. Dan Bain, Tony Gingras, Jack Armytage, Tom Howard -- the Winnipeg stars
2. Mike Grant - played cover-point, so he wouldn't show up on the scoring leaderboard but was one of the top handful of players during this era
3. Weldy Young - Another cover-point, not quite at Grant's level but still quite highly regarded
4. Frank Stocking, George Merritt, and "W." Norris seem to be the best goalies not yet named.

I agree that the leaderboard appearances lists are definitely just preliminary stuff to gain some footing. As for Winnipeg, it's basically what we see from the Cup Challenges to give us a basic idea. I think it's basically fair to treat them like the Canada Cup as a standard of measurement between the Canada and the USSR (or perhaps like CSKA Moscow when they toured the NHL).

Player	GP	Goals	Cup Challenges (up to 1900)	Notes
Dan Bain	6	6	1896, 1897, 1899, 1900	I’m awarding the game-winning goal in 1896 to Armytage due to conflicting sources.
Tony Gingras	4	3	1899, 1900
Jack Armytage	4	3	1896, 1897, 1899	Scored game-winner in 1896 (probably).
Tom Howard	4	3	1896, 1897, 1899
Harry Triley	3	7	1900 (vs Winnipeg)	Scored 17 goals in 7 games in the regular season.

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

It is worth noting that I suspect that George Merritt would have won the Smythe in 1896 while Bain's 4 goals in 3 games in 1900 would be "Smythe-worthy". (Bain would probably have won the Smythe in 1901 with 3 goals in a 2-game sweep in the rematch with the Shamrocks, but I suppose someone in 1900 wouldn't be judging Bain on something that he would later do in 1901.)

My gut feeling is that up to 1900, Dan Bain is the legit Hall of Famer and the other stars would be in the Hall of Very Good, so to speak. However, ask me again about Tony Gingras in 1905...

I have seen those and I´m fairly sceptical with the Vezina voting. Or maybe they have just meant to do it in the way of the old Vezina (Jennings trophy) way. Winner was the goalie with lowest GAA with a significant amount of games. I can´t see goaltenders of those early days compared that way. For example one game recap from 1897 Chitticks winning season.


The Montreal Gazette - Feb 15, 1897
...Victorias were being outplayed and were kept continually on the defensive; in fact so much that Chittick sat on the edge of the rink; he was having nothing to do.

The games and the league seemed very lopsided at times. The teams unbalanced.

I need to start to think of the skaters bit more. I have done so much more work with goalie so it needs bit of time. And even as huge goalie fan I would probably rank best goalie in around 6-10.

I decided to adjust GAA relative to average opponent goals scored per game. Here are the league stats:

