HOH 2022-23 Project: Top-60 Pre-Merger Players of All-Time Pre-Discussion thread
- Thread starter seventieslord
- Start date
seventieslord
Student Of The Game
the xmas break really came and went before we knew it. No one has submitted anything. We have no choice but to extend it.
Let's say the submission period starts now and ends in ten days. i'll send out a PM to everyone involved.
seventieslord
Student Of The Game
jigglysquishy
Registered User
Professor What
Registered User
Professor What
Registered User
I want to make sure before I send anything in. This is supposed to be a top-80 list in the preliminary balloting, right?
Sturminator
Love is a duel
BenchBrawl
Registered User
- Jul 26, 2010
- 31,063
- 13,996
Yep. That list was just the close calls whose career was split evenly between pre and post 1927.
Sturminator
Love is a duel
Good deal. Glad to see George Hay in the project. A detailed discussion of Hay's career should raise his stature around here.
1899 CAHL Season
Note- Quebec technically defaulted 3 games, one to Montreal HC, one to the Victorias, and one to Ottawa. They were winning the game against Montreal HC before Montreal HC left the game (which was ordered to be replayed later; Quebec refused), so for this unofficial table, I am including this as a Quebec win. I’m also not listing the games that were not played here in this table so as to not skew what the stats look like. The official table for the season results can be found on Wikipedia.
Skater Stats
Goalie Stats
Game #1: Quebec HC vs Montreal HC, 7 January 1899
Quebec starts the game on the front foot, Watson lifting the puck down. Collins clears the put. McKerrow finally scores. McKerrow gets the second goal as well. Brown plays well in the next game; “Brown’s work, for instance, could not help but tell that he had played hockey before, that he knew the game, and that he had sized up the weak spots in Quebec’s defence”. Brown makes a nice play to draw Quebec’s attention, passed to McKerrow, who scores. Quebec makes a push, with Gillespie and Scott being noticeable, but Baird and Charleton don’t let anything past. Montreal scores three more (Brown, McKerrow, McKerrow), then Scott makes a lift and Gillespie puts it through. McKerrow scores another before the game ends.
A Montreal paper wrote: "The home team had certainly the best of the game all the way through. This was due to the excellent combination work of the forward line, and more particularly to Mackerrow and Brown, both of whom played remarkably good hockey. The daring of the former in his rushes makes one wonder why he does not meet with more accidents. He is along behind the rubber and arrives at the stop about the same time that the rubber does. He seems to take more chances of being slashed than anybody else playing on senior teams, but he is fast enough to get away and when he lands in a hard check the other man knows he has been running up against something”
“The Quebec men played a plucky uphill game and they never quit, but they were lax in their forward line as far as shooting was concerned. They could keep the puck dangerously in Montreal territory a good deal of the time, but attempts at straight shooting were erratic, and Collins was equal to all the occasions when the disk came his way. He had some close calls, which he managed to relieve himself of in a way that only comes with the acute eye of experience”
“The play of Gillespie was another feature that did credit to the visitors, as well as that of Scott. Swift seemed to have an off day, or rather was unlucky, but the game he put up for all that, was one to be counted on”
Another Montreal paper reported: “One old figure was missing from the Quebec team- Stocking. O’Meara played in poles instead, but he was a poor substitute and did not do much. The Quebec defence, Scott and Watson, played well, and the fast Montreal forwards found it no sinecure to get by them at any stage of the game. On the forward line Gillespie an Gilmour did splendid work, but ‘Dolly’ Swift was out of the game entirely. Swift has been a long time actively participating in the athletic world and he has about reached the limit of his usefulness. It would do the Quebec team more good if he would give way to a younger man”
“The forward line was in great trim and Clary McKerrow was especially brilliant. Baird did splendid work and Charlton played a good game, but he displayed a lack of judgment on a dew occasions that might have told seriously against the team under different circumstances. Collins had some close work to do and he did it in his usual brilliant style”
An Ottawa paper wrote: “Horsfall was not in his usual form, and Gillespie was giving him all he could do”
“McKerrow was responsible for the extra score in this half. He had been playing a star game, and he was worth about two men on the opposing team. Collins knew his business between the posts, and Baird never forgot himself at cover. Horsfall did not seem to be up to his usual game. On the Quebec side Scott and Watson did splendid work, and occasionally Swift showed up in his usual style, but Gillespie carried off the honors”
Final Score:7-1 Montreal HC
Rosters
Quebec: O’Meara in goal, Scott at point, Watson at cover, Swift at RC, Holliday (probably center, but unmarked), Gilmour at LW, and Gillespie at RW
Montreal HC: Collins in goal, Charlton at point, Baird at cover, Locke at RC, McKerrow (probably center, but unmarked), Horsfall at LW, and Brown at RW.
Game #2: Montreal Shamrocks vs Ottawa HC, 7 January 1899
The first game was a bit of a snooze, the O’Connor making some rushes that Wall stops, and Scanlan and Farrell teaming up for some ultimately fruitless runs. Tansey ends an O’Connor attempt. Farrell finally scores. The Shamrocks take the initiative in the second game as well, Brennan and Farrell almost getting another one past Chittick. Ottawa counters, Tansey stops it. Kirby makes another attempt, Tansey stops that one too, but Spittal gets the puck and scores. Kirby scored the third game after a nice play and pass from McDonald. O’Connor was a busy man before his injury, and was credited with having “tried half a dozen shots”. Young scores for Ottawa after the half after a brilliant run by Kirby, then Stuart scores (also after a play by Kirby). The Shamrocks mount a little comeback, with Scanlan then Brennan scoring, but the game ends before they could score the equalizer.
A Montreal paper wrote (it looks like the same coverage of one of the Ottawa papers, so I actually don’t know who wrote it first): “Nolin, who replaced O’Connor, played his position on the side properly, and while he did not play a showy game, did a lot of effective work in the way of blocking”
“It was the steadiness and strength of the Ottawa’s defence which won Saturday night’s match. Weldy Young was in his old-time form and played splendidly. WIth Bert McDonald, who played at point, he held out the Shamrock attacks in fine style. McDonald, for a player from the junior ranks, put up a splendid game”
“While Fred. Chittick’s play in goal was probably the feature of the night. For every shot that the Ottawa sent in on the Shams goals, the Shamrocks sent in three or four on the Ottawas”
“Chittick gave as good an exhibition of goal keeping as was probably ever seen on a hockey rink and proved that he is as good as the best in the trade”
“The Shamrocks defence was strong too, and Wall had a very handy way of setting those who tried to pass him wrong-side up, while Frank Tansey was a wonder at point”
“Young and McDonald did the same thing on the other end, but the Ottawa forwards were perhaps a little more plucky than their opponents and came back repeatedly for the same kind of medicine, whereas the Shamrocks stopped excursions of this kind and shot from a longer distance out, or tried to get close in by combination play which was usually intercepted”
“For the Shamrocks the whole team played well, Wall’s lifting being particularly good. Scanlan and Brennan were the stars of the forward line. Kirby played the best game on the Ottawa forward line and has lost none of his old-time dash, while Spittall was playing he did excellent, but he could very well have taken more of the work. It was no mistake to play Bruce Stuart. The youngster did as much work as any one on the ice, and for his first senior game played splendidly. Noland and O’Connor both did well”
An Ottawa paper reported: “Chauncey Kirby has not lost a bit of his old time dash”
“McKenna in goals does not start to be in Chittick’s class”
“Wall, of the Shamrocks, has improved wonderfully, and is good enough for any senior team”
“Weldy Young seems to be as good as ever, and played a great game, although his lifting at times was a little off color”
“Another Ottawa paper wrote: “At point Bert Macdonald showed considerable coolness, but is not quite as strong as Pulford. He made no mistakes however. Bruce Stuart, the ‘small boy’ worked hard but not too effectively. Capt. Kirby has room for improvement. He is [unreadable] as fearless as heretofore, but it only [unreadable] a few hard battles to bring him back to his old time form. Charlie Spittal and Weldy Young played their old tome, steady game. Young did some excellent interference, and sent many a Shamrock man to the ice with his body. He overdid it once or twice and was cautioned by the referee. Fred Chittick could not have played better. To him alone can the Ottawa’s attribute victory”
“They have a fine set of forwards with the exception perhaps of Hoerner, who at time showed a yellow streak. Had Trihey, their star been in his place, victory might have gone to the boys in green. Brannan was the best forward on the ice. His work compared with O’Connor, who was injured. Next to him was Fred Scanlan, who was with the rubber all the time. Farrell’s work was also good and he made a number of splendid rushes”
“Pittal made many pretty runs but all his efforts were for naught, but once when he reached shooting distance, Wall and Tansey stood off the attacks with splendid judgment. McKenna had little to do in the flags, most of the shots excepting those scored being wide of the mark. With Chittick it was different. Every time the puck went his way, it was right on for a bull’s eye”
“Chalk Young used excellent judgment”
“Kirby got the face in nearly every instance”
“Westwick is needed on that forward line”
“It was hammer and tongs with Nolan for a time”
“Tansey who played point for the visitors is a magnificent stick-handler”
“Chittick is a wonder, and his work proves conclusively that he is the peer of all goal-keepers”
“Bruce Stewart put up a great game, but the Shamrock defence were rather heavy for him”
“The Shamrocks say that the Victorias have a gem in Russell Bowie, who played with the Junior Vics last season. He is not yet 19 years of age, very fast, and a great shooter”
“Bert Macdonald’s work proves beyond a doubt that he is one of the best point players in the city, and with a little more experience will make a corker. He saved the home team repeatedly”
Final Score:4-3 Ottawa HC
Rosters
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Hoener, Farrell, Scanlan, and Brennan at forward
Ottawa: Chittick in goal, MacDonald at point, Young at cover, Kirby, Spittal, Stuart, and O’Connor (replaced by Nolan after injury) at forward
Game #3: Montreal Victorias vs Montreal HC, 10 January 1899
Bowie scores the first goal of the match after a pass from Davidson. Grant and Baird exchange lifts in the next game. McKerrow makes a run but shoots wide. The Vics almost score, but Horsfall is able to clear. Grant makes a rush that is stopped by Baird, Baird’s rush is stopped by McLea. McLea or Bowie scores. McKerrow gets Montreal HC on the board. The defense pair of each team exchange lifts. Brown or McKerrow scores. Davidson makes a run that Locke stops. The Vics score two more, both from Acker. Grant and McRobie get praised for their defense. Richardson is forced to make a couple saves, Brown in particular causing some danger, but he makes them without incident.
A Montreal paper wrote: “It was a strong team that represented the champions, and they did not take long to find out the weak spots in Montreal’s line. Once they had obtained this knowledge they hammered away and the vulnerable spots were pretty badly taxed. Montreal’s forward line was the weak spot, the only man who did himself justice was Clary McKerrow, and he worked like a Trojan”
“The Victoria forward line was a mighty strong one, and the men forming it proved a big surprise to those people who had banked on the supposedly weak Victoria team. Cam. Davidon, Ernie McLea, Bowie, and Ewing proved themselves to be a smart lot of forwards and their work was an eye opener to many people”
“The game brought forward a couple of weak points on Montreal’s team. It showed that the forward line is not as strong as it was thought to be, and also that their strong defence is not at its best when losing. Locke was not at all well last night. Horsfall and Brown did not play as they have played and this gave the Victoria forwards many opportunities to slip by and get in on the Montreal defence. The only man who was good from beginning to end was Collins, and he certainly did great work”
“Mike Grant did a great deal towards winning the match and his work at cover was as reliable as ever. Fred McRobie did excellent work at point, and Frank Richardson, in goal, made some splendid saves”
Final Score: 4-2 Victorias
Rosters
Victorias: Richardson in goal, McRobie at point, Grant at cover, C. Davidson, McLea (replaced by Acker after injury), Bowie, and Ewing at forward
Montreal HC: Collins in goal, Charlton at point, Baird at cover, McKerrow, Locke, Horsfall, and Brown at forward
Game #4: Quebec HC vs Ottawa HC, 14 January 1899
Ottawa scores first, Rogers or Nolin doing the needful. Gillespie makes a nice run to end the second game. Young gets a penalty, Hod Stuart falls back to take his place, and he and MacDonald are praised for their play, not allowing Quebec to score despite the man advantage. Nolin or Rogers scores to give Ottawa the lead, and Nolin adds the insurance marker as well.
A Montreal paper wrote: “The game was characterized by a lot of slashing and individual work. Weldy Young was ruled off five minutes for fouling Moran. Young played a rough game. He was warned several times for using his body unduly severely”
Another Monreal paper reported: “Unlike the game of the previous week, with the Shamrocks, the Ottawas did not owe their victory in the least to any degree of luck. They won purely on their merits, and only a great deal of excellent goal-keeping on the part of Sticking in the second half prevented a much larger score”
“Rogers, a new man on the Ottawa forward line, played one of the best games on the ice, and with Kirby, the Ottawas have a great pair of cenre forwards. Nolin and Stuart on the wings are both effective players, while the defence men played their usual game. Gillespie and Scott on the Quebec forward line were the most conspicuous figures”
An Ottawa paper wrote: “The changes on the Ottawa team included Max Rogers and Hod Stuart. Rogers’ play certainly earned for him a sure position on the team in future matches. He played centre behind Captain Kirby, and is one of the best forwards that the Ottawas have taken from the junior ranks. Stuart on the side did a lot of useful work. He was a trifle slow at times in getting started, and had a tendency to wander too far from his position, but he should develop into a good man for a wing place”
“Weldy Young played his usual good game at cover point. His lifts into the Quebec goals were a feature of the match. Bert McDonald at point was as steady as in the Shamrock game. Chittick in goal did not have as busy a time as against the Shamrocks. After the game seemed sure for the Ottawas he made a couple of rushes by special request of the press stand, which brought down the house. Captain Kirby played with dash and is as good a forward as ever, while Nolin was more effective than in the Montreal game”
“The Quebec team had a number of new faces, including Cahill and Morin. The defence was strong and GIllespie and Smith are the pick of the forwards”
Another Ottawa paper reported: “Mac Roger’s work with the stick and puck was deadly to the enemy. His fearless play netted two goals for the home team. He got in his good work every time the Ottawas were in a tight place and glided down the ice with the speed of a cat getting round an ash barrel. To intercept him was impossible. His shots were deadly. He beat the Quebecers, and that’s all there is about it”
“In the matter of general rush work all the team were about equal. Captain Kirby was an improvement over a week ago. He did his share with a will, and very often showed an inclination to be in two or three places at once. It was not until near the close of the last half that Nolan, Stuart, and Roger got in their telling work. ‘Chalk’ Young played his old-time game at cover point. He perhaps was a little uncertain of the result on account of the novices around him. Every time any of the Quebecers came his way he set himself and waited for the worst. But the strangest part of it was that the other fellow always got the worst of it. When Chalk could not successfully stop him with his stick he brought his body into play in characteristic style. Few indeed passed him, as the ‘jolts’ that Young was dishing up were too tart for the ‘Ancients’. Macdonald as a consequence had a comparatively easy task, while Chittick had a much quieter time than when against the Shamrocks. There were onslaughts on the Ottawa goal, however, which were dangerous, and in all of them Chittick was equal to the task of preventing all but one goal”
“Scott was about the fastest man on the ice”
“Hod Stuart is a better player than his brother Bruce, and Roger is almost as good as Henry O’Connor, who is still unable to cut a figure on the ice. Nolan and Roger seem to understand each other better than any of the forwards, and repeatedly got in some beautiful work”
One of the Montreal papers referred to the Ottawa team as the “Rough Riders”
Final Score: 3-1 Ottawa HC
Rosters
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Cahill at point, Gillespie at cover, Moran, A. Scott, Smith, and Scott at forward OR Stocking in goal, C. Scott at point, Cahill at cover, Gillespie, Smith, A. Scott, and Moran at forward
Ottawa: Chittick in goal, McDonald at point, Young at cover, H. Stuart, Rogers, Kirby, and Nolan/Nolin at forward
Game #5: Montreal Shamrocks vs Montreal HC, 14 January 1899
Farrell opens the scoring for the Shamrocks. McKerrow evens the score. Brannen makes some nice rushes in the next game, and eventually scores. Both goalies are playing well. Trihey scores the next game. McKerrow “seemed to outskate everybody, and travelled through the Shamrock defence as if they were standing still” and scored. McKerrow ties the game again. Trihey gives the Shamrocks the lead again after a “magnificent run”.
A Montreal paper wrote: “It was the discovery of the weak point in the Montreal forward line and the immediate action on that same discovery that won out the match for the Shamrocks. With three other men like McKerrow, a goal castillated would not have been able to withstand the battering that could be given; but outside McKerrow, the weak point was shown early. It was an inability to shoot straight”
Another Montreal paper reported: “‘Desse’ Brown had forsaken his former clubmates, and here he was with a winged wheel on his breast, instead of a winged foot, and it was Montreal, and not the Shamrocks, for whom Brown was exerting all of his artifices and wiles in the game. But Brown’s place had been filled with a player of no mean ability - Farrell - and subsequent events proved that the Shamrocks had got the better of the change. In the selection of the Montreal team some one blundered, and the blunder was in leaving Locke off. Locke possesses qualities that would have proved invaluable in Saturday’s game and might have served to turn the tide of victory”
“The Shamrocks demonstrated their superiority on the forward line thoroughly. They proved themselves the equals of the Montreal men in skating and Jack Brannen was able to catch Clary McKerrow any time”
“Arthur Farrell did some wonderfully clever work in getting the puck in the right place at the right time”
“Clary McKerrow did grand work and was responsible for all the scoring, but the other men always failed once they got in the vicinity of the goals”
“The trio that looked after the Shamrocks poles would bathe any set of forwards and Wall, Tansey, and McKenna did some wonderful things”
“Harry Horsfall and Rupert Howard worked hard and willingly and Desse Brown was not a bit behind hand, but Brown’s weakness was apparent whenever he stopped to get in some of his funny work on his old friends”
“The Montreal defence worked steadily throughout the better part of the game, but toward the end of the match both Baird and Charlton were ‘up in the air’, as the boys say, and made some serious errors. Collins was the mainstay of the defence, and he stopped some impossible looking shots in great style”
“Harry Trihey played a star game”
“Clary McKe[rrow]’s work was out of the ordinary”
“Collins did some wonderful work in the poles for Montreal, and he kept the score down in great shape, but woe betide the unfortunate forward who approached to near ‘Herby’”
An Ottawa paper wrote: “McKerrow is a hard man to handle at best of times, and he is very dangerous, but the Shamrocks attended to him in practically having two men to look after him. Brown, too, was very closely watched, and he had to take some very hard checking, but he did not seem to mind it, and was not slow in returning compliments. Montreal’s defence division did not seem to be up to their usual form”
Final Score: 4-3 Shamrocks
Rosters
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Triehy, Brennan, Scanlan, and Farrell at forward
Montreal HC: Collins in goal, Charlton at point, Baird at cover, Brown, McKerrow, Horsfall, and Howard at forward
Game #6: Montreal HC vs Quebec HC, 21 January 1899- Quebec defaults due to refusal to re-play game
Dalberg scores the first goal of the game after Collins chases a hit. O’Meara makes a nice defensive play. Baird is injured after making a check on Scott. He is replaced by Christmas. Stocking makes a big save. McKerrow makes a rush, but gets hit with a stick and has to leave the game, being replaced by Hough. Christmas makes a hard hit on O’Meara. Howard takes a shot that Stocking saves, but Howard puts in the rebound. Collins has to do some hard work to keep the score tied, but O’Meara eventually scores via a lift. The Quebec team plays tight defense. Montreal thinks they have scored, but the ref disagrees. Montreal leaves the game in protest. Quebec refuses to replay the game. I’ll include the stats for the table, since most of the game was played.
Final Score: 2-1 Quebec HC
Rosters
Montreal: Collins in goal, Charlton at point, Baird at cover, McKerrow, Locke, Horsfall, and Howard at forward
Quebec: Stocking in goal, C. Scott at point, Watson at cover, O’Meara, Dalberg, A. Scott, and Gillespie at forward
Game #7: Montreal Shamrocks vs Montreal Victorias, 21 January 1899
Farrell and Trihey start with a rush, but Drinkwater and Davidson make a counter. Davidson makes another run, but is unsupported. Trihey and Farrell again make a run, but Drinkwater makes a run. Wall stops Drinkwater and clears, Farrell or Trihey takes a pass from Scanlan and scores. Grant and Wall open the next game with some lifts. Bowie and Ewan force McKenna to make a stop. Farrell gets around McRobie, passes to Trihey, who scores. Davidson gets a hard hit in on Wall, who is shaken up. Farrell scores. McKenna stops a run from Davidson and Drinkwater. Tansey makes a rush, but Grant stops him. Scanlan passes to Trihey, who scores. Grant makes “some nice runs”. Trihey leads the rushes for the Shamrocks. Drinkwater and Davidson go on a run, Davidson passes to Bowie, who scores. Trihey attempts a rush, but Grant hits him and Trihey is much less noticeable for the rest of the evening. A Montreal paper reports that “Grant was now doing three men’s work”, but it is to no avail, as Farrell scores again for the Shamrocks. Bowie and Ewan go on a run, Ewan scores.
A Montreal paper wrote: “The four forwards played well down, and with the lifting of Wall were able to score four times before the Vics knew what they were at. Harry Trihey and his three assistants came out of the crowd time and again, only to be stopped by the Victoria defence, but their attack was so determined that no defence could stave it off. On the other hand, the Victorias seemed to be taking things easy, and did not follow up well, and with the exception of Cam Davidson and Drinkwater, who at times came through, but were not backed up. Ewan played up well, but Bowie was not up to his usual form. Mike Grant played well down, and kept the other forwards at their work”
Another Montreal paper reported: “Jim McKEnna, Frank Tansey, and Frank Wall make a most formidable defence”
“Fred Scanlan and Arthur Farrell looked after their wings in great style and both put up a great game. Hack Brannen and Harry Trihey looked after the centre of the ice, and Brannesn’s work in breaking up all attempts at combination on the part of the Victorias was liberally applauded. Brannen is an excellent example of what a small, fast man can do without resorting to any trickery. He can skate with any forward playing the game, and depend on his speed to get the puck from an opponent. Harry Trihey did not appear to be in the very best possible trim, and he got a few hard knocks early in the game”
“The real worker of the Victorias was ‘Cam’ Davidson, and he did as much as the other three forwards together. He flew about and in and out, but fate and a better team were pretty tough obstacle to overcome. Graham Drinkwater played a good steady game, but he appeared to have lost some of the fire and vigour of former days. Bowie did not get as many opportunities as usual, of displaying his nice stick handling. He was well looked after, however, and it was not altogether his fault. Ewing made himself very conspicuous and succeeded in attracting the referee’s attention on a couple of occasions, but he did good work and had more shots on the Shamrock poles than anybody else. Grant did not play like the Grant of old. He worked hard and tried all sorts of schemes to get the puck through the Shamrock goals, but without avail, and in the end he appeared to be out of the game. McRobie and Richardson did their best, and what more can be expected of any one”
“Harry Trihey’s shots were features of the match”
“Cam. Davidson played a plucky game all through”
“Mike Grant’s attempts to score on long lifts failed for once”
An Ottawa paper reported that “[a]bout four thousand people” were spectators at the game. That is the most I recall seeing so far, and strikes me as an impressive number for the time period.
“Mike Grant was the whole defence for his side, the point man not being fit for senior honors. Richardson in the poles was crowded, and no man can stop hot shots if his forwards and defence will insist on backing in on him. McKenna, in goal for the Shamrocks, was a wonder”
Final Score: 5-2 Shamrocks
Rosters
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Scanlan, Triehy, Farrell, and Brennan at forward
Victorias: Richardson in goal, McRobie at point, Grant at cover, C. Davidson, Bowie, Ewan, and Drinkwater at forward
Game #8: Ottawa HC vs Montreal HC, 28 January 1899
Kirby makes the first rush of the game. Charlton goes on a run. Nolan or Stuart passes to Kirby, who scores. Locke and Howard make a run that Chittick and Young repel. Howard makes a rush, but “Young, as usual, was in the way and returns”. Ottawa makes a rush, then Montreal counters. Howard passes to Christmas, who scores. Weldy Young makes a couple rushes, but doesn’t get any support. Horsfall, “who was playing a grand game”, causes some problem for Ottawa. Howard finally scores. Horsfall scores shortly afterwards. A Montreal paper reports that “Montreal are now pushing the Ottawa men and some hard checking is indulged in. The referee has to warn the players. For a little while the game laggs and the Ottawa men are playing ragged hockey. Young, however, is doing his best to stave off defeat, and with Kirby’s help gives Montreal goal some stops to look after”. Collins is up to the challenge, however. Howard scores the next game. Charlton stops a rush from Young and Kirby. Collins stops a shot from Nolan. Howard then scores again.
A Montreal paper wrote: “The Ottawa forwards played up well and gave the Montreal defence some hot ones to look after, but Collins, Elliott and Charlton handled them all right”
“The referee had to warn the Ottawa forwards several times for loafing off side, Kirby being the most at fault, but Montreal did a little of this too. Chittick, in poles for Ottawa, put up a grand game, and with Young, Kirby, and Nolan, were by far the hardest workers for Ottawa”
“For Montreal, all played well, especially the defence”
Another Montreal paper reported: “Collins in Montreal goals made good stops and relieved the tension there on more than one occasion”
“For Ottawa, Young and Kirby as old timer showed up well, and were the only thing who could make a stand against the Montreal forwards. Stewart and Nolan were either slow or off colour and did little”
“Christmas, who replaced McKerrow owing to the latter’s injuries with Quebec, played a fsat game for the home team and did good work”
An Ottawa paper wrote: Several of the Ottawa players did not show up to their usual form. Chittick in goal played well and Young at cover point up to the time that he met with the accident [reported dislocated shoulder] played splendidly. When the Ottawas were behind, time and time again he went down the entire length of the rink with the puck only to miss scoring a goal by a very narrow margin. McDonald did not play as well as in the Quebec or Shamrock game. Roger and Stuart on the forward line were off color. Stuart was very slow until towards the end of the game when he woke up and put up something like the game he has been showing in practice. Nolin and Kirby played all through the match”
“Collins in goal made some good stops”
“Frank McGee should be playing on the Ottawa forward line. He is putting up senior hockey”
“Howard of the Montrealers played the best game on that team. He was the fastest man on the ice”
Another Ottawa paper reported: “Charlton is not only the roughest, but the dirtiest player on the ice”
“Of the Ottawa team, Young was unquestionably the star. His work at times was phenomenal. He repeatedly went up the ice through the Montreal crowd with apparent ease. ‘Chalk’ was up to all Howard and Horsfall’s tricks, and the two speedy Montreal forwards were fooled many a time. Every Montrealer laid for Young, and gave him as much dirt as possible. He was tripped, struck of the legs, body-checked and knocked about generally, but Chalk always came up serenly, and was in the game until his shoulder was dislocated. CHittick did not put up his usual game, and allowed several easy shots to go through. He complained that the defence men, Madonald and Young, crowded him and that he was unable to see the puck coming. Macdonald played his usual cool game. He worked like a Trojan, especially when Young was off, and even the great Howard was stopped in his rushes by the ex-Maple man. Capt. Kirby worked as he never worked before. He put up the best game on the forward line, but he was very roughly treated by Charlton. Mac Roger, H. Nolan, and Hod Stuart were all slightly off color during first half, but in the last half showed up to better advantage”
“Howard and Horsfall were the stars of the winged foot aggregation, and their passing and dodging at times was dazzling. Christmas played a strong game, as did also Locke. The Montrealers’ defence, Elliot and Charlton, was somewhat of a surprise to the Ottawas. The pair put up a hard game, but as stated before, Charlton was altogether too rough”
“Spittal should be placed on the team”
Pulford reportedly told the Ottawa team very late that he would be unable to play, citing a cold. Apparently the club was not happy about this, and one Ottawa paper wrote that “Pulford’s style of play would have proved most effective, and the Ottawas attribute their defeat largely to the fact that he was not on the team”
Final Score: 5-1 Montreal HC
Rosters
Ottawa: Chittick in goal, McDonald at point, Young at cover, H. Stuart, Nolan, Kirby, and Rogers at forward
Montreal: Collins in goal, Elliott at point, Charlton at cover, Christmas, Locke, Howard, and Horsfall at forward
Game #9: Montreal Victorias vs Quebec HC, 28 January 1899
The game starts with a lifting exhibition from the dmen on each side. Gillespie opens the scoring via “a fine run down the ice”. Bowie scores a couple minutes later. Bowie or Davidson score the next one, then Bowie extends the Vics’ lead. Ewing scores. Watson makes a rush, passes to Dalberg, who scores. Smith scores. Then Ewing or Bowie scores. Gillespie or Smith scores the final goal of the match.
A Montreal paper wrote: “Mike Grant, for the visitors, excelled his former reputation as a model cover point. Ewing and Bowie also put up a particularly good game.
Another Montreal paper reported: “The Quebec defence was a pretty strong one, and Watson, Scott, and Stocking did some good work. Stocking stopped some particularly difficult stops”
“The Victoria defence showed up well, and particularly McRobie, who played a better game than he has done at any time this season. Frank richardson did good work in the poles, and in the second half he made some splendid stops of what looked likely games”
Final Score: 5-4 Victorias
Rosters
Victorias: Richardson in goal, McRobie at point, Grant at cover, Bowie, Davidson, Drinkwater, and Ewing at forward
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Scott at point, Watson at cover, Gilmour, Dalberg, Smith, and GIllespie at forward
Game #10: Quebec HC vs Montreal Shamrocks, 4 February 1899
The Shamrocks start on the offensive, but no luck. Quebec takes a turn- McKenna makes the save against Gillespie, but Smith later scores. Trihey strikes next with a “corking shot”. Trihey scores the next one on a rebound. Stocking makes a couple of saves in the next game, but Trihey again scores. McKenna made a save, Trihey got the puck, “swooped down at a great pace”, beat Watson, “fooled Scott”, and scored. Brannen interrupts Trihey’s party and scores after a nice coast-to-coast run. Scanlan scored the next one, and Trihey must have been getting jealous, because he scored the next three, one from a shot from center. It seems like the Shamrocks got bored, because Dalberg, Smith, and Gillespie score to bring the score a little closer. The Shamrocks, and Trihey in particular, punished the Quebec team for their impudence, and score the next four (Trihey, Trihey, Farrell, Trihey) before time expires. Another Montreal paper describes Trihey as “only” 9 goals and Brannen having 2. As I don’t know which goal is disputed, I’m just going to mark the last one as ‘Brannen or Trihey’ to make up the discrepancy.
A Montreal paper wrote: “The Quebec defence, with the exception of Stocking, did not seem up to their usual work. They did not use sufficient combination to be effective against the continued onslaught of the Shamrock forwards”
“One of the features of the game was the ease with which Trihey scored. He captured ten goals without turning one of his football like hairs”
Another Montreal paper reported: “Now, while the score looks unduly high, it could have easily been doubled had not Quebec been blessed with the services of such a good goal keeper as Stocking. He played a splendid game and stopped, impossibly, twenty likely looking shots and as many more that were less likely”
“When Jack Brannen stepped on the ice he received a rousing welcome from his friends. His victory in the afternoon’s skating race was a very popular one”
Final Score: 13-4 Shamrocks
Rosters
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Scott at point, Watson at cover, Gilmour, Dalberg, Gillespie, and Smith at forward
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Trihey, Brannen, Scanlan, and Farrell at forward
Game #11: Montreal Victorias vs Ottawa HC, 4 February 1899
The first half saw lots of scoring, with each team registering four goals. Ottawa strikes first, Kirby doing the needful. McLea evens the score after Chittick leaves his goal to clear and fails to do so. Bowie or Davidson scores the next goal. Roger ties it. Ottawa takes the lead on another goal from Roger, but then Chittick again gets caught away from his post and Bowie or McLea scores. Davidson or McLea and Roger trade goals before the half. Kirby scores on a pass from Young. But then “Mike Grant did what he has done on more than one occasion on Ottawa ice. He turned the tide in favour of the Victorias. From the face the puck was passed back to Grant, who made a lightning rush. He was forced into a corner, but Bowie was waiting for a pass and scored when the puck came out from Grant” (another source lists Grant as scoring the goal himself). Bowie gets the next one as well, after a pass from Davidson (another source has Davidson scoring). Davidson or Ewing scores the match winner.
From a Montreal paper: “For the visitors all played well. Grant never appeared to much better advantage and his lifting was a feature. McLea and Davidson were the best of the forwards, but all were good”
“Young played well for the Ottawas, but not his usual good game. He did not take any great risks with his sore shoulder. Chittick played a great game in goals. Kirby was the best of the forwards, but all did good individual work”
Another Montreal paper reported: “The visitors played a brilliant game, but their style was more showy than effective. The men performed many fancy plays and handled their sticks as if they didn’t care whether they won or not. The defence seemed careless, and even big genial Mike Grant put up a listless game at times. The forwards skated well, and on several occasions performed pieces of combination play that were fairly dazzling. There is but one worker on the forward line, and that is Cam Davidson. The other three who formed the attacking portion of the Vics were content to hang back and wait for a chance to rush up the ice while Davidson followed up every lift made by Grant or Capt. Drinkwater. McLea did some bery effective work, and his shooting at long range was simply beautiful. Bowie and Ewing also did some nice work. Mike Grant’s rush when he tallied the goal that made the score five all was one of the features of the evening”
“The playing of Chittick in goal was wonderful, and he made some phenomenal stops. It did not matter how the Vics sent the puck at him. High or low, from the side or from the centre, he took care of four out of every five shots that came his way. His opportune rushing fromthe flags spoiled many a play that would otherwise have netted the Vics a goal. Next to Chittick, Fred. White was the star. His rushes were responsible for several of the goals scored by Ottawa, and his tireless work encouraged the rest of the team. Weldy Young, Nolan, and Mac Rogers were not in their usual form. Capt. Kirby performed a lot of hard conscientious work”.
An Ottawa paper wrote: “McDonald did not appear to as good advantage as in the Shamrock and Quebec games. He does not use his body sufficiently”
“It is said that Henry O’Connor and Frank McGee will be candidates for positions on the forward line next Saturday night”
“In the matter of fast following up and returning back, ‘Cam’ Davidson is about the best man that has been seen on Ottawa ice”
“Bowie and Ewing fit very nicely into the vacancies on the Vic. forward line made by the absence of Bob McDougall and Graham Drinkwater. Bowie is a particularly fine player”
“Rogers seemed to be back in shape and played a fine game, but left his position on the wing too often. McLea, whom Rogers played on, did more damage than any other Victoria forward”
Another Ottawa paper reported: “Chittick made a number of fine stops”
“Chittick shone. He stopped at least forty swift and unerring shots. Young made a couple of mistakes, but nevertheless played well. The Vics consider White the strongest of the Ottawa forwards. White certainly played well, and with great determination, and opposing players did not relish the task of stopping the fast young Ottawa forward when he rushed down the ice”
“Mike Grant made one of his famous rushes at the start of the tenth game, and eluding all, scored”
“Young is still in the game. And he is the most scientific rusher of the seven”
“Chittick deserved all the applause he received”
“Chittick is the best goalkeeper at the business”
“McDonald plays point excellently. And he stays in his own territory”
“Frank McGee would be an acquisition to the forward line”
“Mike Grant is as reliable as ever. Mike has done the Anson act- shaved off his moustache to make himself look younger”
Final Score: 7-5 Victorias
Rosters
Victorias: Richardson in goal, Drinkwater at point, Grant at cover, Ewing, Davidson, Bowie, and McLea at forward
Ottawa: Chittick in goal, McDonald at point, Young at cover, Nolin, Kirby, White, and Roger at forward
Game #12: Montreal Shamrocks vs Montreal HC, 8 February 1899
The Shamrocks start off on the offensive. After some back and forth, Trihey scores on a rush. There is more back and forth action, then Charlton makes a rush and passes to Locke or McKerrow for the goal. McKerrow is described as “playing a fine game”, as he and his linemates are pressuring the Shamrock goal. Christmas scores after a McKerrow rush. Tansey or Wall makes a rush, passes to Farrell or Brannen, who ties the game. Scanlan or Trihey scores the next game. The Shamrocks have shifted to a two-cover formation, with Trihey being the second cover until he hurts his ankle. Charlton scores on a lift. The teams trade rushes. Charlton is playing aggressive. Brannen or Farrell scores the match winner.
A Montreal paper wrote: “For the Montrealers Charlton, at cover-point, played a grand game, and was always there when he was wanted. The forwards were McKerrow and Horsfall. On the Shamrock side the forwards played a rattling game till Harry Trihey went off and broke up the combination”
Another Montreal paper reported: “Harry Trihey was the dangerous man of the Shamrock team, and he was attended to as no player was ever looked after before. Every time he came in front of the goals he was as often off his feet as otherwise. The result was that Trihey did not get many opportunities in the way of scoring”
“Howard, for some reason or another, did not turn up and Christmas took his wing. Christmas is a pretty good player, but he is not as strong as Howard by any means. However, Montreal was exceedingly fortunate, and Collins made some great stops, while the Shamrocks struck the goal posts with the puck on three occasions”
“Farrell’s run to score the last game was one of the prettiest plays of the season”.
“McKenna, Tansey, and Wall were in fine trim, and these three did great work. While Trihey, Brannen, Farrell, and Scanlan made a quartette of forwards whose equal it would be extremely difficult to find”
“Collins did some remarkable work in goals and saved Montreal time after time. Elliott and Charlton showed marked improvement”
An Ottawa paper wrote: “Brannen and Trihey were the star men of the Shamrocks, and their runs and general playing were phenomenal”
Final Score: 4-3 Shamrocks
Rosters
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Farrell, Brannen, Scanlan, and Dobby (replaced Trihey after injury) at forward
Montreal HC: Collins in goal, Elliott at point, Charlton at cover, McKerrow, Locke, Christmas, and Horsfall at forward
Game #13: Ottawa HC vs Montreal Victorias, 11 February 1899
There isn’t a ton of good description on this one, as it was ugly. There are some summaries and information about the goals, though. There is a discrepancy in terms of who scored the goals, however. One source lists McDougall with 7, Bowie with 3, C. Davidson with 3, McLea with 2, and Grant with 1, while another has McDougall with 8, Bowie with 2, C. Davidson with 2, McLea with 3, and Grant with 1. Unfortunately, without a better play-by-play, I am unable to construct which goals should be in question. For the purposes of the table and subsequent stats, I am going with the source that provides the most play-by-play, which is the source that has McDougall with 8. This source not only provided a bit of a play-by-play, but also a goal scoring list, and not just mentioning goal totals for each player. It isn’t perfect, but until I can come across more information, I think this is the best solution.
A Montreal paper wrote: Profiting by a previous game on the Arena ice and the replacing of Stewart on their forward line by White, they played hard hockey. Young, for the visitors, from whom a good game is always expected, seemed off colour, and was not supported strongly enough to make many ventures against such veterans as the Vics. His absence in an assault on the Victoria’s flags was very weakening to their forward line”
“The individual work of the visitors was fairly good, and would have been much more effective in the score had they made some efforts to overcome their indiscriminate looseness in the advancing rush. Here they were badly handicapped against old-timers like Drinkwater and Grant, and their attacks invariably went to pieces for this reason”
“McDougall, on the forward line, and Grant and Drinkwater, and point and cover, were in perfect settle and invincible”
“Lewis, as goal keeper for the home team, and Chittick for the visitors, saved many close shots on their respective flags”
An Ottawa paper reported: “Had Richardson, who played in goal for the Victorias in Ottawa, been between the posts, the Ottawas would likely have scored more goals than they did in Ottawa. They certainly did as much shooting. However, it was Gorden Lewis who was in the VIcs’ goals and he played a phenomenal game. It seemed impossible to put a shot past him”
“The Ottawa’s defence on the other end were badly off color. Young was not in anything like his usual shape, and the Victoria forwards found out quickly that it was easy to go past him. Chittick, too, had an off night. Chittick has been playing a great game this season, and if he had stopped the same proportion of shots that he did in other games the score would not have been a high one”
“For the Ottawas nearly all the forwards played well. Nolin showed up better than in Ottawa, and Kirby and White played an excellent game. Mac Rogers, who hurt his foot in practice, was compelled to retire at the end of the first half and his place was taken by Harold Henry, who played with the intermediates in the afternoon. Henry played a remarkably good game, and certainly held his own with McLea, and McLea is considered by many to be the best wing man playing the game to-day”
“On the Victorias there did not seem to be a weak spot, and Davidson and Bob McDougall certainly played star games on the forward line”
Another Ottawa paper reported: “The Ottawas put up a game fight, but the entire team, with the exception of Fred White and Chance Kirby were away off color. Young has not recovered from the effect of the injury he received to his shoulder in the game with the Montrealers, and was not himself”
This same Ottawa paper wrote about one John K. McCulloch, “the noted ex-amateur Canadian skating champion”, who was apparently quite a fan of hockey. McCulloch is cited as saying “I have seen the players of both teams [the Montreal Victorias and the Winnipeg Victorias, who were scheduled for a Stanley Cup challenge] play nearly all their big games during the last three seasons and I tell you, from my idea of hockey playing and players, it is an even break”. McCulloch allegedly said that “he regarded Winnipeg’s new man, Johnson, at cover point, the next best players the Vics would bring from the west. He is the all-round type of an athlete, being a fine lacrosse player, sprinter, and oarsman. His blocking is particularly good, and the man to carom off 185 pounds of solid muscle bunches will experience a sensation not altogether pleasant”
Other notes from that article: “Jack Armitage will not be missed. Tony Gingras, the new forward, plays on the right side and, according to McCulloch, is easily the best man of the year and the star of the 1899 Victorias. Gingras is a phenomenal skater, a perfect stick handler, and is a perfect glutton for work”
“Artie Campbell, on the other side, is playing a very strong game”
“The centers are good scorers, but Howard is liable to go down under heavy defence work, such as Mike Grant is able to dole out. Howard throws a wonderfully fast puck. Bain is a better man than ever this year”
“Drinkwater should make a great point. McLea and Bob McDougall are both well known to the Winnipeg men. McDougall, in shape, McCulloch considers the best forward playing. Cam. Davidson and Bowie are new men”
Final Score: 16-0 Victorias
Rosters
Ottawa: Chittick in goal, MacDonald at point, Young at cover, Kirby, Rogers, Nolan, and White at forward
Victorias: Lewis in goal, Drinkwater at point, Grant at cover, Bowie, McLea, McDougall, and C. Davidson at forward
Game #14: Montreal Shamrocks vs Quebec HC, 11 February 1899
This was a close game. Gillespie forces McKenna to do some work. Charlie Scott stops “a great run down the ice” from Trihey. Scanlan or Brannen opens the scoring. Gillespie gets the equalizer for Quebec. Trihey or Farrell gives the Shamrocks the lead as the half ends. Smith takes a pass from Watson to score and tie the game once more. The final game was apparently quite good, with a lot of speed and back-and-forth action; “Wall made some of his renowned rushes up the ice. Trihey did yeoman service, but Dalberg managed to hold him down considerably. Charlie Scott had to play both point and cover, as Watson kept repeatedly playing upon the forward line”. Brannen finally scores, and the Shamrocks hold on to take the win.
A Montreal paper wrote: “There was but one change on the team. Arthur Scott taking Gilmour’s place on the forward line. This was a doubtful improvement. Scott was just as tricky as ever and succeeded in placing himself under the referee’s ban”
“In the first half the Shamrocks had a decided superiority over their opponents, and only the wonderful work of Stocking prevented the score from mounting up”
“Jim McKenna was in fine form, and stopped some magnificent shots from every range and angle”
“Harry Trihey made great efforts to score, but he was pretty closely watched and every time that he got near the Quebec goals his covers dropped on him”
“Watson played an excellent game and stopped many rushes by the Shamrock forwards”
“Stocking was in splendid form and made great stops. He stopped several from Harry Trihey just at the waist in great style”
“‘Johnny Ice Cream, the Microbe Killer’, played a great game, at least everybody says that Jack Brannen did play well”
Final Score: 3-2 Shamrocks
Rosters
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Brannen, Farrell, Scanlan, and Trihey at forward
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Scott at point, Watson at cover, A. Scott, Gillespie, Dalberg, and Smith at forward
Game #15: Montreal HC vs Ottawa HC, 18 February 1899
First, the fun stuff (and why is it always Ottawa?)- Fred Chittick, the long-time Ottawa goalie, was replaced by “Bowse Hutton”. Chittick was unhappy with the conduct of the club executives, criticized how they treated Pulford, and claimed that he knew of “one player on the Ottawa team who was offered $100 by a member of the executive this season for his services; but that’ only a mole hill to other things that I will make public”. I probably won’t dig into this just now, but it is on my list for later. These early Ottawa teams sound wild.
White starts the game with a rush. Charlton clears, Christmas makes a run, but Hutton is up to the challenge. Henry, Kirby, and White make a combination play, Young passes to Henry, and Henry takes a shot that beats Collins. Locke, Christmas, and Horsfall make a run, and score. Ottawa scores three more before the half, the first on a goal from White via a pass from Young.. Montreal starts the second half on the front foot, and Locke eventually scores. Christmas gets the next one, and then Horsfall or Nicholson scores on a pass from Christmas to even the score. Charlton goes on a dangerous looking run, but Young stops him via “a body check that must have displaced some of his ribs”. White gets the match winner via “a magnificent rush from his own flags”.
An Ottawa paper wrote: “The Montrealers were without the services of Howard, their star forward, McKerrow and Baird”
“The work of the Ottawa team was pretty evenly balanced, but Kirby and White did the most effective work on the line. Kirby was knocked about, bodied, slashed and checked, but he never flinched and was in the game until the last. White, as usual, played a strong aggressive game. His shooting was splendid. Roger, considering he was playing with an injured foot, did good work, and stopped the Montreal forwards repeatedly. But the small boy, Harold Henry, was the surprise of the evening. Henry is scarcely known to followers of the game, and such expressions as ‘Who is the kid?’ could be heard among the spectators when the team appeared. It didn’t take them long to find out who the kid was, and Charlton, the dirtiest man on the Montreal team, will probably remember the youngster for some time. Henry not only followed up well, but he checked with the nerve of a player weighing 180 pounds, instead of a boy of 120. His dodging was excellent also and with a little more experience he will make one of the best men in the city. Young played a marvelous game, and in addition to going the full length of the ice, looked after several of the Montreal forwards, and time and again saved the flags. Macdonald was as cool as ever, and in the play-off, when he went out to cover point, he proved conclusively that he could fill that position satisfactorily. His lifting was a feature of the game, and under Young’s tuition Bert now uses good judgment”
“Horsfall, Locke and Christmas were simply the only forwards on the Montreal line. There was Nicholson, but Davey Gilnour’s small brother could have played rings around the Montrealer. Nicholson was an ornament, that’s all”
“Collins, in goal, put up a fair game, but it was not to be compared with that of Hutton’s. Charlton played a dirty game, and Elliott ran hm a dead heat- the pair are no great acquisition to any seven”
Another Ottawa paper reported: “Charlton was very unpopular with the crowd. He cross-checked and tripped a lot, but at time used his body quite effectively”
“Hutton in goal for the Ottawas played a good game and always relieved quickly. The defense played well and Young’s assistance to the forwards, particularly in the first half, had a lot to do with winning the game. Young Henry, the new man on the Ottawas, played one of the best games on the ice. He is fast and is one of the few players that Ottawa has had who plays the wing position properly. White and Kirby both put up good games. Mac rogers had not entirely recovered from the injury to his foot and was not in his best form. Locke and Horsfall put up the best games for the Montreal forwards and Collins in net made some nice stops in goal. Elliott at point was a trifle clumsy and Charlton played a very determined blocking game”
Final Score: 5-4 Ottawa HC
Rosters
Montreal: Collins in goal, Elliott at point, Charlton at cover, Horsfall, Locke, Nicholson, and Christmas at forward
Ottawa: Hutton in goal, McDonald at point, Young at cover, Kirby, Rogers, Henry, and White at forward
Game #16: Montreal Victorias vs Montreal HC, 25 February 1899
Brown makes a “rattling run”, and Locke scores. Davidson responds for the Vics. Ewing scores to give the Vics the lead. Brown makes another run, Horsfall passes to Locke, who scores. Ewing answers. Brown scores, and the game is tied at the half. From there we stop getting a good play by play, but we have a list of goalscorers.