Spoiler: AHAC/CAHL Opponent GF and GA

1887	Games played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals for	Goals against	GF/GP	GA/GP	Avg. Opponent GF	Avg. Opponent GA
Montreal Victorias	7	6	1	0	27	7	3.86	1.00	1.30	3.44
Montreal Crystals†	5	2	3	0	7	12	1.40	2.40	3.19	1.70
Montreal HC	1	0	1	0	2	5	2.00	5.00	3.86	1.00
Ottawa HC	1	0	1	0	1	5	1.00	5.00	3.86	1.00
McGill University	2	0	2	0	1	9	0.50	4.50	2.63	1.70
1888	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals For	Goals Against	GF/GP	GA/GP	Avg. Opponent GF	Avg. Opponent GA
Montreal Hockey Club†	6	5	1	0	23	6	3.83	1.00	2.56	3.50
Montreal Victorias	6	5	1	0	24	9	4.00	1.50	2.50	3.33
Montreal Crystals	6	2	4	0	18	14	3.00	2.33	2.83	3.06
McGill University	6	0	6	0	4	40	0.67	6.67	3.61	1.61
1889	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals For	Goals Against	GF/GP	GA/GP	Avg. Opponent GF	Avg. Opponent GA
Montreal Hockey Club	7	6	1	0	26	9	3.71	1.29	2.31	3.33
Montreal Crystals	6	3	3	0	17	16	2.83	2.67	2.64	2.93
Montreal Victorias	3	1	2	0	7	11	2.33	3.67	3.42	1.75
Quebec Hockey Club	1	0	1	0	2	3	2.00	3.00	3.71	1.29
McGill	1	0	1	0	4	8	4.00	8.00	2.83	2.67
Halifax Chebuctos	2	0	2	0	2	10	1.00	5.00	3.27	1.98
1890	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals For	Goals Against	GF/GP	GA/GP	Avg. Opponent GF	Avg. Opponent GA
Montreal Hockey Club†	7	7	0	0	28	13	4.00	1.86	1.14	4.00
Quebec Hockey Club	1	0	1	0	1	5	1.00	5.00	4.00	1.86
Montreal Dominions	3	0	3	0	3	15	1.00	5.00	4.00	1.86
Montreal Victorias	3	0	3	0	4	8	1.33	2.67	4.00	1.86
1891	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals For	Goals Against	GF/GP	GA/GP	Avg. Opponent GF	Avg. Opponent GA
Montreal Hockey Club†	8	8	0	0	28	7	3.50	0.88	0.88	3.50
Ottawa Hockey Club	1	0	1	0	0	3	0.00	3.00	3.50	0.88
Montreal Shamrocks	2	0	2	0	2	9	1.00	4.50	3.50	0.88
Montreal Victorias	2	0	2	0	2	6	1.00	3.00	3.50	0.88
Montreal Crescents	2	0	2	0	3	10	1.50	5.00	3.50	0.88
Quebec Hockey Club	1	0	1	0	0	0	0.00	0.00	3.50	0.88
1892	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals For	Goals Against	GF/GP	GA/GP	Avg. Opponent GF	Avg. Opponent GA
Ottawa Hockey Club	7	6	1	0	23	9	3.29	1.29	1.71	4.00
Montreal Hockey Club†	6	1	4	1	9	21	1.50	3.50	3.19	3.52
Montreal Shamrocks	1	0	1	0	3	8	3.00	8.00	1.50	3.50
Montreal Britannias	1	0	0	1	2	2	2.00	2.00	1.50	3.50
Quebec Hockey Club	2	0	2	0	3	6	1.50	3.00	3.29	1.29
1893	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals For	Goals Against	GF/GP	GA/GP	Avg. Opponent GF	Avg. Opponent GA
Montreal Hockey Club	8	7	1	0	38	18	4.75	2.25	3.66	4.28
Ottawa Hockey Club	8	6	2	0	49	22	6.13	2.75	3.31	4.16
Montreal Crystals	8	3	5	0	25	34	3.13	4.25	4.06	3.78
Quebec Hockey Club	8	2	5	1	23	46	2.88	5.75	4.13	3.41
Montreal Victorias	8	1	6	1	20	35	2.50	4.38	4.22	3.75
1894	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals For	Goals Against	GF/GP	GA/GP	Avg. Opponent GF	Avg. Opponent GA
Montreal Hockey Club	8	5	3	0	25	15	3.13	1.88	3.00	3.31
Ottawa Hockey Club	8	5	3	0	24	16	3.00	2.00	3.03	3.28
Montreal Victorias	8	5	3	0	36	20	4.50	2.50	2.66	3.16
Quebec Hockey Club	8	5	3	0	26	27	3.25	3.38	2.97	2.94
Montreal Crystals	8	0	8	0	10	43	1.25	5.38	3.47	2.44
1895	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals For	Goals Against	GF/GP	GA/GP	Avg. Opponent GF	Avg. Opponent GA
Montreal Victorias	8	6	2	0	35	20	4.38	2.50	3.21	3.79
Montreal Hockey Club	8	4	4	0	33	22	4.13	2.75	3.27	3.73
Ottawa	8	4	4	0	25	24	3.13	3.00	3.52	3.67
Montreal Crystals	7	3	4	0	21	39	3.00	5.57	3.55	3.03
Quebec	7	2	5	0	18	27	2.57	3.86	3.66	3.46
1896	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals For	Goals Against	GF/GP	GA/GP	Avg. Opponent GF	Avg. Opponent GA
Montreal Victorias	8	7	1	0	41	24	5.13	3.00	2.66	3.19
Ottawa HC	8	6	2	0	22	16	2.75	2.00	3.25	3.44
Quebec	8	4	4	0	23	23	2.88	2.88	3.22	3.22
Montreal HC	8	2	6	0	24	33	3.00	4.13	3.19	2.91
Montreal Shamrocks	8	1	7	0	16	30	2.00	3.75	3.44	3.00
1897	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals For	Goals Against	GF/GP	GA/GP	Avg. Opponent GF	Avg. Opponent GA
Montreal Victorias	8	7	1	0	48	26	6.00	3.25	3.28	3.97
Ottawa	8	5	3	0	25	18	3.13	2.25	4.00	4.22
Montreal	8	5	3	0	31	26	3.88	3.25	3.81	3.97
Quebec	8	2	6	0	22	46	2.75	5.75	4.09	3.34
Montreal Shamrocks	8	1	7	0	27	37	3.38	4.63	3.94	3.63
1898	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals For	Goals Against	GF/GP	GA/GP	Avg. Opponent GF	Avg. Opponent GA
Montreal Victorias	8	8	0	0	53	33	6.63	4.13	3.63	4.25
Montreal	8	5	3	0	34	21	4.25	2.63	4.22	4.63
Montreal Shamrocks	8	3	5	0	25	36	3.13	4.50	4.50	4.16
Quebec	8	2	6	0	29	35	3.63	4.38	4.38	4.19
Ottawa	8	2	6	0	28	44	3.50	5.50	4.41	3.91
1899	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals For	Goals Against	GF/GP	GA/GP	Avg. Opponent GF	Avg. Opponent GA
Montreal Shamrocks	8	7	1	0	40	21	5.00	2.63	3.34	3.94
Montreal Victorias	8	6	2	0	44	23	5.50	2.88	3.22	3.88
Ottawa Hockey Club	8	4	4	0	21	43	2.63	5.38	3.94	3.25
Montreal Hockey Club	8	3	5	0	30	29	3.75	3.63	3.66	3.69
Quebec Hockey Club	8	0	8	0	12	31	1.50	3.88	4.22	3.63
1900	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals For	Goals Against	GF/GP	GA/GP	Avg. Opponent GF	Avg. Opponent GA
Montreal Shamrocks	8	7	1	0	49	26	6.13	3.25	4.34	5.06
Montreal Hockey Club	8	5	3	0	34	36	4.25	4.50	4.81	4.75
Ottawa Hockey Club	8	4	4	0	28	19	3.50	2.38	5.00	5.28
Montreal Victorias	8	2	6	0	44	55	5.50	6.88	4.50	4.16
Quebec Hockey Club	8	2	6	0	33	52	4.13	6.50	4.84	4.25

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Taking opponent scoring prowess into account, I can calculate the GSAA (goals saved against average) for each goalie. Here are the year-by-year results:

Spoiler: Goalie year-by-year GSAA

Name	Club	GP	GA	SO	GAA	Avg. Oppo. GF/GP	GSAA		1887
Arnton , Tom	Victorias	7	7	3	1.00	1.30	2.1
Paton, Tom	Montreal	1	2	0	2.00	3.86	1.9
Norris, J.	Crystals	3	7	0	2.30	3.19	2.7
Boon, G.	Crystals	2	5	0	2.50	3.19	1.4
Shanks, A.	McGill	1	3	0	3.00	2.63	-0.4
Hutchinson, A.	Montreal	1	3	0	3.00	3.86	0.9
Lowe, A.	Ottawa	1	5	0	5.00	3.86	-1.1
McNutt , C.H.	McGill	1	6	0	6.00	2.63	-3.4
Name	Club	GP	GA	SO	GAA	Avg. Oppo. GF/GP	GSAA		1888
Scanlan, Robert	Crystals	1	1	0	1.00	2.83	1.8
Paton, Tom	Montreal	7	7	2	1.00	2.56	10.9
Crathern, J.C.	Victorias	5	6	0	1.20	2.50	6.5
Arnton, Tom	Victorias	2	4	1	2.00	2.50	1.0
Higginson, A.G.	Montreal	1	2	0	2.00	2.56	0.6
Virtue, William	Crystals	4	9	0	2.20	2.83	2.5
Norris, J.	Crystals	1	4	0	4.00	2.83	-1.2
Shanks, A.	McGill	5	29	0	5.80	3.61	-11.0
McCaffrey, Ed	McGill	1	6	0	6.00	3.61	-2.4
Name	Club	GP	GA	SO	GAA	Avg. Oppo. GF/GP	GSAA		1889
Paton, Tom	Montreal	5	7	0	1.17	2.31	5.7
Norris, J.	Crystals	3	6	0	2.00	2.64	1.9
Arnton, Tom S.	Victorias	1	2	1	2.00	3.42	1.4
Laurie, Archie	Quebec	1	3	0	3.00	3.71	0.7
Scanlan, Robert	Crystals	1	4	0	4.00	2.64	-1.4
Brown, John	Chebuctos	2	10	0	5.00	3.27	-3.5
Jones, Robert	Victorias	1	6	0	6.00	3.42	-2.6
Name	Club	GP	GA	SO	GAA	Avg. Oppo. GF/GP	GSAA		1890
Paton, Tom	Montreal	7	13	0	1.90	1.14	-5.3
Jones, Robert	Victorias	3	8	0	2.70	4.00	3.9
Fyfe, Joe	Dominions	1	3	0	2.00	4.00	2.0
Laurie, Archie	Quebec	1	5	0	5.00	4.00	-1.0
Scanlan, Robert	Dominions	2	12	0	6.00	4.00	-4.0
Name	Club	GP	GA	SO	GAA	Avg. Oppo. GF/GP	GSAA		1891
Tom Paton	Montreal	6	6	1	1.00	0.88	-0.7
Robert Jones	Victorias	2	6	0	3.00	3.50	1.0
Albert Morel	Ottawa	1	3	0	3.00	3.50	0.5
James McKenna	Shamrocks	2	9	0	4.50	3.50	-2.0
Name	Club	GP	GA	SO	GAA	Avg. Oppo. GF/GP	GSAA		1892
Albert Morel	Ottawa	6	9	1	1.50	1.71	1.3
W. Cameron	Britannias	1	2	0	2.00	1.50	-0.5
Tom Paton	Montreal	5	11	0	2.20	3.19	5.0
Bob Patton	Quebec	2	6	0	3.00	3.29	0.6
Joe Fyfe	Shamrocks	1	8	0	8.00	1.50	-6.5
H. Shaw	Montreal	1	10	0	10.00	3.19	-6.8
Name	Club	GP	GA	SO	Avg.	Avg. Oppo. GF/GP	GSAA		1893
Paton, Tom	Montreal	8	18	0	2.30	3.66	10.9
Morel, Albert	Ottawa	8	22	1	2.80	3.31	4.1
Collins, Herbert	Crystals	8	34	1	4.30	4.06	-1.9
Jones, Robert	Victorias	8	35	0	4.40	4.22	-1.5
Patton, Harry	Quebec	7	32	0	4.60	4.13	-3.3
Stocking, Frank	Quebec	1	14	0	14.00	4.13	-9.9
Name	Club	GP	GA	SO	GAA	Avg. Oppo. GF/GP	GSAA		1894
Collins, Herbert	Montreal	8	15	1	1.88	3.00	9.0