A Montreal paper wrote: “The Vics missed the reliability of MacDougall and the rushing power of McLea, but their back division was imperturbable and steadier than Montreal’s. The latter seemed to be able to get into the wrong place at the wrong time, and how the agility of the Vics forwards told against them, for a goalkeeper, be he ever so vigilant, cannot withstand a combined rush of forwards if the point and cover men have been left hopelessly in the rear. It was in a particular method of steady defence that the Victorias showed superior judgment. Grant, for instance, could afford to take a dashing chance because he knew Drinkwater was in his place behind him and that the latter would be able to attend to anything that came his way. In fact had it not been for the fine defence of the point and cover, Montreal would likely have won, for their forward line took every chance and went fast”
“There were two men who deserve special credit for their attack play. They were Desse Brown and Cam. Davidson. The former was the proverbial lightning, and when he did not score he was indirectly responsible for it. He is fast and he knows how to pass at the exactly right moment. If the support behind him is at the strategic point where it would naturally expected to be, his cross pass in front would almost invariably result in a score or give the opposing goalkeeper a fair chance to earn his spurs. It was noticeable too that whenever another forward led the way and passed, Brown was in the centre and scored”
“Of Davidson it seems superfluous to speak. If ever a man donned skates and carried a hockey stick who was so thoroughly oblivious to danger, he is familiarly known as ‘Cam’. His rushes to stop a lift have always been reckless, and he comes head on, never seeking to duck”
Another Montreal paper reported: “McLea and Macdougall were absent from the champions, and Collins, McKerrow, and Howard were missed from their opponents. Ewing and Acer played on the Vics, and Munro and Brown figured on the Montreal team. These changes made the teams pretty even, but there was an advantage in favour of the Vics by reason of the presence of enough of the older players to make things interesting enough at critical moments”
“Lewis stopped some pretty stiff shots, and then let some easy pucks roll in. While Munroe had a somewhat similar experience. The youngster made a rattling good goal keeper, but nearly always succeeded in putting the puck in the wrong place after stopping the shot”
“Brown played a particularly good game, and made many good runs and was well up in the scoring. Horsfall did well, but appeared to be troubled with his boots. Christmas worked hard and so did Locke”
“On the Victoria forward line, Dr. Davidson shone prominently. He was down on every lift and succeeded in stopping one with his cheek”
“Ewing played a good game and so did Acer and Bowie”
An Ottawa paper wrote: “The forwards were equally matched, but Drinkwater and Grant for the Victorias proved a better defence than Elliott and Charlton of the Montrealers”
Another Ottawa paper provided some random hockey thoughts: Brouse Hutton is the Ottawas new goal keeper. Fred. Chittick will likely never play again says the News. All Ottawa expects interesting developments growing out of Chittick’s estrangement with the Ottawas. It is thought one or more of the ‘stars’ may share ‘Alfy’ Smith’s professional isolation this spring”
“Dan Bain, the Winnipeg Victorias’ peerless forward, has been in Toronto the latter part of the week, says the News. A stockily, well-built man, under medium height, wearing a heavy bandage, has attracted attention in the down town section of the city”
“‘Bob’ McDougall of the Montreal Victorias was the most talked about hockeyist in Canada tis week, consequent upon his fouling of Gingras. McDougall is the oldest player on the forward line, and one if its stars”
Final Score: 10-6 Victorias
Rosters
Victorias: Lewis in goal, Drinkwater at point, Grant at cover, Davidson, Bowie, Acer, and Ewing at forward
Montreal HC: Munro in goal, Elliott at point, Charlton at cover, Horsfall, Christmas, Locke, and Brown at forward
Game #17: Montreal Victorias vs Montreal Shamrocks, 1 March 1899
The Shamrocks start with an attempt, but Grant is there to the rescue. The Shamrock forwards are noted for their speed, forcing Grant and Drinkwater to play hard. Drinkwater and Trihey have a collision, and Trihey is injured. Trihey returns, makes a nice run and passes to Farrell, who scores (another paper has Trihey scoring on a pass from Scanlan). The Victorias go on the attack, Davidson leading the charge with McLea and McDougall in support, but to no avail. Lewis makes a save against Brannen. Bowie has a chance. McLea makes a good run.Trihey saves a goal by breaking up a pass. McKenna is noted for some stops. The Shamrocks forward line is dangerous, but Grant, Drinkwater, and Lewis are playing well. McDougall has a dangerous chance. At the start of the second half, Grant is described as “playing a splendid reliable game”. Grant makes a rush that Brannen stops. McDougall makes a couple more dangerous rushes; a paper notes that “MacDougall’s runs and Drinkwater’s checking were features of this part of the game. Farrell did some excellent shooting; but it was well stopped”. Wall and Grant exchange lifts, then Wall stops Grant a couple times. There are some penalties as well. Trihey is playing like a second cover. Nobody else is able to score.
A Montreal paper wrote: “The work of Lewis between the flags was phenomenal. Seldom has a man been subjected to such a siege as he was, and he was the equal to them all, with the exception of one fatal occasion”
“Tremendous efforts were made by Davidson, Grant, and Drinkwater to score, but it was useless”
Another Montreal paper reported: “Wall, Tansey and McKenna make a defence that is equal to anything”
“But the Victoria defence played a grand game too. Mike Grant by all odds played his best game of the season, and Graham Drinkwater worked like a Trojan and his rushes down the ice were wonderful to behold. ‘Geordie’ Lewis stopped wonderfully well, and how he managed to prevent some of the lift shots from scoring, no one can tell”
An Ottawa paper noted: “The playing of their forwards, especially Trihey and Brennan, was exceptionally brilliant”
Final Score: 1-0 Shamrocks
Rosters
Victorias: Lewis in goal, Drinkwater at point, Grant at cover, Davidson, McDougall, McLea, and Bowie at forward
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Brannen, Farrell, Trihey, and Scanlan at forward
Game #18: Ottawa HC vs Montreal Shamrocks, 4 March 1899
Unfortunately, most of the press around this one centers around a fight. Kirby allegedly speared Wall, and Wall starts beating him. Young steps in to stop it, but receives a stick to the head for his trouble. Shamrock players insist that Kirby had been playing a dirty game throughout, and thus, basically, had it coming.
Brannen scores the first of the game off of a pass from Farrell. Wall scores the second on a rush, and Trihey gets the third. Ottawa gets on the board after a “splendid run” from Henry, who passed to Kirby, who scored. Brannen scored the next game, and the Shamrocks took a 4-1 lead into the half. Brannen gets the next one, and Trihey the one after on a “splendid run”. Here the Kirby/Wall fight happens, and the police were actually called in. Henry scores when the game resumes. Trihey answers. Henry scores the last goal of the match.
A Montreal paper wrote: “There were three men on the Ottawa team who seemed to be about equal to the occasion. They were Henry, Stewart and Young. The latter came in for his usual share of disapprobation from the spectators, but Weldy did not seem to mind it a little bit and continued to play good hockey and check as hard as his weight would allow. The other two took a lot of chances and occasionally got through- for three goals, anyhow, and a couple of others that were called back”
Another Montreal paper called out Kirby for “loafing offside”.
An Ottawa paper reported: “Henry particularly put up a great game, and was one of the best forwards on the ice. The Montreal people were asking the Ottawa crowd who the kid was, and his dashes were repeatedly applauded. Hod Stuart on the opposite wing put up a good, fast game as did White and Kirby in the centre”
“Every man on the Shamrock forward line played well, but Wall at cover point put up a very dirty game. Wall weighs about 170 pounds, and it is not to his credit that most of his attacks were mane on Kirby, the smallest man on the Ottawa team. Kirby may be small, but he is no easy proposition”
Final Score: 7-3 Shamrocks
Rosters
Ottawa: Hutton in goal, McDonald at point, Young at cover, White at rover, Kirby at centre, Stuart and Henry on the wings
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Trihey at rover, Brannen at centre, Farrell and Scanlan on the wings
Game #19: Ottawa HC vs Quebec HC- Quebec Defaults
Game #20: Quebec HC vs Montreal Victorias- Quebec Defaults
Retro All-Star Team
It isn’t perfect, since Quebec missed two games, Ottawa one, and the Victorias one, but I think things were equal enough that I can still take a stab at a retro All Star team. McDougall almost certainly would have made the team had he played more than a couple games (he played only two). Point is again the weak spot- Drinkwater, despite playing forward for a bit and only a handful of games at point, seems to have been the best of the league. Cover was also tough, because- the way I am reading these, at least- Weldy Young gets every bit the positive press (and possibly more) than Grant does. Why has history all but forgotten about Young, while we all know who Grant is? Is it the Cups? Is it because Young seems to have been disliked by everyone but the Ottawa team and its fans? I don’t know. Young had that terrible (though he was still recovering from a dislocated shoulder suffered two weeks earlier) against the Vics, which makes me feel somewhat comfortable giving the nod to Grant here, but it is certainly close. The final forward spot was also a tough one, and could have gone to one of several forwards.
Goal: McKenna, Montreal Shamrocks
Point: Drinkwater, Montreal Victorias
Cover: Grant, Montreal Victorias
Forward: Trihey, Montreal Shamrocks
Forward: C. Davidson, Montreal Victorias
Forward: McKerrow, Montreal HC
Forward: Brennan, Montreal Shamrocks
| Team | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals For | Goals Against |
| Montreal Shamrocks | 7 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 22 |
| Montreal Victorias | 5 | 2 | 0 | 44 | 23 |
| Ottawa HC | 3 | 4 | 0 | 21 | 43 |
| Montreal HC | 2 | 6 | 0 | 31 | 31 |
| Quebec HC | 1 | 5 | 0 | 15 | 32 |
Skater Stats
| Name | Team | Position | Goals | Assists | Points |
| Trihey* | Shamrocks | Forward | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| McKerrow | Montreal HC | Forward | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| C. Davidson** | Victorias | Forward | 5 | 5 | 10 |
| McDougall | Victorias | Forward | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| Kirby | Ottawa | Forward | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| Brennan | Shamrocks | Forward | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| Bowie | Victorias | Forward | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Ewing | Victorias | Forward | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| Farrell | Shamrocks | Forward | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Brown | Montreal HC | Forward | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| McLea | Victorias | Forward | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Christmas | Montreal HC | Forward | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Scanlan | Shamrocks | Forward | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Acker | Victorias | Forward | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Gillespie | Quebec | Forward | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Smith | Quebec | Forward | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Henry | Ottawa | Forward | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Howard | Montreal HC | Forward | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Locke | Montreal HC | Forward | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Roger (Rogers)*** | Ottawa | Forward | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Young | Ottawa | Cover | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Dalberg | Quebec | Forward | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| White | Ottawa | Forward | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Charlton | Montreal HC | Cover | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Horsfall | Montreal HC | Forward | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Watson | Quebec | Cover | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Grant**** | Victorias | Cover | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nolan (Nolin)***** | Ottawa | Forward | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Spittal | Ottawa | Forward | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| B. Stuart | Ottawa | Forward | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| O’Meara | Quebec | Forward | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Wall | Shamrocks | Cover | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Drinkwater | Victorias | Point | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| McDonald | Ottawa | Point | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| C. Scott | Quebec | Point | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Tansey | Shamrocks | Point | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Maybe Davidson | Victorias | Forward | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Maybe Grant | Victorias | Cover | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Maybe Nolan (Nolin) | Ottawa | Forward | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Maybe Roger (Rogers) | Ottawa | Forward | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Maybe Trihey | Shamrocks | Forward | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Possibly Scanlan | Shamrocks | Forward | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Possibly Young | Ottawa | Cover | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bowie or Davidson | Victorias | N/A | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Farrell or Trihey | Shamrocks | N/A | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Bowie or McLea | Victorias | N/A | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Brannen or Farrell | Shamrocks | N/A | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Nolan (Nolin) or Roger (Rogers) | Ottawa | N/A | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Bowie or Ewing | Victorias | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Bowie or Grant | Victorias | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Brannen or Scanlan | Shamrocks | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Brown or McKerrow | Montreal HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Christmas or Howard | Montreal HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Davidson or Ewing | Victorias | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Gillespie or Smith | Quebec | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Horsfall or Nicholson | Montreal HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Locke or McKerrow | Montreal HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| McLea or Davidson | Victorias | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Moran or C. Scott | Quebec | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Scanlan or Trihey | Shamrocks | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nolan (Nolin) or H. Stuart | Ottawa | N/A | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Tansey or Wall | Shamrocks | N/A | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| UNK | Ottawa | N/A | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| UNK | Montreal HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Goalie Stats
| Name | Team | Games Played | Goals Allowed | GAA |
| Lewis | Victorias | 3 | 7 | 2.33 |
| McKenna | Shamrocks | 8 | 22 | 2.75 |
| Collins | Montreal HC | 7 | 21 | 3.00 |
| Richardson | Victorias | 4 | 16 | 4.00 |
| Stocking | Quebec | 5 | 25 | 5.00 |
| Hutton | Ottawa | 2 | 11 | 5.50 |
| Chittick | Ottawa | 5 | 32 | 6.40 |
| O’Meara | Quebec | 1 | 7 | 7.00 |
| Munro | Montreal HC | 1 | 10 | 10.00 |
Game #1: Quebec HC vs Montreal HC, 7 January 1899
Quebec starts the game on the front foot, Watson lifting the puck down. Collins clears the put. McKerrow finally scores. McKerrow gets the second goal as well. Brown plays well in the next game; “Brown’s work, for instance, could not help but tell that he had played hockey before, that he knew the game, and that he had sized up the weak spots in Quebec’s defence”. Brown makes a nice play to draw Quebec’s attention, passed to McKerrow, who scores. Quebec makes a push, with Gillespie and Scott being noticeable, but Baird and Charleton don’t let anything past. Montreal scores three more (Brown, McKerrow, McKerrow), then Scott makes a lift and Gillespie puts it through. McKerrow scores another before the game ends.
A Montreal paper wrote: "The home team had certainly the best of the game all the way through. This was due to the excellent combination work of the forward line, and more particularly to Mackerrow and Brown, both of whom played remarkably good hockey. The daring of the former in his rushes makes one wonder why he does not meet with more accidents. He is along behind the rubber and arrives at the stop about the same time that the rubber does. He seems to take more chances of being slashed than anybody else playing on senior teams, but he is fast enough to get away and when he lands in a hard check the other man knows he has been running up against something”
“The Quebec men played a plucky uphill game and they never quit, but they were lax in their forward line as far as shooting was concerned. They could keep the puck dangerously in Montreal territory a good deal of the time, but attempts at straight shooting were erratic, and Collins was equal to all the occasions when the disk came his way. He had some close calls, which he managed to relieve himself of in a way that only comes with the acute eye of experience”
“The play of Gillespie was another feature that did credit to the visitors, as well as that of Scott. Swift seemed to have an off day, or rather was unlucky, but the game he put up for all that, was one to be counted on”
Another Montreal paper reported: “One old figure was missing from the Quebec team- Stocking. O’Meara played in poles instead, but he was a poor substitute and did not do much. The Quebec defence, Scott and Watson, played well, and the fast Montreal forwards found it no sinecure to get by them at any stage of the game. On the forward line Gillespie an Gilmour did splendid work, but ‘Dolly’ Swift was out of the game entirely. Swift has been a long time actively participating in the athletic world and he has about reached the limit of his usefulness. It would do the Quebec team more good if he would give way to a younger man”
“The forward line was in great trim and Clary McKerrow was especially brilliant. Baird did splendid work and Charlton played a good game, but he displayed a lack of judgment on a dew occasions that might have told seriously against the team under different circumstances. Collins had some close work to do and he did it in his usual brilliant style”
An Ottawa paper wrote: “Horsfall was not in his usual form, and Gillespie was giving him all he could do”
“McKerrow was responsible for the extra score in this half. He had been playing a star game, and he was worth about two men on the opposing team. Collins knew his business between the posts, and Baird never forgot himself at cover. Horsfall did not seem to be up to his usual game. On the Quebec side Scott and Watson did splendid work, and occasionally Swift showed up in his usual style, but Gillespie carried off the honors”
Final Score:7-1 Montreal HC
Rosters
Quebec: O’Meara in goal, Scott at point, Watson at cover, Swift at RC, Holliday (probably center, but unmarked), Gilmour at LW, and Gillespie at RW
Montreal HC: Collins in goal, Charlton at point, Baird at cover, Locke at RC, McKerrow (probably center, but unmarked), Horsfall at LW, and Brown at RW.
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Montreal | McKerrow | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | McKerrow | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | McKerrow | Brown | N/A |
| Montreal | Brown | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | McKerrow | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | McKerrow | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Gillespie | Scott | N/A |
| Montreal | McKerrow | N/A | N/A |
Game #2: Montreal Shamrocks vs Ottawa HC, 7 January 1899
The first game was a bit of a snooze, the O’Connor making some rushes that Wall stops, and Scanlan and Farrell teaming up for some ultimately fruitless runs. Tansey ends an O’Connor attempt. Farrell finally scores. The Shamrocks take the initiative in the second game as well, Brennan and Farrell almost getting another one past Chittick. Ottawa counters, Tansey stops it. Kirby makes another attempt, Tansey stops that one too, but Spittal gets the puck and scores. Kirby scored the third game after a nice play and pass from McDonald. O’Connor was a busy man before his injury, and was credited with having “tried half a dozen shots”. Young scores for Ottawa after the half after a brilliant run by Kirby, then Stuart scores (also after a play by Kirby). The Shamrocks mount a little comeback, with Scanlan then Brennan scoring, but the game ends before they could score the equalizer.
A Montreal paper wrote (it looks like the same coverage of one of the Ottawa papers, so I actually don’t know who wrote it first): “Nolin, who replaced O’Connor, played his position on the side properly, and while he did not play a showy game, did a lot of effective work in the way of blocking”
“It was the steadiness and strength of the Ottawa’s defence which won Saturday night’s match. Weldy Young was in his old-time form and played splendidly. WIth Bert McDonald, who played at point, he held out the Shamrock attacks in fine style. McDonald, for a player from the junior ranks, put up a splendid game”
“While Fred. Chittick’s play in goal was probably the feature of the night. For every shot that the Ottawa sent in on the Shams goals, the Shamrocks sent in three or four on the Ottawas”
“Chittick gave as good an exhibition of goal keeping as was probably ever seen on a hockey rink and proved that he is as good as the best in the trade”
“The Shamrocks defence was strong too, and Wall had a very handy way of setting those who tried to pass him wrong-side up, while Frank Tansey was a wonder at point”
“Young and McDonald did the same thing on the other end, but the Ottawa forwards were perhaps a little more plucky than their opponents and came back repeatedly for the same kind of medicine, whereas the Shamrocks stopped excursions of this kind and shot from a longer distance out, or tried to get close in by combination play which was usually intercepted”
“For the Shamrocks the whole team played well, Wall’s lifting being particularly good. Scanlan and Brennan were the stars of the forward line. Kirby played the best game on the Ottawa forward line and has lost none of his old-time dash, while Spittall was playing he did excellent, but he could very well have taken more of the work. It was no mistake to play Bruce Stuart. The youngster did as much work as any one on the ice, and for his first senior game played splendidly. Noland and O’Connor both did well”
An Ottawa paper reported: “Chauncey Kirby has not lost a bit of his old time dash”
“McKenna in goals does not start to be in Chittick’s class”
“Wall, of the Shamrocks, has improved wonderfully, and is good enough for any senior team”
“Weldy Young seems to be as good as ever, and played a great game, although his lifting at times was a little off color”
“Another Ottawa paper wrote: “At point Bert Macdonald showed considerable coolness, but is not quite as strong as Pulford. He made no mistakes however. Bruce Stuart, the ‘small boy’ worked hard but not too effectively. Capt. Kirby has room for improvement. He is [unreadable] as fearless as heretofore, but it only [unreadable] a few hard battles to bring him back to his old time form. Charlie Spittal and Weldy Young played their old tome, steady game. Young did some excellent interference, and sent many a Shamrock man to the ice with his body. He overdid it once or twice and was cautioned by the referee. Fred Chittick could not have played better. To him alone can the Ottawa’s attribute victory”
“They have a fine set of forwards with the exception perhaps of Hoerner, who at time showed a yellow streak. Had Trihey, their star been in his place, victory might have gone to the boys in green. Brannan was the best forward on the ice. His work compared with O’Connor, who was injured. Next to him was Fred Scanlan, who was with the rubber all the time. Farrell’s work was also good and he made a number of splendid rushes”
“Pittal made many pretty runs but all his efforts were for naught, but once when he reached shooting distance, Wall and Tansey stood off the attacks with splendid judgment. McKenna had little to do in the flags, most of the shots excepting those scored being wide of the mark. With Chittick it was different. Every time the puck went his way, it was right on for a bull’s eye”
“Chalk Young used excellent judgment”
“Kirby got the face in nearly every instance”
“Westwick is needed on that forward line”
“It was hammer and tongs with Nolan for a time”
“Tansey who played point for the visitors is a magnificent stick-handler”
“Chittick is a wonder, and his work proves conclusively that he is the peer of all goal-keepers”
“Bruce Stewart put up a great game, but the Shamrock defence were rather heavy for him”
“The Shamrocks say that the Victorias have a gem in Russell Bowie, who played with the Junior Vics last season. He is not yet 19 years of age, very fast, and a great shooter”
“Bert Macdonald’s work proves beyond a doubt that he is one of the best point players in the city, and with a little more experience will make a corker. He saved the home team repeatedly”
Final Score:4-3 Ottawa HC
Rosters
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Hoener, Farrell, Scanlan, and Brennan at forward
Ottawa: Chittick in goal, MacDonald at point, Young at cover, Kirby, Spittal, Stuart, and O’Connor (replaced by Nolan after injury) at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Shamrocks | Farrell | Brennan | N/A |
| Ottawa | Spittal | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | Kirby | McDonald | N/A |
| Ottawa | Young | Kirby | N/A |
| Ottawa | Stuart | Kirby | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Scanlan | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Brennan | N/A | N/A |
Game #3: Montreal Victorias vs Montreal HC, 10 January 1899
Bowie scores the first goal of the match after a pass from Davidson. Grant and Baird exchange lifts in the next game. McKerrow makes a run but shoots wide. The Vics almost score, but Horsfall is able to clear. Grant makes a rush that is stopped by Baird, Baird’s rush is stopped by McLea. McLea or Bowie scores. McKerrow gets Montreal HC on the board. The defense pair of each team exchange lifts. Brown or McKerrow scores. Davidson makes a run that Locke stops. The Vics score two more, both from Acker. Grant and McRobie get praised for their defense. Richardson is forced to make a couple saves, Brown in particular causing some danger, but he makes them without incident.
A Montreal paper wrote: “It was a strong team that represented the champions, and they did not take long to find out the weak spots in Montreal’s line. Once they had obtained this knowledge they hammered away and the vulnerable spots were pretty badly taxed. Montreal’s forward line was the weak spot, the only man who did himself justice was Clary McKerrow, and he worked like a Trojan”
“The Victoria forward line was a mighty strong one, and the men forming it proved a big surprise to those people who had banked on the supposedly weak Victoria team. Cam. Davidon, Ernie McLea, Bowie, and Ewing proved themselves to be a smart lot of forwards and their work was an eye opener to many people”
“The game brought forward a couple of weak points on Montreal’s team. It showed that the forward line is not as strong as it was thought to be, and also that their strong defence is not at its best when losing. Locke was not at all well last night. Horsfall and Brown did not play as they have played and this gave the Victoria forwards many opportunities to slip by and get in on the Montreal defence. The only man who was good from beginning to end was Collins, and he certainly did great work”
“Mike Grant did a great deal towards winning the match and his work at cover was as reliable as ever. Fred McRobie did excellent work at point, and Frank Richardson, in goal, made some splendid saves”
Final Score: 4-2 Victorias
Rosters
Victorias: Richardson in goal, McRobie at point, Grant at cover, C. Davidson, McLea (replaced by Acker after injury), Bowie, and Ewing at forward
Montreal HC: Collins in goal, Charlton at point, Baird at cover, McKerrow, Locke, Horsfall, and Brown at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Victorias | Bowie | C. Davidson | N/A |
| Montreal HC | McKerrow | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie or McLea | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Brown or McKerrow | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Acker | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Acker | Ewing | N/A |
Game #4: Quebec HC vs Ottawa HC, 14 January 1899
Ottawa scores first, Rogers or Nolin doing the needful. Gillespie makes a nice run to end the second game. Young gets a penalty, Hod Stuart falls back to take his place, and he and MacDonald are praised for their play, not allowing Quebec to score despite the man advantage. Nolin or Rogers scores to give Ottawa the lead, and Nolin adds the insurance marker as well.
A Montreal paper wrote: “The game was characterized by a lot of slashing and individual work. Weldy Young was ruled off five minutes for fouling Moran. Young played a rough game. He was warned several times for using his body unduly severely”
Another Monreal paper reported: “Unlike the game of the previous week, with the Shamrocks, the Ottawas did not owe their victory in the least to any degree of luck. They won purely on their merits, and only a great deal of excellent goal-keeping on the part of Sticking in the second half prevented a much larger score”
“Rogers, a new man on the Ottawa forward line, played one of the best games on the ice, and with Kirby, the Ottawas have a great pair of cenre forwards. Nolin and Stuart on the wings are both effective players, while the defence men played their usual game. Gillespie and Scott on the Quebec forward line were the most conspicuous figures”
An Ottawa paper wrote: “The changes on the Ottawa team included Max Rogers and Hod Stuart. Rogers’ play certainly earned for him a sure position on the team in future matches. He played centre behind Captain Kirby, and is one of the best forwards that the Ottawas have taken from the junior ranks. Stuart on the side did a lot of useful work. He was a trifle slow at times in getting started, and had a tendency to wander too far from his position, but he should develop into a good man for a wing place”
“Weldy Young played his usual good game at cover point. His lifts into the Quebec goals were a feature of the match. Bert McDonald at point was as steady as in the Shamrock game. Chittick in goal did not have as busy a time as against the Shamrocks. After the game seemed sure for the Ottawas he made a couple of rushes by special request of the press stand, which brought down the house. Captain Kirby played with dash and is as good a forward as ever, while Nolin was more effective than in the Montreal game”
“The Quebec team had a number of new faces, including Cahill and Morin. The defence was strong and GIllespie and Smith are the pick of the forwards”
Another Ottawa paper reported: “Mac Roger’s work with the stick and puck was deadly to the enemy. His fearless play netted two goals for the home team. He got in his good work every time the Ottawas were in a tight place and glided down the ice with the speed of a cat getting round an ash barrel. To intercept him was impossible. His shots were deadly. He beat the Quebecers, and that’s all there is about it”
“In the matter of general rush work all the team were about equal. Captain Kirby was an improvement over a week ago. He did his share with a will, and very often showed an inclination to be in two or three places at once. It was not until near the close of the last half that Nolan, Stuart, and Roger got in their telling work. ‘Chalk’ Young played his old-time game at cover point. He perhaps was a little uncertain of the result on account of the novices around him. Every time any of the Quebecers came his way he set himself and waited for the worst. But the strangest part of it was that the other fellow always got the worst of it. When Chalk could not successfully stop him with his stick he brought his body into play in characteristic style. Few indeed passed him, as the ‘jolts’ that Young was dishing up were too tart for the ‘Ancients’. Macdonald as a consequence had a comparatively easy task, while Chittick had a much quieter time than when against the Shamrocks. There were onslaughts on the Ottawa goal, however, which were dangerous, and in all of them Chittick was equal to the task of preventing all but one goal”
“Scott was about the fastest man on the ice”
“Hod Stuart is a better player than his brother Bruce, and Roger is almost as good as Henry O’Connor, who is still unable to cut a figure on the ice. Nolan and Roger seem to understand each other better than any of the forwards, and repeatedly got in some beautiful work”
One of the Montreal papers referred to the Ottawa team as the “Rough Riders”
Final Score: 3-1 Ottawa HC
Rosters
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Cahill at point, Gillespie at cover, Moran, A. Scott, Smith, and Scott at forward OR Stocking in goal, C. Scott at point, Cahill at cover, Gillespie, Smith, A. Scott, and Moran at forward
Ottawa: Chittick in goal, McDonald at point, Young at cover, H. Stuart, Rogers, Kirby, and Nolan/Nolin at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Ottawa | Rogers or Nolin | Maybe Rogers Maybe Nolin | N/A |
| Quebec | Moran or C. Scott | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | Rogers or Nolin | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | Nolin | Kirby | N/A |
Game #5: Montreal Shamrocks vs Montreal HC, 14 January 1899
Farrell opens the scoring for the Shamrocks. McKerrow evens the score. Brannen makes some nice rushes in the next game, and eventually scores. Both goalies are playing well. Trihey scores the next game. McKerrow “seemed to outskate everybody, and travelled through the Shamrock defence as if they were standing still” and scored. McKerrow ties the game again. Trihey gives the Shamrocks the lead again after a “magnificent run”.
A Montreal paper wrote: “It was the discovery of the weak point in the Montreal forward line and the immediate action on that same discovery that won out the match for the Shamrocks. With three other men like McKerrow, a goal castillated would not have been able to withstand the battering that could be given; but outside McKerrow, the weak point was shown early. It was an inability to shoot straight”
Another Montreal paper reported: “‘Desse’ Brown had forsaken his former clubmates, and here he was with a winged wheel on his breast, instead of a winged foot, and it was Montreal, and not the Shamrocks, for whom Brown was exerting all of his artifices and wiles in the game. But Brown’s place had been filled with a player of no mean ability - Farrell - and subsequent events proved that the Shamrocks had got the better of the change. In the selection of the Montreal team some one blundered, and the blunder was in leaving Locke off. Locke possesses qualities that would have proved invaluable in Saturday’s game and might have served to turn the tide of victory”
“The Shamrocks demonstrated their superiority on the forward line thoroughly. They proved themselves the equals of the Montreal men in skating and Jack Brannen was able to catch Clary McKerrow any time”
“Arthur Farrell did some wonderfully clever work in getting the puck in the right place at the right time”
“Clary McKerrow did grand work and was responsible for all the scoring, but the other men always failed once they got in the vicinity of the goals”
“The trio that looked after the Shamrocks poles would bathe any set of forwards and Wall, Tansey, and McKenna did some wonderful things”
“Harry Horsfall and Rupert Howard worked hard and willingly and Desse Brown was not a bit behind hand, but Brown’s weakness was apparent whenever he stopped to get in some of his funny work on his old friends”
“The Montreal defence worked steadily throughout the better part of the game, but toward the end of the match both Baird and Charlton were ‘up in the air’, as the boys say, and made some serious errors. Collins was the mainstay of the defence, and he stopped some impossible looking shots in great style”
“Harry Trihey played a star game”
“Clary McKe[rrow]’s work was out of the ordinary”
“Collins did some wonderful work in the poles for Montreal, and he kept the score down in great shape, but woe betide the unfortunate forward who approached to near ‘Herby’”
An Ottawa paper wrote: “McKerrow is a hard man to handle at best of times, and he is very dangerous, but the Shamrocks attended to him in practically having two men to look after him. Brown, too, was very closely watched, and he had to take some very hard checking, but he did not seem to mind it, and was not slow in returning compliments. Montreal’s defence division did not seem to be up to their usual form”
Final Score: 4-3 Shamrocks
Rosters
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Triehy, Brennan, Scanlan, and Farrell at forward
Montreal HC: Collins in goal, Charlton at point, Baird at cover, Brown, McKerrow, Horsfall, and Howard at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Shamrocks | Farrell | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | McKerrow | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Brannen | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | McKerrow | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | McKerrow | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
Game #6: Montreal HC vs Quebec HC, 21 January 1899- Quebec defaults due to refusal to re-play game
Dalberg scores the first goal of the game after Collins chases a hit. O’Meara makes a nice defensive play. Baird is injured after making a check on Scott. He is replaced by Christmas. Stocking makes a big save. McKerrow makes a rush, but gets hit with a stick and has to leave the game, being replaced by Hough. Christmas makes a hard hit on O’Meara. Howard takes a shot that Stocking saves, but Howard puts in the rebound. Collins has to do some hard work to keep the score tied, but O’Meara eventually scores via a lift. The Quebec team plays tight defense. Montreal thinks they have scored, but the ref disagrees. Montreal leaves the game in protest. Quebec refuses to replay the game. I’ll include the stats for the table, since most of the game was played.
Final Score: 2-1 Quebec HC
Rosters
Montreal: Collins in goal, Charlton at point, Baird at cover, McKerrow, Locke, Horsfall, and Howard at forward
Quebec: Stocking in goal, C. Scott at point, Watson at cover, O’Meara, Dalberg, A. Scott, and Gillespie at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Quebec | Dalberg | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Howard | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | O’Meara | N/A | N/A |
Game #7: Montreal Shamrocks vs Montreal Victorias, 21 January 1899
Farrell and Trihey start with a rush, but Drinkwater and Davidson make a counter. Davidson makes another run, but is unsupported. Trihey and Farrell again make a run, but Drinkwater makes a run. Wall stops Drinkwater and clears, Farrell or Trihey takes a pass from Scanlan and scores. Grant and Wall open the next game with some lifts. Bowie and Ewan force McKenna to make a stop. Farrell gets around McRobie, passes to Trihey, who scores. Davidson gets a hard hit in on Wall, who is shaken up. Farrell scores. McKenna stops a run from Davidson and Drinkwater. Tansey makes a rush, but Grant stops him. Scanlan passes to Trihey, who scores. Grant makes “some nice runs”. Trihey leads the rushes for the Shamrocks. Drinkwater and Davidson go on a run, Davidson passes to Bowie, who scores. Trihey attempts a rush, but Grant hits him and Trihey is much less noticeable for the rest of the evening. A Montreal paper reports that “Grant was now doing three men’s work”, but it is to no avail, as Farrell scores again for the Shamrocks. Bowie and Ewan go on a run, Ewan scores.
A Montreal paper wrote: “The four forwards played well down, and with the lifting of Wall were able to score four times before the Vics knew what they were at. Harry Trihey and his three assistants came out of the crowd time and again, only to be stopped by the Victoria defence, but their attack was so determined that no defence could stave it off. On the other hand, the Victorias seemed to be taking things easy, and did not follow up well, and with the exception of Cam Davidson and Drinkwater, who at times came through, but were not backed up. Ewan played up well, but Bowie was not up to his usual form. Mike Grant played well down, and kept the other forwards at their work”
Another Montreal paper reported: “Jim McKEnna, Frank Tansey, and Frank Wall make a most formidable defence”
“Fred Scanlan and Arthur Farrell looked after their wings in great style and both put up a great game. Hack Brannen and Harry Trihey looked after the centre of the ice, and Brannesn’s work in breaking up all attempts at combination on the part of the Victorias was liberally applauded. Brannen is an excellent example of what a small, fast man can do without resorting to any trickery. He can skate with any forward playing the game, and depend on his speed to get the puck from an opponent. Harry Trihey did not appear to be in the very best possible trim, and he got a few hard knocks early in the game”
“The real worker of the Victorias was ‘Cam’ Davidson, and he did as much as the other three forwards together. He flew about and in and out, but fate and a better team were pretty tough obstacle to overcome. Graham Drinkwater played a good steady game, but he appeared to have lost some of the fire and vigour of former days. Bowie did not get as many opportunities as usual, of displaying his nice stick handling. He was well looked after, however, and it was not altogether his fault. Ewing made himself very conspicuous and succeeded in attracting the referee’s attention on a couple of occasions, but he did good work and had more shots on the Shamrock poles than anybody else. Grant did not play like the Grant of old. He worked hard and tried all sorts of schemes to get the puck through the Shamrock goals, but without avail, and in the end he appeared to be out of the game. McRobie and Richardson did their best, and what more can be expected of any one”
“Harry Trihey’s shots were features of the match”
“Cam. Davidson played a plucky game all through”
“Mike Grant’s attempts to score on long lifts failed for once”
An Ottawa paper reported that “[a]bout four thousand people” were spectators at the game. That is the most I recall seeing so far, and strikes me as an impressive number for the time period.
“Mike Grant was the whole defence for his side, the point man not being fit for senior honors. Richardson in the poles was crowded, and no man can stop hot shots if his forwards and defence will insist on backing in on him. McKenna, in goal for the Shamrocks, was a wonder”
Final Score: 5-2 Shamrocks
Rosters
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Scanlan, Triehy, Farrell, and Brennan at forward
Victorias: Richardson in goal, McRobie at point, Grant at cover, C. Davidson, Bowie, Ewan, and Drinkwater at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Shamrocks | Farrell | Scanlan | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | Farrell | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Farrell or Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | Scanlan | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | Davidson | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Farrell | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Ewan | N/A | N/A |
Game #8: Ottawa HC vs Montreal HC, 28 January 1899
Kirby makes the first rush of the game. Charlton goes on a run. Nolan or Stuart passes to Kirby, who scores. Locke and Howard make a run that Chittick and Young repel. Howard makes a rush, but “Young, as usual, was in the way and returns”. Ottawa makes a rush, then Montreal counters. Howard passes to Christmas, who scores. Weldy Young makes a couple rushes, but doesn’t get any support. Horsfall, “who was playing a grand game”, causes some problem for Ottawa. Howard finally scores. Horsfall scores shortly afterwards. A Montreal paper reports that “Montreal are now pushing the Ottawa men and some hard checking is indulged in. The referee has to warn the players. For a little while the game laggs and the Ottawa men are playing ragged hockey. Young, however, is doing his best to stave off defeat, and with Kirby’s help gives Montreal goal some stops to look after”. Collins is up to the challenge, however. Howard scores the next game. Charlton stops a rush from Young and Kirby. Collins stops a shot from Nolan. Howard then scores again.
A Montreal paper wrote: “The Ottawa forwards played up well and gave the Montreal defence some hot ones to look after, but Collins, Elliott and Charlton handled them all right”
“The referee had to warn the Ottawa forwards several times for loafing off side, Kirby being the most at fault, but Montreal did a little of this too. Chittick, in poles for Ottawa, put up a grand game, and with Young, Kirby, and Nolan, were by far the hardest workers for Ottawa”
“For Montreal, all played well, especially the defence”
Another Montreal paper reported: “Collins in Montreal goals made good stops and relieved the tension there on more than one occasion”
“For Ottawa, Young and Kirby as old timer showed up well, and were the only thing who could make a stand against the Montreal forwards. Stewart and Nolan were either slow or off colour and did little”
“Christmas, who replaced McKerrow owing to the latter’s injuries with Quebec, played a fsat game for the home team and did good work”
An Ottawa paper wrote: Several of the Ottawa players did not show up to their usual form. Chittick in goal played well and Young at cover point up to the time that he met with the accident [reported dislocated shoulder] played splendidly. When the Ottawas were behind, time and time again he went down the entire length of the rink with the puck only to miss scoring a goal by a very narrow margin. McDonald did not play as well as in the Quebec or Shamrock game. Roger and Stuart on the forward line were off color. Stuart was very slow until towards the end of the game when he woke up and put up something like the game he has been showing in practice. Nolin and Kirby played all through the match”
“Collins in goal made some good stops”
“Frank McGee should be playing on the Ottawa forward line. He is putting up senior hockey”
“Howard of the Montrealers played the best game on that team. He was the fastest man on the ice”
Another Ottawa paper reported: “Charlton is not only the roughest, but the dirtiest player on the ice”
“Of the Ottawa team, Young was unquestionably the star. His work at times was phenomenal. He repeatedly went up the ice through the Montreal crowd with apparent ease. ‘Chalk’ was up to all Howard and Horsfall’s tricks, and the two speedy Montreal forwards were fooled many a time. Every Montrealer laid for Young, and gave him as much dirt as possible. He was tripped, struck of the legs, body-checked and knocked about generally, but Chalk always came up serenly, and was in the game until his shoulder was dislocated. CHittick did not put up his usual game, and allowed several easy shots to go through. He complained that the defence men, Madonald and Young, crowded him and that he was unable to see the puck coming. Macdonald played his usual cool game. He worked like a Trojan, especially when Young was off, and even the great Howard was stopped in his rushes by the ex-Maple man. Capt. Kirby worked as he never worked before. He put up the best game on the forward line, but he was very roughly treated by Charlton. Mac Roger, H. Nolan, and Hod Stuart were all slightly off color during first half, but in the last half showed up to better advantage”
“Howard and Horsfall were the stars of the winged foot aggregation, and their passing and dodging at times was dazzling. Christmas played a strong game, as did also Locke. The Montrealers’ defence, Elliot and Charlton, was somewhat of a surprise to the Ottawas. The pair put up a hard game, but as stated before, Charlton was altogether too rough”
“Spittal should be placed on the team”
Pulford reportedly told the Ottawa team very late that he would be unable to play, citing a cold. Apparently the club was not happy about this, and one Ottawa paper wrote that “Pulford’s style of play would have proved most effective, and the Ottawas attribute their defeat largely to the fact that he was not on the team”
Final Score: 5-1 Montreal HC
Rosters
Ottawa: Chittick in goal, McDonald at point, Young at cover, H. Stuart, Nolan, Kirby, and Rogers at forward
Montreal: Collins in goal, Elliott at point, Charlton at cover, Christmas, Locke, Howard, and Horsfall at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Ottawa | Kirby | Nolan or Stuart | Possibly Young |
| Montreal | Christmas | Howard | N/A |
| Montreal | Howard | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Horsfall | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Howard | Christmas | Locke |
| Montreal | Howard or Christmas | N/A | N/A |
Game #9: Montreal Victorias vs Quebec HC, 28 January 1899
The game starts with a lifting exhibition from the dmen on each side. Gillespie opens the scoring via “a fine run down the ice”. Bowie scores a couple minutes later. Bowie or Davidson score the next one, then Bowie extends the Vics’ lead. Ewing scores. Watson makes a rush, passes to Dalberg, who scores. Smith scores. Then Ewing or Bowie scores. Gillespie or Smith scores the final goal of the match.
A Montreal paper wrote: “Mike Grant, for the visitors, excelled his former reputation as a model cover point. Ewing and Bowie also put up a particularly good game.
Another Montreal paper reported: “The Quebec defence was a pretty strong one, and Watson, Scott, and Stocking did some good work. Stocking stopped some particularly difficult stops”
“The Victoria defence showed up well, and particularly McRobie, who played a better game than he has done at any time this season. Frank richardson did good work in the poles, and in the second half he made some splendid stops of what looked likely games”
Final Score: 5-4 Victorias
Rosters
Victorias: Richardson in goal, McRobie at point, Grant at cover, Bowie, Davidson, Drinkwater, and Ewing at forward
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Scott at point, Watson at cover, Gilmour, Dalberg, Smith, and GIllespie at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Quebec | Gillespie | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Davidson or Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Dalberg | Watson | N/A |
| Quebec | Smith | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Ewing | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie or Ewing | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Gillespie or Smith | N/A | N/A |
Game #10: Quebec HC vs Montreal Shamrocks, 4 February 1899
The Shamrocks start on the offensive, but no luck. Quebec takes a turn- McKenna makes the save against Gillespie, but Smith later scores. Trihey strikes next with a “corking shot”. Trihey scores the next one on a rebound. Stocking makes a couple of saves in the next game, but Trihey again scores. McKenna made a save, Trihey got the puck, “swooped down at a great pace”, beat Watson, “fooled Scott”, and scored. Brannen interrupts Trihey’s party and scores after a nice coast-to-coast run. Scanlan scored the next one, and Trihey must have been getting jealous, because he scored the next three, one from a shot from center. It seems like the Shamrocks got bored, because Dalberg, Smith, and Gillespie score to bring the score a little closer. The Shamrocks, and Trihey in particular, punished the Quebec team for their impudence, and score the next four (Trihey, Trihey, Farrell, Trihey) before time expires. Another Montreal paper describes Trihey as “only” 9 goals and Brannen having 2. As I don’t know which goal is disputed, I’m just going to mark the last one as ‘Brannen or Trihey’ to make up the discrepancy.
A Montreal paper wrote: “The Quebec defence, with the exception of Stocking, did not seem up to their usual work. They did not use sufficient combination to be effective against the continued onslaught of the Shamrock forwards”
“One of the features of the game was the ease with which Trihey scored. He captured ten goals without turning one of his football like hairs”
Another Montreal paper reported: “Now, while the score looks unduly high, it could have easily been doubled had not Quebec been blessed with the services of such a good goal keeper as Stocking. He played a splendid game and stopped, impossibly, twenty likely looking shots and as many more that were less likely”
“When Jack Brannen stepped on the ice he received a rousing welcome from his friends. His victory in the afternoon’s skating race was a very popular one”
Final Score: 13-4 Shamrocks
Rosters
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Scott at point, Watson at cover, Gilmour, Dalberg, Gillespie, and Smith at forward
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Trihey, Brannen, Scanlan, and Farrell at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Quebec | Smith | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Brannen | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Scanlan | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Dalberg | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Smith | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Gillespie | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Farrell | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Brannen or Trihey | N/A | N/A |
Game #11: Montreal Victorias vs Ottawa HC, 4 February 1899
The first half saw lots of scoring, with each team registering four goals. Ottawa strikes first, Kirby doing the needful. McLea evens the score after Chittick leaves his goal to clear and fails to do so. Bowie or Davidson scores the next goal. Roger ties it. Ottawa takes the lead on another goal from Roger, but then Chittick again gets caught away from his post and Bowie or McLea scores. Davidson or McLea and Roger trade goals before the half. Kirby scores on a pass from Young. But then “Mike Grant did what he has done on more than one occasion on Ottawa ice. He turned the tide in favour of the Victorias. From the face the puck was passed back to Grant, who made a lightning rush. He was forced into a corner, but Bowie was waiting for a pass and scored when the puck came out from Grant” (another source lists Grant as scoring the goal himself). Bowie gets the next one as well, after a pass from Davidson (another source has Davidson scoring). Davidson or Ewing scores the match winner.
From a Montreal paper: “For the visitors all played well. Grant never appeared to much better advantage and his lifting was a feature. McLea and Davidson were the best of the forwards, but all were good”
“Young played well for the Ottawas, but not his usual good game. He did not take any great risks with his sore shoulder. Chittick played a great game in goals. Kirby was the best of the forwards, but all did good individual work”
Another Montreal paper reported: “The visitors played a brilliant game, but their style was more showy than effective. The men performed many fancy plays and handled their sticks as if they didn’t care whether they won or not. The defence seemed careless, and even big genial Mike Grant put up a listless game at times. The forwards skated well, and on several occasions performed pieces of combination play that were fairly dazzling. There is but one worker on the forward line, and that is Cam Davidson. The other three who formed the attacking portion of the Vics were content to hang back and wait for a chance to rush up the ice while Davidson followed up every lift made by Grant or Capt. Drinkwater. McLea did some bery effective work, and his shooting at long range was simply beautiful. Bowie and Ewing also did some nice work. Mike Grant’s rush when he tallied the goal that made the score five all was one of the features of the evening”
“The playing of Chittick in goal was wonderful, and he made some phenomenal stops. It did not matter how the Vics sent the puck at him. High or low, from the side or from the centre, he took care of four out of every five shots that came his way. His opportune rushing fromthe flags spoiled many a play that would otherwise have netted the Vics a goal. Next to Chittick, Fred. White was the star. His rushes were responsible for several of the goals scored by Ottawa, and his tireless work encouraged the rest of the team. Weldy Young, Nolan, and Mac Rogers were not in their usual form. Capt. Kirby performed a lot of hard conscientious work”.