Morel, Albert	Ottawa	8	16	1	2.00	3.03	8.2
Lewis, Gordon	Victorias	6	13	1	2.16	2.66	3.0
Jones, Robert	Victorias	1	3		3.00	2.66	-0.3
Stocking, Frank	Quebec	8	27		3.38	2.97	-3.2
White,	Crystals	2	8		4.00	3.47	-1.1
McDougall, Hartland	Victorias	1	4		4.00	2.66	-1.3
Clapperton,	Crystals	4	18		4.50	3.47	-4.1
Carpenter,	Crystals	1	6		6.00	3.47	-2.5
Kearns,	Crystals	1	11		11.00	3.47	-7.5
Name	Club	GP	GA	SO	GAA	Avg. Oppo. GF/GP	GSAA		1895
Jones, Robert	Victorias	4	8		2.00	3.21	4.8
Fenwick, Jim	Victorias	1	2		2.00	3.21	1.2
Collins, Herbert	Montreal	8	22	1	2.70	3.27	4.6
Chittick, Fred	Ottawa	6	18	1	3.00	3.52	3.1
Westwick, Harry	Ottawa	2	6		3.00	3.52	1.0
McDougall, Hartland (actual?)	Victorias	3	10		3.33	3.21	-0.4
White,	Crystals	1	4		3.70	3.55	-0.2
Stocking, Frank	Quebec	7	27		3.90	3.66	-1.7
Lyons,	Crystals	2	16		8.00	3.55	-8.9
Name	Club	GP	GA	SO	GAA	Avg. Oppo. GF/GP	GSAA		1896
Fred Chittick	Ottawa	8	16	1	2.00	3.25	10.0
Frank Stocking	Quebec	8	23		2.90	3.22	2.6
Robert Jones	Victorias	8	24		3.00	2.66	-2.7
James Drysdale	Shamrocks	8	30		3.80	3.44	-2.9
George Hamilton	Montreal	2	8		4.00	3.19	-1.6
Herbert Collins	Montreal	6	25		4.10	3.19	-5.5
Name	Club	GP	GA	SO	GAA	Avg. Oppo. GF/GP	GSAA		1897
Chittick, Fred	Ottawa	8	18	1	2.30	4.00	13.6
Lewis, Gordon	Victorias	8	26		3.30	3.28	-0.2
Collins, Herb	Montreal	8	26		3.30	3.81	4.1
Pagnuelo, Ernest	Shamrocks	8	37		4.60	3.94	-5.3
Stocking, Frank	Quebec	6	25		5.80	4.09	-10.3
Name	Club	GP	GA	SO	Avg.	Avg. Oppo. GF/GP	GSAA		1898
Tobin, A.	Shamrocks	2	2		1.00	4.50	7.0
Collins, Herb	Montreal	8	21	1	2.60	4.22	13.0
Lewis, Gordon	Victorias	3	9		3.00	3.63	1.9
Stocking, Frank	Quebec	7	29		4.10	4.38	2.0
Richardson, Frank	Victorias	5	24		4.80	3.63	-5.9
Chittick, Fred	Ottawa	4	21		5.30	4.41	-3.6
Semple, Hugh	Shamrocks	6	34		5.70	4.50	-7.2
Cope, Alex	Ottawa	4	23		5.80	4.41	-5.6
O'Meara, Mark	Quebec	1	6		6.00	4.38	-1.6
Name	Club	GP	GA	SO	GAA	Avg. Oppo. GF/GP	GSAA		1899
Lewis, Gordon	Victorias	3	7	1	2.30	3.22	2.8
McKenna, James H.	Shamrocks	8	21	1	2.60	3.34	5.9
Collins, Herb	Montreal	6	19		3.20	3.66	2.8
Richardson, Frank	Victorias	4	16		4.00	3.22	-3.1
Hutton, Bouse	Ottawa	2	11		5.50	3.94	-3.1
Stocking, Frank	Quebec	4	24		6.00	4.22	-7.1
Chittick, Fred	Ottawa	5	32		6.40	3.94	-12.3
O'Meara, Mark	Quebec	1	7		7.00	4.22	-2.8
Munro, Fred	Montreal	1	10		10.00	3.66	-6.3
Name	Club	GP	GA	SO	GAA	Avg. Oppo. GF/GP	GSAA		1900
Billy Nicholson	Montreal	4	11	1	2.75	4.81	8.2
Bouse Hutton	Ottawa	7	19	0	2.80	5.00	15.4
James H. McKenna	Shamrocks	7	26	0	3.70	4.34	4.5
Fred Munro	Montreal	4	25	0	6.30	4.81	-6.0
Frank Stocking	Quebec	8	52	1	6.50	4.84	-13.3
Thomas Powers	Victorias	8	55	0	6.90	4.50	-19.2