An Ottawa paper wrote: “McDonald did not appear to as good advantage as in the Shamrock and Quebec games. He does not use his body sufficiently”
“It is said that Henry O’Connor and Frank McGee will be candidates for positions on the forward line next Saturday night”
“In the matter of fast following up and returning back, ‘Cam’ Davidson is about the best man that has been seen on Ottawa ice”
“Bowie and Ewing fit very nicely into the vacancies on the Vic. forward line made by the absence of Bob McDougall and Graham Drinkwater. Bowie is a particularly fine player”
“Rogers seemed to be back in shape and played a fine game, but left his position on the wing too often. McLea, whom Rogers played on, did more damage than any other Victoria forward”
Another Ottawa paper reported: “Chittick made a number of fine stops”
“Chittick shone. He stopped at least forty swift and unerring shots. Young made a couple of mistakes, but nevertheless played well. The Vics consider White the strongest of the Ottawa forwards. White certainly played well, and with great determination, and opposing players did not relish the task of stopping the fast young Ottawa forward when he rushed down the ice”
“Mike Grant made one of his famous rushes at the start of the tenth game, and eluding all, scored”
“Young is still in the game. And he is the most scientific rusher of the seven”
“Chittick deserved all the applause he received”
“Chittick is the best goalkeeper at the business”
“McDonald plays point excellently. And he stays in his own territory”
“Frank McGee would be an acquisition to the forward line”
“Mike Grant is as reliable as ever. Mike has done the Anson act- shaved off his moustache to make himself look younger”
Final Score: 7-5 Victorias
Rosters
Victorias: Richardson in goal, Drinkwater at point, Grant at cover, Ewing, Davidson, Bowie, and McLea at forward
Ottawa: Chittick in goal, McDonald at point, Young at cover, Nolin, Kirby, White, and Roger at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Ottawa | Kirby | Roger | N/A |
| Victorias | McLea | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie or Davidson | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | Roger | Kirby | N/A |
| Ottawa | Roger | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie or McLea | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | McLea or Davidson | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | Roger | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | Kirby | Young | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie or Grant | Maybe Grant | Davidson |
| Victorias | Bowie or Davidson | Maybe Davidson | N/A |
| Victorias | Davidson or Ewing | N/A | N/A |
Game #12: Montreal Shamrocks vs Montreal HC, 8 February 1899
The Shamrocks start off on the offensive. After some back and forth, Trihey scores on a rush. There is more back and forth action, then Charlton makes a rush and passes to Locke or McKerrow for the goal. McKerrow is described as “playing a fine game”, as he and his linemates are pressuring the Shamrock goal. Christmas scores after a McKerrow rush. Tansey or Wall makes a rush, passes to Farrell or Brannen, who ties the game. Scanlan or Trihey scores the next game. The Shamrocks have shifted to a two-cover formation, with Trihey being the second cover until he hurts his ankle. Charlton scores on a lift. The teams trade rushes. Charlton is playing aggressive. Brannen or Farrell scores the match winner.
A Montreal paper wrote: “For the Montrealers Charlton, at cover-point, played a grand game, and was always there when he was wanted. The forwards were McKerrow and Horsfall. On the Shamrock side the forwards played a rattling game till Harry Trihey went off and broke up the combination”
Another Montreal paper reported: “Harry Trihey was the dangerous man of the Shamrock team, and he was attended to as no player was ever looked after before. Every time he came in front of the goals he was as often off his feet as otherwise. The result was that Trihey did not get many opportunities in the way of scoring”
“Howard, for some reason or another, did not turn up and Christmas took his wing. Christmas is a pretty good player, but he is not as strong as Howard by any means. However, Montreal was exceedingly fortunate, and Collins made some great stops, while the Shamrocks struck the goal posts with the puck on three occasions”
“Farrell’s run to score the last game was one of the prettiest plays of the season”.
“McKenna, Tansey, and Wall were in fine trim, and these three did great work. While Trihey, Brannen, Farrell, and Scanlan made a quartette of forwards whose equal it would be extremely difficult to find”
“Collins did some remarkable work in goals and saved Montreal time after time. Elliott and Charlton showed marked improvement”
An Ottawa paper wrote: “Brannen and Trihey were the star men of the Shamrocks, and their runs and general playing were phenomenal”
Final Score: 4-3 Shamrocks
Rosters
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Farrell, Brannen, Scanlan, and Dobby (replaced Trihey after injury) at forward
Montreal HC: Collins in goal, Elliott at point, Charlton at cover, McKerrow, Locke, Christmas, and Horsfall at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Shamrocks | Scanlan | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | McKerrow or Locke | Charlton | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Christmas | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Farrell or Brannen | Tansey or Wall | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Scanlan or Trihey | Tansey | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Charlton | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Brannen or Farrell | N/A | N/A |
Game #13: Ottawa HC vs Montreal Victorias, 11 February 1899
There isn’t a ton of good description on this one, as it was ugly. There are some summaries and information about the goals, though. There is a discrepancy in terms of who scored the goals, however. One source lists McDougall with 7, Bowie with 3, C. Davidson with 3, McLea with 2, and Grant with 1, while another has McDougall with 8, Bowie with 2, C. Davidson with 2, McLea with 3, and Grant with 1. Unfortunately, without a better play-by-play, I am unable to construct which goals should be in question. For the purposes of the table and subsequent stats, I am going with the source that provides the most play-by-play, which is the source that has McDougall with 8. This source not only provided a bit of a play-by-play, but also a goal scoring list, and not just mentioning goal totals for each player. It isn’t perfect, but until I can come across more information, I think this is the best solution.
A Montreal paper wrote: Profiting by a previous game on the Arena ice and the replacing of Stewart on their forward line by White, they played hard hockey. Young, for the visitors, from whom a good game is always expected, seemed off colour, and was not supported strongly enough to make many ventures against such veterans as the Vics. His absence in an assault on the Victoria’s flags was very weakening to their forward line”
“The individual work of the visitors was fairly good, and would have been much more effective in the score had they made some efforts to overcome their indiscriminate looseness in the advancing rush. Here they were badly handicapped against old-timers like Drinkwater and Grant, and their attacks invariably went to pieces for this reason”
“McDougall, on the forward line, and Grant and Drinkwater, and point and cover, were in perfect settle and invincible”
“Lewis, as goal keeper for the home team, and Chittick for the visitors, saved many close shots on their respective flags”
An Ottawa paper reported: “Had Richardson, who played in goal for the Victorias in Ottawa, been between the posts, the Ottawas would likely have scored more goals than they did in Ottawa. They certainly did as much shooting. However, it was Gorden Lewis who was in the VIcs’ goals and he played a phenomenal game. It seemed impossible to put a shot past him”
“The Ottawa’s defence on the other end were badly off color. Young was not in anything like his usual shape, and the Victoria forwards found out quickly that it was easy to go past him. Chittick, too, had an off night. Chittick has been playing a great game this season, and if he had stopped the same proportion of shots that he did in other games the score would not have been a high one”
“For the Ottawas nearly all the forwards played well. Nolin showed up better than in Ottawa, and Kirby and White played an excellent game. Mac Rogers, who hurt his foot in practice, was compelled to retire at the end of the first half and his place was taken by Harold Henry, who played with the intermediates in the afternoon. Henry played a remarkably good game, and certainly held his own with McLea, and McLea is considered by many to be the best wing man playing the game to-day”
“On the Victorias there did not seem to be a weak spot, and Davidson and Bob McDougall certainly played star games on the forward line”
Another Ottawa paper reported: “The Ottawas put up a game fight, but the entire team, with the exception of Fred White and Chance Kirby were away off color. Young has not recovered from the effect of the injury he received to his shoulder in the game with the Montrealers, and was not himself”
This same Ottawa paper wrote about one John K. McCulloch, “the noted ex-amateur Canadian skating champion”, who was apparently quite a fan of hockey. McCulloch is cited as saying “I have seen the players of both teams [the Montreal Victorias and the Winnipeg Victorias, who were scheduled for a Stanley Cup challenge] play nearly all their big games during the last three seasons and I tell you, from my idea of hockey playing and players, it is an even break”. McCulloch allegedly said that “he regarded Winnipeg’s new man, Johnson, at cover point, the next best players the Vics would bring from the west. He is the all-round type of an athlete, being a fine lacrosse player, sprinter, and oarsman. His blocking is particularly good, and the man to carom off 185 pounds of solid muscle bunches will experience a sensation not altogether pleasant”
Other notes from that article: “Jack Armitage will not be missed. Tony Gingras, the new forward, plays on the right side and, according to McCulloch, is easily the best man of the year and the star of the 1899 Victorias. Gingras is a phenomenal skater, a perfect stick handler, and is a perfect glutton for work”
“Artie Campbell, on the other side, is playing a very strong game”
“The centers are good scorers, but Howard is liable to go down under heavy defence work, such as Mike Grant is able to dole out. Howard throws a wonderfully fast puck. Bain is a better man than ever this year”
“Drinkwater should make a great point. McLea and Bob McDougall are both well known to the Winnipeg men. McDougall, in shape, McCulloch considers the best forward playing. Cam. Davidson and Bowie are new men”
Final Score: 16-0 Victorias
Rosters
Ottawa: Chittick in goal, MacDonald at point, Young at cover, Kirby, Rogers, Nolan, and White at forward
Victorias: Lewis in goal, Drinkwater at point, Grant at cover, Bowie, McLea, McDougall, and C. Davidson at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Victorias | McDougall | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | McDougall | Davidson | N/A |
| Victorias | McDougall | Drinkwater | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | McDougall | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | McDougall | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Grant | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | McLea | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | McLea | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | McDougall | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | McDougall | Davidson | N/A |
| Victorias | Davidson | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Davidson | McLea | N/A |
| Victorias | McLea | McDougall | N/A |
| Victorias | McDougall | N/A | N/A |
Game #14: Montreal Shamrocks vs Quebec HC, 11 February 1899
This was a close game. Gillespie forces McKenna to do some work. Charlie Scott stops “a great run down the ice” from Trihey. Scanlan or Brannen opens the scoring. Gillespie gets the equalizer for Quebec. Trihey or Farrell gives the Shamrocks the lead as the half ends. Smith takes a pass from Watson to score and tie the game once more. The final game was apparently quite good, with a lot of speed and back-and-forth action; “Wall made some of his renowned rushes up the ice. Trihey did yeoman service, but Dalberg managed to hold him down considerably. Charlie Scott had to play both point and cover, as Watson kept repeatedly playing upon the forward line”. Brannen finally scores, and the Shamrocks hold on to take the win.
A Montreal paper wrote: “There was but one change on the team. Arthur Scott taking Gilmour’s place on the forward line. This was a doubtful improvement. Scott was just as tricky as ever and succeeded in placing himself under the referee’s ban”
“In the first half the Shamrocks had a decided superiority over their opponents, and only the wonderful work of Stocking prevented the score from mounting up”
“Jim McKenna was in fine form, and stopped some magnificent shots from every range and angle”
“Harry Trihey made great efforts to score, but he was pretty closely watched and every time that he got near the Quebec goals his covers dropped on him”
“Watson played an excellent game and stopped many rushes by the Shamrock forwards”
“Stocking was in splendid form and made great stops. He stopped several from Harry Trihey just at the waist in great style”
“‘Johnny Ice Cream, the Microbe Killer’, played a great game, at least everybody says that Jack Brannen did play well”
Final Score: 3-2 Shamrocks
Rosters
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Brannen, Farrell, Scanlan, and Trihey at forward
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Scott at point, Watson at cover, A. Scott, Gillespie, Dalberg, and Smith at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Shamrocks | Scanlan or Brannen | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Gillespie | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey or Farrell | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Smith | Watson | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Brannen | N/A | N/A |
Game #15: Montreal HC vs Ottawa HC, 18 February 1899
First, the fun stuff (and why is it always Ottawa?)- Fred Chittick, the long-time Ottawa goalie, was replaced by “Bowse Hutton”. Chittick was unhappy with the conduct of the club executives, criticized how they treated Pulford, and claimed that he knew of “one player on the Ottawa team who was offered $100 by a member of the executive this season for his services; but that’ only a mole hill to other things that I will make public”. I probably won’t dig into this just now, but it is on my list for later. These early Ottawa teams sound wild.
White starts the game with a rush. Charlton clears, Christmas makes a run, but Hutton is up to the challenge. Henry, Kirby, and White make a combination play, Young passes to Henry, and Henry takes a shot that beats Collins. Locke, Christmas, and Horsfall make a run, and score. Ottawa scores three more before the half, the first on a goal from White via a pass from Young.. Montreal starts the second half on the front foot, and Locke eventually scores. Christmas gets the next one, and then Horsfall or Nicholson scores on a pass from Christmas to even the score. Charlton goes on a dangerous looking run, but Young stops him via “a body check that must have displaced some of his ribs”. White gets the match winner via “a magnificent rush from his own flags”.
An Ottawa paper wrote: “The Montrealers were without the services of Howard, their star forward, McKerrow and Baird”
“The work of the Ottawa team was pretty evenly balanced, but Kirby and White did the most effective work on the line. Kirby was knocked about, bodied, slashed and checked, but he never flinched and was in the game until the last. White, as usual, played a strong aggressive game. His shooting was splendid. Roger, considering he was playing with an injured foot, did good work, and stopped the Montreal forwards repeatedly. But the small boy, Harold Henry, was the surprise of the evening. Henry is scarcely known to followers of the game, and such expressions as ‘Who is the kid?’ could be heard among the spectators when the team appeared. It didn’t take them long to find out who the kid was, and Charlton, the dirtiest man on the Montreal team, will probably remember the youngster for some time. Henry not only followed up well, but he checked with the nerve of a player weighing 180 pounds, instead of a boy of 120. His dodging was excellent also and with a little more experience he will make one of the best men in the city. Young played a marvelous game, and in addition to going the full length of the ice, looked after several of the Montreal forwards, and time and again saved the flags. Macdonald was as cool as ever, and in the play-off, when he went out to cover point, he proved conclusively that he could fill that position satisfactorily. His lifting was a feature of the game, and under Young’s tuition Bert now uses good judgment”
“Horsfall, Locke and Christmas were simply the only forwards on the Montreal line. There was Nicholson, but Davey Gilnour’s small brother could have played rings around the Montrealer. Nicholson was an ornament, that’s all”
“Collins, in goal, put up a fair game, but it was not to be compared with that of Hutton’s. Charlton played a dirty game, and Elliott ran hm a dead heat- the pair are no great acquisition to any seven”
Another Ottawa paper reported: “Charlton was very unpopular with the crowd. He cross-checked and tripped a lot, but at time used his body quite effectively”
“Hutton in goal for the Ottawas played a good game and always relieved quickly. The defense played well and Young’s assistance to the forwards, particularly in the first half, had a lot to do with winning the game. Young Henry, the new man on the Ottawas, played one of the best games on the ice. He is fast and is one of the few players that Ottawa has had who plays the wing position properly. White and Kirby both put up good games. Mac rogers had not entirely recovered from the injury to his foot and was not in his best form. Locke and Horsfall put up the best games for the Montreal forwards and Collins in net made some nice stops in goal. Elliott at point was a trifle clumsy and Charlton played a very determined blocking game”
Final Score: 5-4 Ottawa HC
Rosters
Montreal: Collins in goal, Elliott at point, Charlton at cover, Horsfall, Locke, Nicholson, and Christmas at forward
Ottawa: Hutton in goal, McDonald at point, Young at cover, Kirby, Rogers, Henry, and White at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Ottawa | Henry | Young | N/A |
| Montreal | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | White | Young | N/A |
| Ottawa | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Locke | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Christmas | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Horsfall or Nicholson | Christmas | N/A |
| Ottawa | White | N/A | N/A |
Game #16: Montreal Victorias vs Montreal HC, 25 February 1899
Brown makes a “rattling run”, and Locke scores. Davidson responds for the Vics. Ewing scores to give the Vics the lead. Brown makes another run, Horsfall passes to Locke, who scores. Ewing answers. Brown scores, and the game is tied at the half. From there we stop getting a good play by play, but we have a list of goalscorers.
A Montreal paper wrote: “The Vics missed the reliability of MacDougall and the rushing power of McLea, but their back division was imperturbable and steadier than Montreal’s. The latter seemed to be able to get into the wrong place at the wrong time, and how the agility of the Vics forwards told against them, for a goalkeeper, be he ever so vigilant, cannot withstand a combined rush of forwards if the point and cover men have been left hopelessly in the rear. It was in a particular method of steady defence that the Victorias showed superior judgment. Grant, for instance, could afford to take a dashing chance because he knew Drinkwater was in his place behind him and that the latter would be able to attend to anything that came his way. In fact had it not been for the fine defence of the point and cover, Montreal would likely have won, for their forward line took every chance and went fast”
“There were two men who deserve special credit for their attack play. They were Desse Brown and Cam. Davidson. The former was the proverbial lightning, and when he did not score he was indirectly responsible for it. He is fast and he knows how to pass at the exactly right moment. If the support behind him is at the strategic point where it would naturally expected to be, his cross pass in front would almost invariably result in a score or give the opposing goalkeeper a fair chance to earn his spurs. It was noticeable too that whenever another forward led the way and passed, Brown was in the centre and scored”
“Of Davidson it seems superfluous to speak. If ever a man donned skates and carried a hockey stick who was so thoroughly oblivious to danger, he is familiarly known as ‘Cam’. His rushes to stop a lift have always been reckless, and he comes head on, never seeking to duck”
Another Montreal paper reported: “McLea and Macdougall were absent from the champions, and Collins, McKerrow, and Howard were missed from their opponents. Ewing and Acer played on the Vics, and Munro and Brown figured on the Montreal team. These changes made the teams pretty even, but there was an advantage in favour of the Vics by reason of the presence of enough of the older players to make things interesting enough at critical moments”
“Lewis stopped some pretty stiff shots, and then let some easy pucks roll in. While Munroe had a somewhat similar experience. The youngster made a rattling good goal keeper, but nearly always succeeded in putting the puck in the wrong place after stopping the shot”
“Brown played a particularly good game, and made many good runs and was well up in the scoring. Horsfall did well, but appeared to be troubled with his boots. Christmas worked hard and so did Locke”
“On the Victoria forward line, Dr. Davidson shone prominently. He was down on every lift and succeeded in stopping one with his cheek”
“Ewing played a good game and so did Acer and Bowie”
An Ottawa paper wrote: “The forwards were equally matched, but Drinkwater and Grant for the Victorias proved a better defence than Elliott and Charlton of the Montrealers”
Another Ottawa paper provided some random hockey thoughts: Brouse Hutton is the Ottawas new goal keeper. Fred. Chittick will likely never play again says the News. All Ottawa expects interesting developments growing out of Chittick’s estrangement with the Ottawas. It is thought one or more of the ‘stars’ may share ‘Alfy’ Smith’s professional isolation this spring”
“Dan Bain, the Winnipeg Victorias’ peerless forward, has been in Toronto the latter part of the week, says the News. A stockily, well-built man, under medium height, wearing a heavy bandage, has attracted attention in the down town section of the city”
“‘Bob’ McDougall of the Montreal Victorias was the most talked about hockeyist in Canada tis week, consequent upon his fouling of Gingras. McDougall is the oldest player on the forward line, and one if its stars”
Final Score: 10-6 Victorias
Rosters
Victorias: Lewis in goal, Drinkwater at point, Grant at cover, Davidson, Bowie, Acer, and Ewing at forward
Montreal HC: Munro in goal, Elliott at point, Charlton at cover, Horsfall, Christmas, Locke, and Brown at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Montreal HC | Locke | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Davidson | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Ewing | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Locke | Horsfall | N/A |
| Victorias | Ewing | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Brown | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Ewing | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Brown | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Ewing | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Brown | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Davidson | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Davidson | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Christmas | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Acer | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Acer | N/A | N/A |
Game #17: Montreal Victorias vs Montreal Shamrocks, 1 March 1899
The Shamrocks start with an attempt, but Grant is there to the rescue. The Shamrock forwards are noted for their speed, forcing Grant and Drinkwater to play hard. Drinkwater and Trihey have a collision, and Trihey is injured. Trihey returns, makes a nice run and passes to Farrell, who scores (another paper has Trihey scoring on a pass from Scanlan). The Victorias go on the attack, Davidson leading the charge with McLea and McDougall in support, but to no avail. Lewis makes a save against Brannen. Bowie has a chance. McLea makes a good run.Trihey saves a goal by breaking up a pass. McKenna is noted for some stops. The Shamrocks forward line is dangerous, but Grant, Drinkwater, and Lewis are playing well. McDougall has a dangerous chance. At the start of the second half, Grant is described as “playing a splendid reliable game”. Grant makes a rush that Brannen stops. McDougall makes a couple more dangerous rushes; a paper notes that “MacDougall’s runs and Drinkwater’s checking were features of this part of the game. Farrell did some excellent shooting; but it was well stopped”. Wall and Grant exchange lifts, then Wall stops Grant a couple times. There are some penalties as well. Trihey is playing like a second cover. Nobody else is able to score.
A Montreal paper wrote: “The work of Lewis between the flags was phenomenal. Seldom has a man been subjected to such a siege as he was, and he was the equal to them all, with the exception of one fatal occasion”
“Tremendous efforts were made by Davidson, Grant, and Drinkwater to score, but it was useless”
Another Montreal paper reported: “Wall, Tansey and McKenna make a defence that is equal to anything”
“But the Victoria defence played a grand game too. Mike Grant by all odds played his best game of the season, and Graham Drinkwater worked like a Trojan and his rushes down the ice were wonderful to behold. ‘Geordie’ Lewis stopped wonderfully well, and how he managed to prevent some of the lift shots from scoring, no one can tell”
An Ottawa paper noted: “The playing of their forwards, especially Trihey and Brennan, was exceptionally brilliant”
Final Score: 1-0 Shamrocks
Rosters
Victorias: Lewis in goal, Drinkwater at point, Grant at cover, Davidson, McDougall, McLea, and Bowie at forward
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Brannen, Farrell, Trihey, and Scanlan at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Shamrocks | Farrell or Trihey | Maybe Trihey | Possibly Scanlan |
Game #18: Ottawa HC vs Montreal Shamrocks, 4 March 1899
Unfortunately, most of the press around this one centers around a fight. Kirby allegedly speared Wall, and Wall starts beating him. Young steps in to stop it, but receives a stick to the head for his trouble. Shamrock players insist that Kirby had been playing a dirty game throughout, and thus, basically, had it coming.
Brannen scores the first of the game off of a pass from Farrell. Wall scores the second on a rush, and Trihey gets the third. Ottawa gets on the board after a “splendid run” from Henry, who passed to Kirby, who scored. Brannen scored the next game, and the Shamrocks took a 4-1 lead into the half. Brannen gets the next one, and Trihey the one after on a “splendid run”. Here the Kirby/Wall fight happens, and the police were actually called in. Henry scores when the game resumes. Trihey answers. Henry scores the last goal of the match.
A Montreal paper wrote: “There were three men on the Ottawa team who seemed to be about equal to the occasion. They were Henry, Stewart and Young. The latter came in for his usual share of disapprobation from the spectators, but Weldy did not seem to mind it a little bit and continued to play good hockey and check as hard as his weight would allow. The other two took a lot of chances and occasionally got through- for three goals, anyhow, and a couple of others that were called back”
Another Montreal paper called out Kirby for “loafing offside”.
An Ottawa paper reported: “Henry particularly put up a great game, and was one of the best forwards on the ice. The Montreal people were asking the Ottawa crowd who the kid was, and his dashes were repeatedly applauded. Hod Stuart on the opposite wing put up a good, fast game as did White and Kirby in the centre”
“Every man on the Shamrock forward line played well, but Wall at cover point put up a very dirty game. Wall weighs about 170 pounds, and it is not to his credit that most of his attacks were mane on Kirby, the smallest man on the Ottawa team. Kirby may be small, but he is no easy proposition”
Final Score: 7-3 Shamrocks
Rosters
Ottawa: Hutton in goal, McDonald at point, Young at cover, White at rover, Kirby at centre, Stuart and Henry on the wings
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Trihey at rover, Brannen at centre, Farrell and Scanlan on the wings
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Shamrocks | Brannen | Farrell | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Wall | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | Kirby | Henry | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Brannen | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Brannen | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | Henry | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | Henry | N/A | N/A |
Game #19: Ottawa HC vs Quebec HC- Quebec Defaults
Game #20: Quebec HC vs Montreal Victorias- Quebec Defaults
Retro All-Star Team
It isn’t perfect, since Quebec missed two games, Ottawa one, and the Victorias one, but I think things were equal enough that I can still take a stab at a retro All Star team. McDougall almost certainly would have made the team had he played more than a couple games (he played only two). Point is again the weak spot- Drinkwater, despite playing forward for a bit and only a handful of games at point, seems to have been the best of the league. Cover was also tough, because- the way I am reading these, at least- Weldy Young gets every bit the positive press (and possibly more) than Grant does. Why has history all but forgotten about Young, while we all know who Grant is? Is it the Cups? Is it because Young seems to have been disliked by everyone but the Ottawa team and its fans? I don’t know. Young had that terrible (though he was still recovering from a dislocated shoulder suffered two weeks earlier) against the Vics, which makes me feel somewhat comfortable giving the nod to Grant here, but it is certainly close. The final forward spot was also a tough one, and could have gone to one of several forwards.
Goal: McKenna, Montreal Shamrocks
Point: Drinkwater, Montreal Victorias
Cover: Grant, Montreal Victorias
Forward: Trihey, Montreal Shamrocks
Forward: C. Davidson, Montreal Victorias
Forward: McKerrow, Montreal HC
Forward: Brennan, Montreal Shamrocks
1900 CAHL Season
Note- Ottawa defaulted a game to the Shamrocks late in the season. I didn’t go looking for the reason, but reports from around that time were talking about the club having some money issues.
Skater Stats
* Brannen almost certainly had two additional points, as he was credited with either the goal or the assist on the same goal in game #2 on 6 January 1900.
** Hod Stuart almost certainly had two additional points, as he was credited with either the goal or the assist on the same goal for two goals in game #9 on 27 January 1900.
*** Henry almost certainly had two additional points, as he was credited with either the goal or the assist on the same goal in game #6 on 20 January 1900.
Note- As you can see, I came across a lot of goals where the identity of the goal-scorer varied depending on the source this year. This makes sense; there was no replay, so we are relying on what people saw in the moment, which is an inherently untrustworthy thing. The games with Ottawa involved appear (I haven’t double checked) to have been the most affected, probably because it usually meant there was an additional source or two.
Goalie Stats
Game #1: Montreal HC vs Montreal Victorias, 6 January 1900
The Vics start the game on the attack, “but Boone, who later developed a splendid game, started in by fishing out the puck and relieving the pressure”. Liffiton and Brown make a rush that almost scores. Bowie scores off a cross-ce pass. Powers makes a couple big stops in the next game, but Christmas finally scores, Brown having passed him the puck. Bowie gives the Vics the lead again, but Liffiton makes some nice runs in the next game and eventually ties it up. Bowie scores the next one. Brown passes to Christmas, who equalizes the score once more. Liffiton does some more rush work in the next game, and was described as having “McLEa well in hand”, but Ewing lays a body on him and it seems to have bothered Liffiton a bit. Boone ends a rush from Bowie. Smith gets the puck and goes on a run, eventually passing to Brown or Bowen/Bonin, who scores. Brown scores another, but “Bowie and Ewing kept coming along in fine style”. Boone misplays a lift and Bowie capitalizes. McLea scores to even the score at 5-5. Brown scores the match winner on a rush.
A Montreal paper wrote: “Grant was as serviceable as ever; so was McRobie, and Powers did some excellent stopping, which he was called upon to do frequently”
Another Montreal paper reported: “There were but two men on the list thad no reputations as senior men- Blair Russell, on the forward line, and Tommy Powers in goal- but the game showed that the men who didn’t have an reputations previous to the game did a great deal more effective work than those who had their laurels, save in one or two instances”
“The whole Montreal team was considerably lighter than their opponents, and with the exception of Liffiton, none of the forwards were as speedy as the aVictoria men. But they managed to get the puck down the ice in good shape and they hustled the Victoria defence around in good style and made Grant and McRobie work their hardest”
“The hard work told on the Victoria line and soon the only men doing any sort of work were Russell and Bowie. Both of these men worked hard throughout the match, and Russell ought to be a fixture on the Victoria team from this henceforth”
“The goal nets were in use, though they have not yet been adopted, and proved to be somewhat of an obstruction and on two occasions resulted in injury to players”
“The same crowd acted unfavorably to Grant. No matter what Grant did he was hooted and hissed, and yet in only one instance did Grant do anything that deserved condemnation”
“Boone was a star at cover, and it was not often that a forward got by the diminutive Dick. He always played the puck, and his work was all the more effective on this account. Smith’s work at point was excellent and whenever he went down the ice with the puck it generally counted. Munro did good work in poles, but occasionally dropped to his knees in a peculiar manner. However, Powers was also an offender in this particular, so that matters were about even up”
“On the forward line, Christmas and Lilliton were the stars for Montreal. Both did good work, and so did Brown, but the other two were a dashing pair and their work was good all the times.
“On the Victoria line, Bowie and Russell did all the work. McLea worked hard, but it was very evident that he was not in shape and found it difficult to keep up with the rest”
Final Score: 6-5 Montreal HC
Rosters
Montreal HC: Munro in goal, Smith at point, Boone at cover, Brown, Bowen/Bonin, Liffiton, and Christmas at forward
Victorias: Powers in goal, McRobie at point, Grant at cover, Acer or Russell, Ewing, McLea, and Bowie at forward
Game #2: Montreal Shamrocks vs Ottawa HC, 6 January 1900
Stuart starts the game with “some grand rushes”. Wall almost scores a couple times, but is unable to score.Ottawa scores the first of the game via Bruce Stuart or Duval, but is plagued by penalties (B. Stuart and Nolan each named). Scanlan or Brennan tied the game for the Shamrocks. Duval is playing well in the third game. B. Stuart scores after a rush with Rogers or Nolan. Duval makes some more “grand stand rushes”, butTrihey and Brannen make “a pretty rush”, and Brannen, Trihey or Farrell scores. Nolan gives Ottawa the lead again on a fine individual run, which B. Stuart or Henry extends after “a fine rush” from Hod Stuart. Scanlan, Trihey, and Brannen make many dangerous rushes. Stuart takes a penalty, and Trihey or Scanlan scores. Nolan is described as playing well at this point, but the Shamrock defense is too strong.Tansey makes a rush, passes to Trihey, who passes it to Brannen, who then gives it back to Trihey, and Trihey scores again to equal the score (another source has Brennan scoring). Brennan or Scanlan gets the winning goal.
A Montreal paper wrote: “Scanlan was the bright star for the Shamrocks, although Trihey and Brannen were conspicuous when the time for the final effort came. Wall and Tansey were excellent defence men. Chick Henry, Max Rogers, and B. Hutton were the mainstays of the Ottawas. Duval played brilliantly, as did Captain H. Stuart at times”
Another Montreal paper reported: “”Tansey had temporarily put Henry, who was doing the most brilliant work on the Ottawa forward line, out of the game. Henry came on again, but had lost his effectiveness”
“Hod Stuart played cover-point for the Ottawa in the first half of the match, and he used his body to perfection, time and again breaking up the combination of the Shamrocks”
An Ottawa paper wrote: “‘Chic’ Henry, who was playing a splendid game for the Ottawas, just as he shot and scored the fourth Ottawa goal was thrown in the air by Wall of the Shamrocks and he fell very heavily on the ice. A delay of 15 minutes ensued, and although Henry decided to finish the game, he had largely lost his effectiveness by a very bad shaking up”
“Hutton in goal for the Ottawas is very cool, and he could not have played better on Saturday night. Duval played point during the greater part of Saturday night’s game, and played the position well. Hod Stuart was at cover point and stopped the Shamrock rushes well, while Duval looked after the puck. Duval played cover point part of the time, and while he lifts better than Stuart he does not stop the men so well, and if the change had not been made in the second half the result might have been different. Duval’s rushes were the fastest on the ice on Saturday night, and with Pulford at point, Duval should be tried on the forward line. He ought to strengthen it greatly. All the forwards played well, but Henry was probably the star of the lot, as far as taking a lot of hard work was concerned. Nolin, Rogers, and Bruce Stuart all played excellent games. Bruce Stuart was not in as good condition as the rest, and was somewhat played out in the second half”
“The Shamrocks were hardly as strong as the Ottawas on the defence. Neither Wall or Tansey could skate as well as Stuart or Duval, and it was in the assistance the latter could give the forwards that the Ottawa defence excelled”
“The Shamrock forward line is a very evenly balanced one and when the team ran behind in the score Trihey and Farrell did a great amount to pull the game out of the fire”
“Although the Shamrocks were very fast on Saturday night, they do not commence to play the brilliant game that the old Victoria line of forwards, Shirley Davidson, Drinkwater, McLea, and Cam Davidson used to put up. There were none of those combined sweeps down the ice which made the Victorias’ game the most spectacular in Canadian hockey”
Another Ottawa paper reported: “... the Ottawas became too aggressive and left their defence too open, with the result that Scanlon, Trihey and Brennan, of the visitors, got in their snake-like dodging through the Ottawa forwards, and made three goals for the Shamrock team. This decided the match as there were only a few minutes left to play and though Henry, Nolan, and Roger made some brilliant rushes, McKenna, Tansey and Wall of the Shamrocks, who had been resting pretty much on their oars throughout the game, were able to block all attempts”
“Hod Stewart played point for the Ottawas and he put up a most effective game all through the first part of the match. His heavy body-checking worked well and he got through the Shamrock bunch in elegant style. Bruce Stewart, who played on the forward line, made some good rushes, as did also Duval, Henry, and Nolan. M. Roger seconded H. Stewart in the bodying game well”
“Arthur Farrell and Harry Trihey were the stars of the Shamrock team and did a lot of good passing”
“McKenna, who was between the visitors’ posts, was a very reliable goal man and there were numerous shots which he intercepted cleverly”
“Tansey and Wall were not pressed so hard as they might have been but when their services were required, showed that they were on their business. Scanlon and Brennan of the forward line were very fast and made some fine individual play”
“Trihey did some great skating”
“Bouse Hutton did all that anyone could in goal”
“Nolan made some elegant charges into Shamrock territory”
“Hod Stuart acted as if he thought the proper place for any Shamrock man was among the spectators”
Final Score: 5-4 Shamrocks
Rosters
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Trihey, Scanlan, Farrell, and Brannen at forward
Ottawa: Hutton in goal, Duval at point, H. Stuart at cover, B. Stuart, Nolan, Henry, and Rogers at forward
Game #3: Montreal HC vs Montreal Shamrocks, 13 January 1900
Wall scores the first goal via a “gigantic lift”. The next game sees some back and forth action, with Bonin coming “to the rescue” at one point while Tansey at the other end of the ice breaks up a rush from Brown and Christmas. Farrel gets the next score on a low shot. The goalies are credited with playing well in the next game. Christmas makes a rush. Bonin breaks up a chance from Trihey. Liffiton pulls away from Scanlan for an opportunity. Christmas an Liffiton are doing good work following up lifts. Bonin beats Wall, but Tansey ends the chance. Bonin gets another chance, “in Trojan fashion, floored Wall again”, but is unable to score. Wall puts up a weak lift, but Tansey is there to block the return shot “as usual”. Brown is checking Trihey well. Boone prevents a Shamrock goal. Christmas finally scores. Trihey makes a nice run at the start of the next game, receiving praise for his “beautiful stick handling”. Trihey falls. Brown scores the next goal to tie the game. Wall gets a strong check in on Christmas. Farrell gets an opportunity off a “brilliant rush” from Trihey. Wall scores on a long shot. Brown ties it. From here, a paper notes that the “Shamrock’s heavy defence was wearing fown Montreal’s lightweights” at forward. Boone and Smith are credited with breaking up several of Trihey’s rushes, but he eventually scores. Farrell scores, then Trihey scores two more. Farrell gets the last of the match.
Trihey apparently punched Brown in response to a slash on the ankle. A scrum followed.
A Montreal paper wrote: “The Shamrock defence was first in the game. Tansey and Wall were crowded at first, Wall scoring on a returning lift. Farrel’s side shot put Shamrock two in the lead. After that for five games Montreal’s forwards simply would not be shaken off. Captain Trihey and Brannan found it difficult to get going and without the centres, Farrell and Scanlan were to the bad. Bright scintillating individualism marked the Shamrock forwards’ work. The combination came in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh games. Bonin, Christmas, Liffiton and Brown were all just as fast as Shamrocks and all gradually working up a dangerous combination. Poor shooting is one apparent defect, through Christmas has a deadly side puck that counted twice against McKenna. In ‘Rolly’ Bonin, Montreal has a rare one. In mid-ice his game is very effective. To hold Trihey and mix it up with Wall and Tansey, and to show no great discomfiture is something Bonin can accomplish in a greater degree than probably any other forward playing. Bonin is fast, a good stick handler, and a great worker. Little Liffiton is also fast and a game little man. Christmas and Brown work in well together along the boards. Tansey was able to block many of Brown’s and Liffiton’s low pucks”
“Munro’s handling of a particularly hot liner from Trihey and Farrell brought the onlookers to foot and a half a score of times, McKenna’s work was also gilt edged”
“Apart from this the brilliant stick work of Trihey, Tansey, Farrell, and Scanlan, and the rushes of Brannan were notable. Wall’s lifting was more than ordinary”
“Tansey and Wall broke through Brown at centre, time after time, giving Trihey the desired open ice. Christmas had a hard time watching Farrell”
“‘Rolly’ Bonin, whose great work in Montreal’s centre ice on Saturday night so favorably impressed everybody sufficiently fortunate to see the game, bears the ear marks of the coming forward in unmistakable manner. Bonin is but 20 years of age, weighs in condition 165 pounds and never played in a senior championship match prior to Saturday night. His hockey was picked up with the Maples of the Ottawa City League and upon the Ottawa College open air rink. In 1898, with vacancy created by Gleadson’s defection to Toronto Osgoode, Bonin came within an ace of making the Ottawa College back division. Bonin took up left half with the Montreal fifteen last season, playing a strong, aggressive running and bucking half throughout the year. As a hockeyist, Bonin is very fast and a very fair kind of stick handler. With improvement in his shooting at the curbing of a disposition to play too large a territory, Bonin will have no superior”
Another Montreal paper reported: “It was a shock to see a player of Trihey’s ability and good sense descend from the high position he has attained in the public estimation, and it was indeed regrettable that such an affair should have occurred. But in all fairness it must be said that lately Brown has developed into a nagging player. It is feared there will always be trouble between the players of both the Shamrock and Montreal teams when Brown is on the ice”
“Wall appeared top-heaavy, and the lightest of the Montreal forwards could send him to the ice. Tansey was considerably steadier, and McKenna was all that could be desired of a good goal-keeper”
“The one consistent worker on the forward line was Scanlan, but he has developed a habit of leaving his wing”
“Brannen was a bit cranky and did not play his usual game, and his following up was not what it might have been. Trihey was slow at following up, but his work was excellent. He did some great stick handling, and his scoring from side shots was a feature of the match. Farrell was slow, and did not put any life into his play until the last fifteen minutes. He scored two goals and both of them were out of the ordinary. On both occasions he went through the whole Montreal team, scoring one goal from in front, side shot, and the other from behind the poles with a nice twist
“Tansey did great execution, and kept the Montreal men at bay. He made a number of fine stops. McKenna made some splendid stops”
“Brown played the best game he has put up in the senior ranks, and had it not been for his annoying tactics in the end of the match it would have been a triumph for him”
“Liffiton deserves credit for the game he played, and he made his opponents hustle in great style. Christmas did good work, and Bonin, too, worked hard. The defence did not shine as in the Victoria game, but they did splendid work nevertheless”
Final Score: 8-3 Shamrocks
Rosters
Montreal HC: Munro in goal, Smith at point, Boone at cover, Bonin, Christmas, Liffiton, and Brown at forward
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Scanlan, Trihey, Farrell, and Brennan at forward
Game #4: Ottawa HC vs Quebec HC, 13 January 1900
Quebec was rostering a pretty unseasoned team- it is Schwartz’s first senior game, and his first game at all for a period of years, while Marquette was also new. Chas. Scott was described as having “only held a stick in his hand once before this season, owing to a bad finger”. Gilmour or Smith scores the first goal for Quebec, but Nolan or Rogers answers. Ottawa scores two in quick succession; two sources have B. Stuart getting them both, while another has Henry and Nolan scoring. Gillespie, Smith or Gilmour scores late for Quebec, but the game ends before Quebec can score another to tie it up.
A Montreal paper wrote: Gillespie and Smith were in great form, and both Scott and Stocking played finely, but the latter had hard luck in one goal scored”
An Ottawa paper reported: “The Ottawas made attack after attack on the Quebec goals, but Stocking was all but invincible”
“The Quebec men are big and strong, and in Gillespie and Smith there are two fast and good forwards. Gilmore on the forward line is a new man this year, and he seems to lack experience. Marquette is only a fair player. Watson who has played cover point for a number of years has retired from the game, and his place at point was taken by Swartz. The latter is a big man and he put up a fairly steady game. He could lift the whole length of the ice, but did not use his body very well. Charlie Scott was reliable at point, and Stocking maintained his reputation as one of the best goal keepers in the league, and the Ottawas saw that he got lots of chances to shine”
“The Ottawa forwards with the exception of Henry did not follow up well”
“Quebec people admit that Hutton is quite as good a goal keeper as Stocking, and this is quite and admission for Quebecers to make”
“Duval’s lifting was very fine. He played a sure and steady game and stopped his opponents excellently”
“Hod Stuart seems to be a fixture at coverpoint, and if he plays as well for the rest of the season as he did on Saturday night he will do”
“The alternate rushes by Duval and Hod Stuart showed the Quebec people some pretty fast work”
“Bruce Stuart played a star game. It was a match that suited him, as there were many stops for the puck going up on the side. His two rushes when he scored were fine ones”
“Max Rogers played a very fast and hard game and did some splendid dodging. He showed good headwork by always dropping in Stuart’s place when the latter rushed”
“Henry Nolin never played a better game and was very effective. His work in the corners could not be improved upon”
“‘Chic’ Henry play his customary good game and was always in his position”
“Gillespie played a fine game on the Quebec forward line, and he was ably assisted by Smith, who is captain now”
Final Score: 3-2 Ottawa HC
Rosters
Ottawa: Hutton in goal, Duval at point, H. Stuart at cover, B. Stuart, Nolan, Henry, and Rogers at forward
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Scott at point, Schwartz at cover, Smith, Gillespie, Gilmour, and Marquett at forward
Game #5: Montreal Victorias vs Montreal Shamrocks, 18 January 1900
Unfortunately, I have not found a ton on this one, probably because of the lopsided score. Farrell passes the puck to Trihey for the first goal, but then descriptions of the next three goals are omitted; a paper simply writes that the score is 2-2 at this point. Brannon makes a nice run in the fifth game, but action is back-and-forth. Trihey scores again. Farrell scores the sixth game, and was described as having “been playing a splendid wing game”. Tansey makes a stop, then Russell makes a dangerous attempt. The Shamrocks score, but no goal scorer is provided. Scanlan and Farrell score the first two goals of the second half. Acer finally scores another for the Vics, but Farrell answers. Farrell gets the next game as well, and is here described as “a peach”, and having “played a great game”. Farrell scores again. Lindsay scores for the Vics, but Farrell scores the final goal of the match.
A Montreal paper wrote: “Two men on the [Victoria] forward line, Bowie and Russell, did good work and were factors in the game at all times. The other two did their best, but their good work was spasmodic and Ewing spent considerable time in testing his stick on portions of his opponent’s anatomy”
“The Victoria defence did good work, but the old heads were wanted”
“... McRobie stopped some hot shots that looked likely goals and altogether played well. Powers in goals must have stopped a score of hard shots”
“Every member of the Shamrock team played well, though credit must be given to Scanlan for doing the most consistent work and was always on hand”
Final Score: 10-4 Shamrocks
Rosters
Victorias: Powers in goal, McRobie at point, Lindsay at cover, Russell, Ewing, Bowie, and Acer at forward
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Brannen, Trihey, Farrell, and Scanlan at forward
Game #6: Montreal HC vs Ottawa HC, 20 January 1900
Montreal starts on the attack, Liffiton making some rushes, and then scored on a rush alongside Boon and Brown, with Bonin getting some praise in there as well. Hod Stuart or Nolan answered for Ottawa on a lift. Hutton makes a nice save in the next game, but then Pulford gets a penalty and Liffiton or Christmas scores with Montreal on the man advantage. Rogers or B. Stuart goes coast-to-coast to tie the game. Munro makes a phenomenal save on a shot from Henry, but Nolan puts in the rebound (another paper has Henry scoring). Bruce Stuart scores. Back and forth action after the break. Bruce Stuart or Rogers scores on a rush.
A Montreal paper wrote: “There can be no question of Farrell’s ability as a hockeyist, but he is far too lenient to act as a referee”
“Stuart, at cover-point, was not up to form, and the Montreal forwards had little difficulty in going by. Pulford was a harder proposition, and as he was not very particular about his tactics, the Montreal forwards were somewhat abused. On the forward line, Rogers and Henry were the only ones to show up”
“For Montreal, Boon at cover and Desse Brown and Liffiton on the forward division did yeoman work. The latter, especially, deserves great credit for his persistent following up and good rushing. Boon’s work was much admired”
A Montreal paper wrote: “The Ottawas were better shooters and had a stronger defence, even allowing that Hod Stuart did not play his usual game at cover point”
“In the first half Montreal scored twice and the Ottawas four times, the Ottawa forwards finding it easy to go around Boon and Smith in their individual rushes. Munro was not so easy in goal and stopped many dangerous shots”
“Henry, Rogers and Pulford played the strongest game for Ottawa, Henry putting up a particularly fine article and fooling Liffiton often. Munro, Brown, Liffiton and Christmas played well for Montreal
An Ottawa paper wrote: “On the Ottawa side, Hod Stuart at cover point did not use his body as effectively as usual, although his lifting and rushes down the ice were all right. A great amount of defence work fell on Pulford, as the Montrealers frequently got inside of Stuart, and Pulford stopped them very effectively and sometimes quite roughly. Very few of the Montrealers made a second effort to go around Pulford. Liffiton on the Montreal forward line seemed to be their best player, but Henry discounted handily, and the Ottawa youngster played the star game of the ice. Mac Rogers was very fast and seldom played better, while Nolin was steady, always in the right place, and played an effective game. Bruce Stuart played a great game for the first few minutes, but he is either lazy or cannot stand the pace, as he never shows up well in the second half”
“Bonin, of the Montrealers, was looking for too much trouble to be very effective, and he got it once when he tried to stop a rush by Pulford by running his eye against Pulford’s elbow. Both Brown and Christmas played hard and steady games”
“Frank McGee would strengthen the Ottawas line”
“Nolan does not show up brilliantly, but he plays effectively”
Another Ottawa paper reported: “Henry worked hard from the commencement of the game and was just as nimble as ever in handling the rubber”
“Roger, Nolan, and B. Stuart played with equal honors and good judgment. Nolan seems to be a particularly useful man when it comes to mass play near the opponents’ goal as it appears quite easy for him to keep his head”
“On the defence, Bouse Hutton, between the posts, stopped everything that a goalkeeper could stop and improvement on the team in that department is not possible. Harvey Pulford at point and Hod Stuart at cover point completed a strong background for the forward line and the defence was never seriously pressed except for very short-lived rushes by Liffiton and Bonin of the visitors”
“Liffiton on the forward line was the particular star [of the Montrelers] and did some hustling work but was closely watched by Henry of the home team”
“Bonin was the neatest body player on the ice and in that line he can give a man a great deal heavier than himself a heavy jolt. Hod. Stuart and Pulford found him too clever for them and lost their balance considerably when they went up against him”
“Christmas and Brown the other forwards played an ordinary game and were tired enough when the match was over”
“The defence was weak although Munro in goal made some good stops but was in hard luck”
“Smith and Boon at point and cover respectively were rather slow and allowed too much for the goalkeeper”
“The sticky ice did not prevent Hod Stuart from lifting the puck nicely”
Final Score: 5-2 Ottawa HC
Rosters
Montreal: Munro in goal, Smith at point, Boon at cover, Christmas, Bonin, Liffiton, and Brown at forward
Ottawa: Hutton in goal, Pulford at point, H. Stuart at cover, Nolan, Rogers, Henry, and B. Stuart at forward
Game #7: Quebec HC vs Montreal Victorias, 20 January 1900
The game starts with Quebec making a push, forcing Powers to make a save. Bowie takes the puck out of danger, and Russell scores. Marquette ties the game, but then Victoria rattles off six more goals before the end of the half (of the six goals, 2 are credited to each of Russell, Bowie, and Rollo, though I don’t have the exact order). Bowie gives Schwartz, Scott, and Gillespie fits after the half, scoring quickly after play resumed. Ewing and Russell each score as well. Marquette scores, then Ewing and Bowie each score two. Gilmour scores the last of the match for Quebec.