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

For goalies with multiple top-two finishes in GAA,

Career up to 1900	GP	GSAA	GSAA/GP
Paton, Tom	39	28.2	0.72
Collins, Herb	52	26.0	0.50
Morel, Albert	23	14.1	0.61
Hutton, Bouse	9	12.3	1.36
Chittick, Fred	31	10.9	0.35
Lewis, Gordon	20	7.5	0.37
Norris, ???	7	3.4	0.49
Jones, Robert	27	2.7	0.10
Best three seasons up to 1900	GP	GSAA	GSAA/GP
Paton, Tom	20	27.4	1.37
Chittick, Fred	22	26.7	1.21
Collins, Herb	24	26.5	1.11
Morel, Albert	22	13.6	0.62
Hutton, Bouse	9	12.3	1.36
Jones, Robert	9	9.7	1.08
Lewis, Gordon	12	7.7	0.64
Norris, ???	7	3.4	0.49

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

One noteworthy newcomer is Bouse Hutton, who manages to post the highest GSAA (15.4 in 7 games) in a single year (1900) in his sophomore season. He's basically foreshadowing what the Silver Seven will eventually become...

So one method I'm contemplating is a weighted score: just a simple addition of the best three seasons to career GSAA to basically give the goalie's best three seasons double weight while also considering longevity.

Goalie	Weighted Score (Top 3 seasons added to career GSAA, up to 1900)
Paton, Tom	55.6
Collins, Herb	52.5
Chittick, Fred	37.6
Morel, Albert	27.7
Hutton, Bouse	24.6
Lewis, Gordon	15.1
Jones, Robert	12.4
Norris, ???	6.8

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

So if I had to make a goaltender shortlist up until 1900 with the knowledge that I could fit only 10 players in the final shortlist, it would probably be Tom Paton, Herbert Collins, and possibly George Merritt.

EDIT (Oct. 21, 2020): Made a correction to the Britannias and Britannias' goaltender W. Cameron in for the 1892 AHAC season.

 

[VanIslander]

I don't really consider Harvey Pulford, Blair Russell, and Alf Smith as pre-1900 players. Should I?

Pulford was the defensive star of the first ever Stanley Cup playoff game, keeping it a one-point game halfway through, valiantly despite the eventual loss. This according to a newspaper account I cited in an ATD a long time ago (can't recall when or where, after so many drafts).