A Montreal paper wrote: “Gillespie and Marquette brightened the forward work with an occasional combination run in centre ice. Gillespie was the relief to a painfully weak line and is something of a fair good man. Schwartz at cover lifts well, and so does Scott. The latter blocks well and his stops of Bowie and Eqing in the first half looked like the real thing. Stocking, in the flags, is the same old reliable”
“Fairbanks, with an acquired steadiness, will be an acquisition at cover in time. Rollo, who replaced McLea, is very strong and fast, and a better stickhandler than McLea. Victoria was in the game with snap, forcing the heavier opponents at all times. Bowie’s work was the feature”
Another Montreal paper reported: “In George Fairbanks, who played cover, the Vics have a good player and one whose services will be exceedingly valuable when he has had more experience in dealing with senior forwards”
“Rollo, who occupied a wing position, did good work and ought to improve considerably with careful practice. Rollo was a good addition to the Vics’ attacking line”
“Quebec’s defence was fair, Schwartz and Scott doing some good work and some very careless work”
“Frank Stocking had a night off and did not do any good work until near the end of the game”
Final Score: 14-3 Victorias
Rosters
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Scott at point, Schwartz at cover, Gillespie, Marquette, Smith, and Gilmore at forward
Game #8: Montreal HC vs Quebec HC, 27 January 1900
Quebec comes out hot in this one, holding a 7-2 lead until about 15 minutes before the end of the match. Montreal HC tied it before the end of regulation, then got the game winner to complete the comeback. Unfortunately, I have not come across a detailed play by play, but we at least have a list of goal-scorers.
A Montreal paper wrote: “Quebec played much the better team game, nearly all of Montreal’s goals being taken by individual rushes by the forwards. All the Quebec forwards, three of whom are newcomers this year, showed up well and so did Cahill until he was disabled. Scott played his usual game, and so did Stocking. Liffiton was Montreal’s star forward, but he inclined to foul work, and Christmas also played well. Bonin was useless at first, but played well later. The goaler stopped dozens of shots and the defence was very strong”
Final Score: 8-7 Montreal HC
Rosters
Montreal: Munro in goal, Smith at point, Boon at cover, Christmas, Bonin, Liffiton, and Brown at forward
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Scott at point, Cahill at cover, Pacaud, Gillespie, Hogan, and Blair at forward
Game #9: Ottawa HC vs Montreal Victorias, 27 January 1900
Duval makes a lift, and Bruce Stuart makes a run. Fairbanks lifts the puck away. Bowie gets the puck, but Pulford is there. Henry takes the puck down the ice. The Vics’ defence does what it can, but after several shots from Ottawa, Hod or Bruce Stuart scores. Ottawa keeps pressing, though McRobie is able to release the pressure via a couple runs. The Ottawa center is described as being “too strong for Russell and Ewing”, as Duval was providing ample support from cover. Fairbanks struggles to match lifts, and Ottawa has a dangerous chance. Bowie goes on a run, but the pass is missed. Stuart goes on a rush, passes to Henry who passes a fallen Fairbanks and scores (one source has H. Stuart scoring). Bowie makes another run, but Duval ends it. Pulford gets the puck out, Henry takes another shot that Powers stops. H. Stuart or Henry eventually scores to give Ottawa a 3-0 lead at the half. Bowie keeps grinding, and eventually scores “after the prettiest run of the night” (another source has Ewing scoring). Bowie scores again quickly after the face. Rogers or H. Stuart or Nolan scores next to give Ottawa an insurance goal. Ottawa scores again after Bruce Stuart blocks a Fairbanks lift. Bowie scores the next one after Duval makes a pass that Pulford doesn’t see and Hutton misses the puck.
A Montreal paper wrote: “... though they found Ottawa’s defence almost impregnable, the Victoria line, particularly Bowie and Ewing, frustrated the visitors’ forward play time after time. Scintillating brilliancy was evidenced only rarely, then Bowie and Ewing, on Victorias’ right wing contributed the welcome variety”
“H. Stuart landed down a hard body into the siding, thirty seconds before the call of time, that incapacitated Rollo, the plucky Victoria right wing”
“Pulford, at point, showed right good hockey and was ably supported by Duval, at cover. Pulford’s bringing out and centring to his line did much to steady the forwards, and might advantageously be adopted by many senior defence players. Duval is a sturdy, sure kind of man, difficult to pass and covering good territory. A tendency to to lift away from his forwards mars his otherwise perfect defence work. Little “Chic’ Henry, with Alf. Smith’s famous stick jumping, reduced to scientific turn, caught on immensely. He is fast, a pretty stick handler and a great little hustler. Rollo held him in good style though. Ewing’s handling of Stuart, the big Ottawa captain, gave Victoria an even break in centre ice. Ewing has seldom been better. Fairbanks is improving with each successive match and will undoubtedly develop into one of the strongest Victoria defence men. McRobie was as reliable as ever. Both Hutton and Powers brough off many stops of the electrifying sort. Hutton, in the Ottawa flags, is certainly a star. Goalkeeper Powers’ one-hand warding off of Rodgers’ fast side puck in the sixth game brought the benches up in a howl”
“The two Stuarts, Henry and Rodgers are the best quartette of shooters in the league”
Another Montreal paper reported: “Ottawa has three strapping men on the forward line in Nolan, Rogers and ‘Hod’ Stewart. They were altogether too much for their opponents as far as weight and strength went”
“Stewart is a particularly heavy man for the forward line, but he skates well and is an excellent shot”
“The Ottawa defence is strong, and a forward who gets in their neighborhood of Duval and Pulford will have to be wary lest something happens. Both play the body to advantage”
Hutton had some stiff shots to look after and did his work well”
“The Victoria defence was far from perfect. Fairbanks did not do anything like his work in the Quebec game. McRobie, however, worked hard, and a couple of shots that went by him savoured of luck”
An Ottawa paper wrote: “Here is what the Montreal Sunday Sun says about Saturday’s game- ‘On the forward line Ottawa also had the advantage. ‘Hod’ Stuart is not only a big man, but exceedingly fast, and a dangerous shooter. This is a combination that is very hard to battle. All the others, except Henry, are heavy, as well as fast men, and little Henry is one of the most indefatigably of ‘followers-up’’”
“[Hod] Stuart had a disposition to wander out of his territory somewhat, but nevertheless played a fine game. Bruce Stuart showed an improvement over his former games, and Rogers behind centre was very strong. Henry played his usual game on the other wing.
Another Ottawa paper reported: “Hod Stuart was by all odds the star of the forward line and he led many a rush”
Final Score: 5-3 Ottawa HC
Rosters
Ottawa: Hutton in goal, Pulford at point, Duval at cover, B. Stuart, Rogers, Henry, and H. Stuart at forward
Victorias: Powers in goal, McRobie at point, Fairbanks at cover, Ewing, Bowie, Russell, and Rollo at forward
Game #10: Quebec HC vs Montreal Shamrocks, 3 February 1900
Wall scores the first goal via a lift that Stocking misses. Trihey pass the puck to Farrell, who scores. Trihey takes a pass from Scanlan, gets around Cahill, and scores. Trihey gets the next one as well after a nice rush from Scanlan and Brannen, which was initially started by a pass from Wall. Gilmour eludes Wall and Tansey, and his shot beats McKenna. Brannen passes to Trihey for a goal, and Farrell scores shortly afterwards. Wall strays too far from his position, and Gillespie gets a chance, passes to Hogan, who scores. Trihey and Farrell get the last two of the match.
A Montreal paper wrote: “Scott, Cahill, and Gillespie never failed to get home with stick and body whenever opportunity presented itself”
“Captain Trihey’s stick handling is simply superb, while the other three forwards can also be said to have improved a whole lot in stick manipulation. Scanlan has acquired a dangerous puck from the side. Farrell, at the right side is fit now”
“Quebec as a team is lamentably weak. Gillespie and Gilmore are both fair individual players. Scott did well in front of Stocking”
Final Score: 8-2 Shamrocks
Rosters
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Scott at point, Cahill at cover, Gilmore, Gillespie, Hogan, and Schwartz at forward
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Farrell, Trihey, Scanlan, and Brennan at forward
Game #11: Montreal Victorias vs Ottawa HC, 10 February 1900
Powers makes a nice stop against Duval. Hod Stuart gets the first of the game on a “cyclonic sweep”. Bruce Stuart ruins a rush from Russell and Rollow, takes the puck in the other direction and scores. Bruce Stuart knocks over both Ewing and Rollo and scores. Hod Stuart makes some more rushes. Bowie takes the puck out of danger, but Hod Stuart gets it again and scores. Henry makes a nice rush but is unable to score, so Rogers does it for him. Bowie gets the Vics on the board. Bruce Stuart passes to Hod Stuart, who scores. Bruce Stuart scores the next game. Duval scores, then Bruce Stuart, then Henry, and then Bruce Stuart again scores.
A Montreal paper wrote (which was either quoting an Ottawa paper or was quoted by an Ottawa paper): “The change in sending Hod Stuart to the forward line has improved the team immensely. The two Stuarts scored eight out of the eleven goals”
An Ottawa paper reported: “Hutton did not have much to do, but stopped all shots but one that came his way. Pulford played effectively and did not have much trouble in breaking up the rushes of the Vic’s forwards. DUval has seldom played a better game. He plays for the puck rather more than for the man, but he was very fortunate in getting it. All the forwards had the better of their opponents; Bruce Stuart and Harry were too tricky for their covers and when Hod Stuart and Roger got going they frequently passed everything”
“Powers in goal for the visitors made some good stops. McRobbie played almost as an extra goal keeper and did the bulk of the Victoria defence work. Fairbanks at cover point was weak and Bowie was the star of the visitors' forward line”
Another Ottawa paper wrote: “Fairbanks at cover for the Victorias did not play a very brilliant game either as it was no task for the Ottawa forwards to pass him. Bowie and Russell on the Vic’s forward line were the best skaters and stickhandlers the visitors had, and they did a pile of work without adequate support from the rest of the team. Rollo and Eqing were fair, but not aggressive and they made defence the principal point of their play”
“Hod Stuart was never faster in his life and he makes a desperate charge which is hard to withstand. Roger and Henry handled their sticks well and were especially valuable in dodging the Victoria forwards”
“Duval at cover point for the home team filled that position to perfection as he always does, and Pulford and Htton at point and goal respectively constituted the two old reliables on that end of the ice.
“The Stuart brothers were great goal-scorers”
“Bowie and Russell were the stars of the Victoria club”
“Pulford kept the puck well out from Ottawa’s goal”
“Mr. Roger was badly off-color and would require to tone up very much from Saturday’s showing”
Final Score: 11-1 Ottawa HC
Rosters
Victorias: Powers in goal, McRobbie at point, Fairbanks at cover, Russell, Bowie, Ewing, and Rollo at forward
Ottawa: Hutton in goal, Pulford at point, Duval at cover, Henry, Rogers, B. Stuart, and H. Stuart at forward
Game #12: Quebec HC vs Montreal HC, 10 February 1900
The only primary source I have been able to find with any play-by-play detail makes my eyes bleed. Boon scores on a rush. Boon and Smith receive credit for their defense play, but Gillespie scores- Nicholson apparently blew this one, as it should have been an easy save. Christmas scores. McCarron gets the equalizer. Bonin scores, then McCarron answers. Bonin scores again. McCarron scores, then Gillespie scores to give Quebec the lead. Liffiton ties it. Smith makes a couple stops against McCarron. Christmas gets the winner.
Final Score: 6-5 Montreal HC
Rosters
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Chaill at point, Scott at cover, lair at right wing, Gilmour at left wing, Gillespie at centre, and McCarron at rover
Montreal: Nicholson in goal, Smith at point, Boon at cover, Liffiton at right wing, Christmas at left wing, Brown at centre, and Bonin at rover
Game #13: Ottawa HC vs Montreal HC, 17 February 1900
Montreal starts off with the initiative, but Duval comes up big with a couple lifts. Pulford’s physicality is noted, and it appears to have taken a toll on the Montreal forwards. Bruce Stuart and Henry make some rushes, but Nicholson can’t be beat. Smith and Boon are credited with “great defence”. Duval or H. Stuart eventually bobbles the puck, Bonin pounces on it and scores the only goal of the first half. Pulford injures Bonin early in the second half. Ottawa makes a strong push, Duval being noted for his lifts, Bruce Stuart and Henry are praised for rushes. Hutton misses an easy shot from Liffiton. Christmas or Brown scores the final game of the match.
A Montreal paper wrote: “Boon’s playing at cover was a feature of the match. Nicholson, the Montreal goal keeper, was in great form. Christmas and Liffiton were the Montreal forward stars. Pulford, though inclined to rough it, was very effective, well backed by Duval. Henry did not shine with his usual brilliancy. Bonin held him well”
An Ottawa paper reported: “Boone, at cover-point, is a light man, who plays always for the puck, and Saturday night he seldom missed it, although frequently his interceptions were very lucky”
“Captain Stuart, of the Ottawas, was laid up during last week with a badly swelled knee and should hardly have been in the game on Saturday night. Bruce Stuart was not up to his sual mark in dodging and scoring and Roger was hardly as good as usual either. Henry was the only man on the forward line who played his customary game”
“Brown and Liffiton, on the Montreal forward line, are good players, and they required the closest kind of watching”
Final Score: 3-0 Montreal HC
Rosters
Ottawa: Hutton in goal, Pulford at point, Duval at cover, H. Stuart, Henry, Rogers, and B. Stuart at forward
Montreal: Nicholson in goal, Smith at point, Boon at cover, Christmas, Bonin, Brown, and Liffiton at forward
Game #14: Quebec HC vs Ottawa HC, 24 February 1900
Duval and Bruce Smith were unable to play; Ottawa moved Hod Stuart from forward to cover, with Nolan and Sixsmith taking the two open forward spots, “both of whom put up splendid games”. Gillespie scores the first goal of the game, and the only one scored in the first half. Ottawa pressures, but Cahill clears. Stuart, Henry, Sixsmith, and Rogers make several runs, but Cahill or Stocking are always able to get the puck out of danger. Hogan makes a “brilliant” rush and scores. Stuart is all over the ice at this point. Cahill makes a lift that Gilmour or Stanley eventually put past Hutton.
A Montreal paper reported: “The Ottawa defence was a little off colour. Hutton and Henry put up their usual good games and for Quebec Stocking and Cahill shone brilliantly”
An Ottawa paper wrote: “Pulford, Henry and Sixsmith did the best work for the Ottawas. Stocking, Cahill and Scott for Quebec made one of the strongest defenses seen here this season”
Another Ottawa paper reported: “Time and again Hod Stuart, Roger, Sixsmith, and Harvey Pulford would rush the puck down and shoot on the goal, but none seemed to have the range and the majority of the shots were wide. Stocking in goal for the visitors and Cahill at point put up a defence a la Ladysmith”
“As a goalkeeper, Stocking, of the Quebec seven, is simply out of sight”
Final Score: 3-0 Quebec
Rosters
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Cahill at point, Scott at cover, Gillespie, Gilmour, Hogan, and Stanley at forward
Ottawa: Hutton in goal, Pulford at point, H. Stuart at cover, Nolan, Henry, Rogers, and Sixsmith at forward
Game #15: Montreal Victorias vs Montreal HC, 24 February 1900
Russell scores the first of the game. Brown scored to tie the game for Montreal HC, then Christmas gave them the lead. Liffiton scores the insurance marker in the second half. Grant and Bowie were noted for some rushes in the second half, but Boon and Smith were always there to stop them. Nicholson played well.
A Montreal paper wrote: “The fact that Grant was on seemed to brace the rest of the team, and they put forth their best energies to defeat their Montreal rivals”
“... had not Powers been in excellent trim there would have been a larger score to their credit”
“Vallance was the weak man of the forward line. He appeared stale and was gone in a few minutes after he was on the ice. Ewing, Bowie and Russell worked hard, though Russell appeared to do the most effective work of the three”
“Montreal had a change of their team, Smith replacing Bonin, who is still on the sick list. Smith proved an acquisition and did splendid work”
“Boon and Smith played a splendid defence game for the Montreal team, and Nicholson’s work in the poles was excellent. Boone had a special apparatus for his injured wrist and a regular boxing glove covered his hand, giving him quite a pugilistic appearance”
“Grant played a nice easy defence, but his presence put a vim into the work of the other six players, and they hustled every time and all the time”
“McRobie did good work behind Grant, but appeared rather chary of taking chances on a rush until the game was practically lost”
Final Score: 3-1 Montreal HC
Rosters
Victorias: Powers in goal, McRobie at point, Grant at cover, Bowie, Russell, Ewing, and Vallance at forward
Montreal HC: Nicholson in goal, Smith at point, Boon at cover, Liffiton, Christmas, Brown, and Smith at forward
Game #16: Montreal Shamrocks vs Montreal HC, 27 February 1900
I haven’t come across much information on this game. Rosters, goal scorers, and a bit about the game, but not much in comparison to most of the other games this season.
A Montreal paper reported: “Liffiton’s speed kept Shamrock’s wing guessing, while Brown and Smith waged a persistent warfare against Trihey and Brannen in centre. Montreal’s defence was lucky too. Boone’s breaking up of Trihey’s runs within shooting range saved Montreal many times”
Trihey was the Sharock star, while Montreal’s forwards all did well, with Liffiton and Smith showing slightly in front”
Final Score: 5-3 Shamrocks
Rosters
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Brennan at point, Wall at cover, Farrell, Scanlan, Brannen, and Trihey at forward
Montreal HC: Nicholson in goal, W. Smith at point, Boon at cover, G. Smith, Christmas, Brown, and Liffiton at forward
Game #17: Montreal Shamrocks vs Montreal Victorias, 1 March 1900
Not a lot here, either. There was apparently a big storm earlier that made travel difficult. I have not tracked down a list of scorers, but I do have that Tansey scored one and Brannen had at least one as well. I don’t have the order these goals were scored in, so I am just listing them as the first two.
A Montreal paper reported: “The Vics tried Adams in the place of Vallance, and the line change strengthened the forward line. Fairbanks played cover again, and these two changes worked to advantage. Bowie and Russell played well, and their work counted considerably in the Victorias score. Ewing and Adams were in good form and worked hard”
“Tansey was in good form last night, and his many rushes were features of the game”
“Brannen, too was down in the scoring list. The other forwards, Trihey, Farrell and Scanlan, played excellently, and all three did their usual effective work”
Final Score: 10-6 Shamrocks
Rosters
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Brennan at cover, Trihey, Brannen, Farrell, and Scanlan at forward
Victorias: Powers in goal, McRobie at point, Fairbanks at cover, Ewing, Russell, Bowie, and Adams at forward
Game #18: Ottawa HC vs Montreal Shamrocks, 3 March 1900- Game Defaulted
Game #19: Montreal Victorias vs Quebec HC, 4 March 1900
It really looks like the papers have lost momentum as the season progressed- I don’t have much on this one, either. Power was hurt and replaced in goal by Cheese, “who, with McRobie, stopped close to a hundred shots”.
A Montreal paper reported: “The home team was short the services of Scott, but Nolan, who replaced him, put up the star game of the evening. Gillespie was the only Quebec forward who showed up, but he was very selfish, and McCarron who was hurt early in the match, shot well but otherwise did not show up in his usual form. Stocking was off his game”
Final Score: 10-7 Victorias
Rosters
Victorias: Power/Cheese in goal, McRobie at point, Fairbanks at cover, Russell, Adams, T. Davidson, and Bowie at forward
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Cahill at point, Nolan at cover, Gillespie, Gilmour, McCarron, and Hogan at forward
Game #20: Montreal Shamrocks vs Quebec HC, 10 March 1900
Trihey gets the first of the match by means of a lift. Quebec has a chance, but McKenna is able to clear. Brannen or Scanlan scores the next goal, but then Stanley scores off a rush. Gillespie of Stanley scores, then Gillespie sends a pass to Gilmour, who scores. Gillespie scores. Tansey knocks out Gilmour via a hard hit. Scanlan or Brannen scores the last goal of the match.
A Montreal paper wrote: “Quebec’s defence was superb, and after tonight’s game it is considered as good as any that could be put on the ice. Scott, at point, was a whole team in himself, and was well backed up by Cahill and Stocking”
Another Montreal paper reported: “The Quebec forwards all put up a dashing, spirited game. The defence was the strong point, and it was wonderful to see Trihey, Farrell, Brannen, Scanlan, Tansey and Wall hurl themselves on the Quebec goals at full speed only to find themselves stopped, or their passes intercepted by the imperturbable Charlie Scott, who is the hero of the hour, especially in view of his approaching departure for South Africa to take the place of one of those on the first contingent who laid down their lives for Queen and country”
“Cahill backed Scott up in splendid style, and so did Stocking, some of whose stops towards the end were sensational”
“Gillespie was as brilliant as ever, and Gilmour put up a very speedy game. Hogan redeemed himself by his wonderful checking and the manner in which he aided the defence, together with some excellent dashes, while Charlie Stanley, a mere tyro, showed himself to be right at home among his speedy opponents, playing with grit, speed and coolness”
“McKenna made grand stops in goal and ably helped out by his defence men, who warded off scores of hot ones. Wall played a steady, hard game, and so did Tansey, though the latter forgot himself more than once”
“Just who played the best game among the Shamrock forwards’ line is hard to say, but Trihey was certainly a star, and so, too, was Scanlaw, while Brannen’s work was excellent”
Final Score: 4-3 Quebec HC
Rosters
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Trihey, Scanlan, Brannen, and Farrell at forward
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Cahill at point, Scott at cover, Gillespie, Hogan, Stanley, and Gilmour at forward
Retro All-Star Team
As always, there were some tough calls. Cover was probably the toughest this time around- Hod Stuart only played four games at the position, and definitely (for this season, at least) seemed like he was a better forward than cover. But, he received good marks for his defensive ability while at the position, and while he did have a poor game, I think he was probably still more valuable than the other covers around the league (Boon and Wall being the other two who I considered). I almost decided against Bruce Stuart as well, but his offensive contributions were too hard to ignore. It should be noted that he received criticism for either laziness or lack of condition. Gillespie (Quebec HC) was the guy I almost put at the last forward spot.
Goal: Hutton, Ottawa HC
Point: Pulford, Ottawa HC
Cover: H. Stuart, Ottawa HC
Forward: Bowie, Montreal Victorias
Forward: Farrell, Montreal Shamrocks
Forward: Trihey, Montreal Shamrocks
Forward: B. Stuart, Ottawa HC
| Team | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals For | Goals Against |
| Montreal Shamrocks | 6 | 1 | 0 | 49 | 26 |
| Montreal HC | 5 | 3 | 0 | 34 | 36 |
| Ottawa HC | 4 | 3 | 0 | 28 | 19 |
| Montreal Victorias | 2 | 6 | 0 | 44 | 55 |
| Quebec HC | 2 | 6 | 0 | 33 | 52 |
Note- Ottawa defaulted a game to the Shamrocks late in the season. I didn’t go looking for the reason, but reports from around that time were talking about the club having some money issues.
Skater Stats
| Name | Team | Position | Goals | Assists | Points |
| Bowie | Victorias | Forward | 16 | 0 | 16 |
| Farrell | Shamrocks | Forward | 12 | 1 | 13 |
| Trihey | Shamrocks | Forward | 11 | 1 | 12 |
| Gillespie | Quebec HC | Forward | 9 | 2 | 11 |
| Christmas | Montreal HC | Forward | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| B. Stuart | Ottawa HC | Forward | 8 | 1 | 9 |
| Brown | Montreal HC | Forward | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| McCarron | Quebec HC | Forward | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Russell | Victorias | Forward | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Liffiton | Montreal HC | Forward | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Brannen* | Shamrocks | Forward | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Ewing | Victorias | Forward | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Hogan | Quebec HC | Forward | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Bonin | Montreal HC | Forward | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| H. Stuart** | Ottawa HC | Cover/Forward | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Gilmour | Quebec HC | Forward | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Wall | Shamrocks | Cover | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Scanlan | Shamrocks | Forward | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Boon | Montreal HC | Cover | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| T. Davidson | Victorias | Forward | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Marquette | Quebec HC | Forward | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Rollo | Victorias | Forward | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Henry*** | Ottawa HC | Forward | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Rogers | Ottawa HC | Forward | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Acer | Victorias | Forward | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Adams | Victorias | Forward | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Blair | Quebec HC | Forward | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Duval | Ottawa HC | Cover | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Fairbanks | Victorias | Cover | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Lindsay | Victorias | Cover | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nolan | Ottawa HC | Forward | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Pacaud | Quebec HC | Forward | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Stanley | Quebec HC | Forward | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Tansey | Shamrocks | Point | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Smith | Montreal HC | Point | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Maybe H. Stuart | Ottawa HC | Cover/Forward | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Maybe Brannen | Shamrocks | Forward | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Maybe Henry | Ottawa HC | Forward | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Possibly Nolan | Ottawa HC | Forward | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Christmas or Liffiton | Montreal HC | N/A | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Brannan or Scanlan | Shamrocks | N/A | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Henry or B. Stuart | Ottawa HC | N/A | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Blair or Pacaud | Quebec HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Bonin or Brown | Montreal HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Bowie or Ewing | Victorias | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Brannen, Farrell, or Trihey | Shamrocks | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Brannen or Trihey | Shamrocks | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Brown or Christmas | Montreal HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Duval or B. Stuart | Ottawa HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Gillespie, Gilmour, or Smith | Quebec HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Gillespie or Stanley | Quebec HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Gilmour or Smith | Quebec HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Gilmour or Stanley | Quebec HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Henry, Rogers, or H. Stuart | Ottawa HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Henry or B. Stuart | Ottawa HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Henry or H. Stuart | Ottawa HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nolan or Rogers | Ottawa HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nolan, Rogers, or H. Stuart | Ottawa HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nolan or B. Stuart | Ottawa HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nolan or H. Stuart | Ottawa HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Rogers or B. Stuart | Ottawa HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Scanlan or Trihey | Shamrocks | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| B. or H. Stuart | Ottawa HC | N/A | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| UNK | Shamrocks | N/A | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| UNK | Victorias | N/A | 8 | 0 | 8 |
** Hod Stuart almost certainly had two additional points, as he was credited with either the goal or the assist on the same goal for two goals in game #9 on 27 January 1900.
*** Henry almost certainly had two additional points, as he was credited with either the goal or the assist on the same goal in game #6 on 20 January 1900.
Note- As you can see, I came across a lot of goals where the identity of the goal-scorer varied depending on the source this year. This makes sense; there was no replay, so we are relying on what people saw in the moment, which is an inherently untrustworthy thing. The games with Ottawa involved appear (I haven’t double checked) to have been the most affected, probably because it usually meant there was an additional source or two.
Goalie Stats
| Name | Team | Games Played | Goals Allowed | GAA |
| Hutton | Ottawa HC | 7 | 19 | 2.71 |
| Nicholson | Montreal HC | 4 | 11 | 2.75 |
| McKenna | Shamrocks | 7 | 26 | 3.71 |
| Munro | Montreal HC | 4 | 25 | 6.25 |
| Stocking | Quebec HC | 8 | 52 | 6.50 |
| Powers | Victorias | 7 | 48 | 6.86 |
| Powers and Cheese | Victorias | 1 | 7 | 7.00 |
Game #1: Montreal HC vs Montreal Victorias, 6 January 1900
The Vics start the game on the attack, “but Boone, who later developed a splendid game, started in by fishing out the puck and relieving the pressure”. Liffiton and Brown make a rush that almost scores. Bowie scores off a cross-ce pass. Powers makes a couple big stops in the next game, but Christmas finally scores, Brown having passed him the puck. Bowie gives the Vics the lead again, but Liffiton makes some nice runs in the next game and eventually ties it up. Bowie scores the next one. Brown passes to Christmas, who equalizes the score once more. Liffiton does some more rush work in the next game, and was described as having “McLEa well in hand”, but Ewing lays a body on him and it seems to have bothered Liffiton a bit. Boone ends a rush from Bowie. Smith gets the puck and goes on a run, eventually passing to Brown or Bowen/Bonin, who scores. Brown scores another, but “Bowie and Ewing kept coming along in fine style”. Boone misplays a lift and Bowie capitalizes. McLea scores to even the score at 5-5. Brown scores the match winner on a rush.
A Montreal paper wrote: “Grant was as serviceable as ever; so was McRobie, and Powers did some excellent stopping, which he was called upon to do frequently”
Another Montreal paper reported: “There were but two men on the list thad no reputations as senior men- Blair Russell, on the forward line, and Tommy Powers in goal- but the game showed that the men who didn’t have an reputations previous to the game did a great deal more effective work than those who had their laurels, save in one or two instances”
“The whole Montreal team was considerably lighter than their opponents, and with the exception of Liffiton, none of the forwards were as speedy as the aVictoria men. But they managed to get the puck down the ice in good shape and they hustled the Victoria defence around in good style and made Grant and McRobie work their hardest”
“The hard work told on the Victoria line and soon the only men doing any sort of work were Russell and Bowie. Both of these men worked hard throughout the match, and Russell ought to be a fixture on the Victoria team from this henceforth”
“The goal nets were in use, though they have not yet been adopted, and proved to be somewhat of an obstruction and on two occasions resulted in injury to players”
“The same crowd acted unfavorably to Grant. No matter what Grant did he was hooted and hissed, and yet in only one instance did Grant do anything that deserved condemnation”
“Boone was a star at cover, and it was not often that a forward got by the diminutive Dick. He always played the puck, and his work was all the more effective on this account. Smith’s work at point was excellent and whenever he went down the ice with the puck it generally counted. Munro did good work in poles, but occasionally dropped to his knees in a peculiar manner. However, Powers was also an offender in this particular, so that matters were about even up”
“On the forward line, Christmas and Lilliton were the stars for Montreal. Both did good work, and so did Brown, but the other two were a dashing pair and their work was good all the times.
“On the Victoria line, Bowie and Russell did all the work. McLea worked hard, but it was very evident that he was not in shape and found it difficult to keep up with the rest”
Final Score: 6-5 Montreal HC
Rosters
Montreal HC: Munro in goal, Smith at point, Boone at cover, Brown, Bowen/Bonin, Liffiton, and Christmas at forward
Victorias: Powers in goal, McRobie at point, Grant at cover, Acer or Russell, Ewing, McLea, and Bowie at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Christmas | Brown | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Liffiton | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Christmas | Brown | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Brown or Bowen/Bonin | Smith | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Brown | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Ewing | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Brown | N/A | N/A |
Game #2: Montreal Shamrocks vs Ottawa HC, 6 January 1900
Stuart starts the game with “some grand rushes”. Wall almost scores a couple times, but is unable to score.Ottawa scores the first of the game via Bruce Stuart or Duval, but is plagued by penalties (B. Stuart and Nolan each named). Scanlan or Brennan tied the game for the Shamrocks. Duval is playing well in the third game. B. Stuart scores after a rush with Rogers or Nolan. Duval makes some more “grand stand rushes”, butTrihey and Brannen make “a pretty rush”, and Brannen, Trihey or Farrell scores. Nolan gives Ottawa the lead again on a fine individual run, which B. Stuart or Henry extends after “a fine rush” from Hod Stuart. Scanlan, Trihey, and Brannen make many dangerous rushes. Stuart takes a penalty, and Trihey or Scanlan scores. Nolan is described as playing well at this point, but the Shamrock defense is too strong.Tansey makes a rush, passes to Trihey, who passes it to Brannen, who then gives it back to Trihey, and Trihey scores again to equal the score (another source has Brennan scoring). Brennan or Scanlan gets the winning goal.
A Montreal paper wrote: “Scanlan was the bright star for the Shamrocks, although Trihey and Brannen were conspicuous when the time for the final effort came. Wall and Tansey were excellent defence men. Chick Henry, Max Rogers, and B. Hutton were the mainstays of the Ottawas. Duval played brilliantly, as did Captain H. Stuart at times”
Another Montreal paper reported: “”Tansey had temporarily put Henry, who was doing the most brilliant work on the Ottawa forward line, out of the game. Henry came on again, but had lost his effectiveness”
“Hod Stuart played cover-point for the Ottawa in the first half of the match, and he used his body to perfection, time and again breaking up the combination of the Shamrocks”
An Ottawa paper wrote: “‘Chic’ Henry, who was playing a splendid game for the Ottawas, just as he shot and scored the fourth Ottawa goal was thrown in the air by Wall of the Shamrocks and he fell very heavily on the ice. A delay of 15 minutes ensued, and although Henry decided to finish the game, he had largely lost his effectiveness by a very bad shaking up”
“Hutton in goal for the Ottawas is very cool, and he could not have played better on Saturday night. Duval played point during the greater part of Saturday night’s game, and played the position well. Hod Stuart was at cover point and stopped the Shamrock rushes well, while Duval looked after the puck. Duval played cover point part of the time, and while he lifts better than Stuart he does not stop the men so well, and if the change had not been made in the second half the result might have been different. Duval’s rushes were the fastest on the ice on Saturday night, and with Pulford at point, Duval should be tried on the forward line. He ought to strengthen it greatly. All the forwards played well, but Henry was probably the star of the lot, as far as taking a lot of hard work was concerned. Nolin, Rogers, and Bruce Stuart all played excellent games. Bruce Stuart was not in as good condition as the rest, and was somewhat played out in the second half”
“The Shamrocks were hardly as strong as the Ottawas on the defence. Neither Wall or Tansey could skate as well as Stuart or Duval, and it was in the assistance the latter could give the forwards that the Ottawa defence excelled”
“The Shamrock forward line is a very evenly balanced one and when the team ran behind in the score Trihey and Farrell did a great amount to pull the game out of the fire”
“Although the Shamrocks were very fast on Saturday night, they do not commence to play the brilliant game that the old Victoria line of forwards, Shirley Davidson, Drinkwater, McLea, and Cam Davidson used to put up. There were none of those combined sweeps down the ice which made the Victorias’ game the most spectacular in Canadian hockey”
Another Ottawa paper reported: “... the Ottawas became too aggressive and left their defence too open, with the result that Scanlon, Trihey and Brennan, of the visitors, got in their snake-like dodging through the Ottawa forwards, and made three goals for the Shamrock team. This decided the match as there were only a few minutes left to play and though Henry, Nolan, and Roger made some brilliant rushes, McKenna, Tansey and Wall of the Shamrocks, who had been resting pretty much on their oars throughout the game, were able to block all attempts”
“Hod Stewart played point for the Ottawas and he put up a most effective game all through the first part of the match. His heavy body-checking worked well and he got through the Shamrock bunch in elegant style. Bruce Stewart, who played on the forward line, made some good rushes, as did also Duval, Henry, and Nolan. M. Roger seconded H. Stewart in the bodying game well”
“Arthur Farrell and Harry Trihey were the stars of the Shamrock team and did a lot of good passing”
“McKenna, who was between the visitors’ posts, was a very reliable goal man and there were numerous shots which he intercepted cleverly”
“Tansey and Wall were not pressed so hard as they might have been but when their services were required, showed that they were on their business. Scanlon and Brennan of the forward line were very fast and made some fine individual play”
“Trihey did some great skating”
“Bouse Hutton did all that anyone could in goal”
“Nolan made some elegant charges into Shamrock territory”
“Hod Stuart acted as if he thought the proper place for any Shamrock man was among the spectators”
Final Score: 5-4 Shamrocks
Rosters
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Trihey, Scanlan, Farrell, and Brannen at forward
Ottawa: Hutton in goal, Duval at point, H. Stuart at cover, B. Stuart, Nolan, Henry, and Rogers at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Ottawa | B. Stuart or Duval | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Scanlan or Brennan | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | B. Stuart | Rogers | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Brannen, Trihey or Farrell | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | Nolan | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | Henry or B. Stuart | H. Stuart | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey or Scanlan | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey or Brennan | Maybe Brennan | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Scanlan or Brennan | N/A | N/A |
Game #3: Montreal HC vs Montreal Shamrocks, 13 January 1900
Wall scores the first goal via a “gigantic lift”. The next game sees some back and forth action, with Bonin coming “to the rescue” at one point while Tansey at the other end of the ice breaks up a rush from Brown and Christmas. Farrel gets the next score on a low shot. The goalies are credited with playing well in the next game. Christmas makes a rush. Bonin breaks up a chance from Trihey. Liffiton pulls away from Scanlan for an opportunity. Christmas an Liffiton are doing good work following up lifts. Bonin beats Wall, but Tansey ends the chance. Bonin gets another chance, “in Trojan fashion, floored Wall again”, but is unable to score. Wall puts up a weak lift, but Tansey is there to block the return shot “as usual”. Brown is checking Trihey well. Boone prevents a Shamrock goal. Christmas finally scores. Trihey makes a nice run at the start of the next game, receiving praise for his “beautiful stick handling”. Trihey falls. Brown scores the next goal to tie the game. Wall gets a strong check in on Christmas. Farrell gets an opportunity off a “brilliant rush” from Trihey. Wall scores on a long shot. Brown ties it. From here, a paper notes that the “Shamrock’s heavy defence was wearing fown Montreal’s lightweights” at forward. Boone and Smith are credited with breaking up several of Trihey’s rushes, but he eventually scores. Farrell scores, then Trihey scores two more. Farrell gets the last of the match.
Trihey apparently punched Brown in response to a slash on the ankle. A scrum followed.
A Montreal paper wrote: “The Shamrock defence was first in the game. Tansey and Wall were crowded at first, Wall scoring on a returning lift. Farrel’s side shot put Shamrock two in the lead. After that for five games Montreal’s forwards simply would not be shaken off. Captain Trihey and Brannan found it difficult to get going and without the centres, Farrell and Scanlan were to the bad. Bright scintillating individualism marked the Shamrock forwards’ work. The combination came in the ninth, tenth, and eleventh games. Bonin, Christmas, Liffiton and Brown were all just as fast as Shamrocks and all gradually working up a dangerous combination. Poor shooting is one apparent defect, through Christmas has a deadly side puck that counted twice against McKenna. In ‘Rolly’ Bonin, Montreal has a rare one. In mid-ice his game is very effective. To hold Trihey and mix it up with Wall and Tansey, and to show no great discomfiture is something Bonin can accomplish in a greater degree than probably any other forward playing. Bonin is fast, a good stick handler, and a great worker. Little Liffiton is also fast and a game little man. Christmas and Brown work in well together along the boards. Tansey was able to block many of Brown’s and Liffiton’s low pucks”
“Munro’s handling of a particularly hot liner from Trihey and Farrell brought the onlookers to foot and a half a score of times, McKenna’s work was also gilt edged”
“Apart from this the brilliant stick work of Trihey, Tansey, Farrell, and Scanlan, and the rushes of Brannan were notable. Wall’s lifting was more than ordinary”
“Tansey and Wall broke through Brown at centre, time after time, giving Trihey the desired open ice. Christmas had a hard time watching Farrell”
“‘Rolly’ Bonin, whose great work in Montreal’s centre ice on Saturday night so favorably impressed everybody sufficiently fortunate to see the game, bears the ear marks of the coming forward in unmistakable manner. Bonin is but 20 years of age, weighs in condition 165 pounds and never played in a senior championship match prior to Saturday night. His hockey was picked up with the Maples of the Ottawa City League and upon the Ottawa College open air rink. In 1898, with vacancy created by Gleadson’s defection to Toronto Osgoode, Bonin came within an ace of making the Ottawa College back division. Bonin took up left half with the Montreal fifteen last season, playing a strong, aggressive running and bucking half throughout the year. As a hockeyist, Bonin is very fast and a very fair kind of stick handler. With improvement in his shooting at the curbing of a disposition to play too large a territory, Bonin will have no superior”
Another Montreal paper reported: “It was a shock to see a player of Trihey’s ability and good sense descend from the high position he has attained in the public estimation, and it was indeed regrettable that such an affair should have occurred. But in all fairness it must be said that lately Brown has developed into a nagging player. It is feared there will always be trouble between the players of both the Shamrock and Montreal teams when Brown is on the ice”
“Wall appeared top-heaavy, and the lightest of the Montreal forwards could send him to the ice. Tansey was considerably steadier, and McKenna was all that could be desired of a good goal-keeper”
“The one consistent worker on the forward line was Scanlan, but he has developed a habit of leaving his wing”
“Brannen was a bit cranky and did not play his usual game, and his following up was not what it might have been. Trihey was slow at following up, but his work was excellent. He did some great stick handling, and his scoring from side shots was a feature of the match. Farrell was slow, and did not put any life into his play until the last fifteen minutes. He scored two goals and both of them were out of the ordinary. On both occasions he went through the whole Montreal team, scoring one goal from in front, side shot, and the other from behind the poles with a nice twist
“Tansey did great execution, and kept the Montreal men at bay. He made a number of fine stops. McKenna made some splendid stops”
“Brown played the best game he has put up in the senior ranks, and had it not been for his annoying tactics in the end of the match it would have been a triumph for him”
“Liffiton deserves credit for the game he played, and he made his opponents hustle in great style. Christmas did good work, and Bonin, too, worked hard. The defence did not shine as in the Victoria game, but they did splendid work nevertheless”
Final Score: 8-3 Shamrocks
Rosters
Montreal HC: Munro in goal, Smith at point, Boone at cover, Bonin, Christmas, Liffiton, and Brown at forward
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Scanlan, Trihey, Farrell, and Brennan at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Shamrocks | Wall | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Farrell | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Christmas | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Brown | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Wall | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Brown | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | Brannen | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Farrell | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Farrell | N/A | N/A |
Game #4: Ottawa HC vs Quebec HC, 13 January 1900
Quebec was rostering a pretty unseasoned team- it is Schwartz’s first senior game, and his first game at all for a period of years, while Marquette was also new. Chas. Scott was described as having “only held a stick in his hand once before this season, owing to a bad finger”. Gilmour or Smith scores the first goal for Quebec, but Nolan or Rogers answers. Ottawa scores two in quick succession; two sources have B. Stuart getting them both, while another has Henry and Nolan scoring. Gillespie, Smith or Gilmour scores late for Quebec, but the game ends before Quebec can score another to tie it up.
A Montreal paper wrote: Gillespie and Smith were in great form, and both Scott and Stocking played finely, but the latter had hard luck in one goal scored”
An Ottawa paper reported: “The Ottawas made attack after attack on the Quebec goals, but Stocking was all but invincible”
“The Quebec men are big and strong, and in Gillespie and Smith there are two fast and good forwards. Gilmore on the forward line is a new man this year, and he seems to lack experience. Marquette is only a fair player. Watson who has played cover point for a number of years has retired from the game, and his place at point was taken by Swartz. The latter is a big man and he put up a fairly steady game. He could lift the whole length of the ice, but did not use his body very well. Charlie Scott was reliable at point, and Stocking maintained his reputation as one of the best goal keepers in the league, and the Ottawas saw that he got lots of chances to shine”
“The Ottawa forwards with the exception of Henry did not follow up well”
“Quebec people admit that Hutton is quite as good a goal keeper as Stocking, and this is quite and admission for Quebecers to make”
“Duval’s lifting was very fine. He played a sure and steady game and stopped his opponents excellently”
“Hod Stuart seems to be a fixture at coverpoint, and if he plays as well for the rest of the season as he did on Saturday night he will do”
“The alternate rushes by Duval and Hod Stuart showed the Quebec people some pretty fast work”
“Bruce Stuart played a star game. It was a match that suited him, as there were many stops for the puck going up on the side. His two rushes when he scored were fine ones”
“Max Rogers played a very fast and hard game and did some splendid dodging. He showed good headwork by always dropping in Stuart’s place when the latter rushed”
“Henry Nolin never played a better game and was very effective. His work in the corners could not be improved upon”
“‘Chic’ Henry play his customary good game and was always in his position”
“Gillespie played a fine game on the Quebec forward line, and he was ably assisted by Smith, who is captain now”
Final Score: 3-2 Ottawa HC
Rosters
Ottawa: Hutton in goal, Duval at point, H. Stuart at cover, B. Stuart, Nolan, Henry, and Rogers at forward
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Scott at point, Schwartz at cover, Smith, Gillespie, Gilmour, and Marquett at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Quebec | Gilmour or Smith | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | Nolan or Rogers | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | B. Stuart or Henry | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | B. Stuart or Nolan | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Smith or Gilmour or Gillespie | N/A | N/A |
Game #5: Montreal Victorias vs Montreal Shamrocks, 18 January 1900
Unfortunately, I have not found a ton on this one, probably because of the lopsided score. Farrell passes the puck to Trihey for the first goal, but then descriptions of the next three goals are omitted; a paper simply writes that the score is 2-2 at this point. Brannon makes a nice run in the fifth game, but action is back-and-forth. Trihey scores again. Farrell scores the sixth game, and was described as having “been playing a splendid wing game”. Tansey makes a stop, then Russell makes a dangerous attempt. The Shamrocks score, but no goal scorer is provided. Scanlan and Farrell score the first two goals of the second half. Acer finally scores another for the Vics, but Farrell answers. Farrell gets the next game as well, and is here described as “a peach”, and having “played a great game”. Farrell scores again. Lindsay scores for the Vics, but Farrell scores the final goal of the match.
A Montreal paper wrote: “Two men on the [Victoria] forward line, Bowie and Russell, did good work and were factors in the game at all times. The other two did their best, but their good work was spasmodic and Ewing spent considerable time in testing his stick on portions of his opponent’s anatomy”
“The Victoria defence did good work, but the old heads were wanted”
“... McRobie stopped some hot shots that looked likely goals and altogether played well. Powers in goals must have stopped a score of hard shots”
“Every member of the Shamrock team played well, though credit must be given to Scanlan for doing the most consistent work and was always on hand”
Final Score: 10-4 Shamrocks
Rosters
Victorias: Powers in goal, McRobie at point, Lindsay at cover, Russell, Ewing, Bowie, and Acer at forward
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Brannen, Trihey, Farrell, and Scanlan at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | Farrell | N/A |
| Victorias | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Farrell | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Scanlan | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Farrell | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Acer | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Farrell | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Farrell | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Lindsay | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Farrell | N/A | N/A |
Game #6: Montreal HC vs Ottawa HC, 20 January 1900
Montreal starts on the attack, Liffiton making some rushes, and then scored on a rush alongside Boon and Brown, with Bonin getting some praise in there as well. Hod Stuart or Nolan answered for Ottawa on a lift. Hutton makes a nice save in the next game, but then Pulford gets a penalty and Liffiton or Christmas scores with Montreal on the man advantage. Rogers or B. Stuart goes coast-to-coast to tie the game. Munro makes a phenomenal save on a shot from Henry, but Nolan puts in the rebound (another paper has Henry scoring). Bruce Stuart scores. Back and forth action after the break. Bruce Stuart or Rogers scores on a rush.
A Montreal paper wrote: “There can be no question of Farrell’s ability as a hockeyist, but he is far too lenient to act as a referee”
“Stuart, at cover-point, was not up to form, and the Montreal forwards had little difficulty in going by. Pulford was a harder proposition, and as he was not very particular about his tactics, the Montreal forwards were somewhat abused. On the forward line, Rogers and Henry were the only ones to show up”
“For Montreal, Boon at cover and Desse Brown and Liffiton on the forward division did yeoman work. The latter, especially, deserves great credit for his persistent following up and good rushing. Boon’s work was much admired”
A Montreal paper wrote: “The Ottawas were better shooters and had a stronger defence, even allowing that Hod Stuart did not play his usual game at cover point”
“In the first half Montreal scored twice and the Ottawas four times, the Ottawa forwards finding it easy to go around Boon and Smith in their individual rushes. Munro was not so easy in goal and stopped many dangerous shots”
“Henry, Rogers and Pulford played the strongest game for Ottawa, Henry putting up a particularly fine article and fooling Liffiton often. Munro, Brown, Liffiton and Christmas played well for Montreal
An Ottawa paper wrote: “On the Ottawa side, Hod Stuart at cover point did not use his body as effectively as usual, although his lifting and rushes down the ice were all right. A great amount of defence work fell on Pulford, as the Montrealers frequently got inside of Stuart, and Pulford stopped them very effectively and sometimes quite roughly. Very few of the Montrealers made a second effort to go around Pulford. Liffiton on the Montreal forward line seemed to be their best player, but Henry discounted handily, and the Ottawa youngster played the star game of the ice. Mac Rogers was very fast and seldom played better, while Nolin was steady, always in the right place, and played an effective game. Bruce Stuart played a great game for the first few minutes, but he is either lazy or cannot stand the pace, as he never shows up well in the second half”
“Bonin, of the Montrealers, was looking for too much trouble to be very effective, and he got it once when he tried to stop a rush by Pulford by running his eye against Pulford’s elbow. Both Brown and Christmas played hard and steady games”
“Frank McGee would strengthen the Ottawas line”
“Nolan does not show up brilliantly, but he plays effectively”
Another Ottawa paper reported: “Henry worked hard from the commencement of the game and was just as nimble as ever in handling the rubber”
“Roger, Nolan, and B. Stuart played with equal honors and good judgment. Nolan seems to be a particularly useful man when it comes to mass play near the opponents’ goal as it appears quite easy for him to keep his head”
“On the defence, Bouse Hutton, between the posts, stopped everything that a goalkeeper could stop and improvement on the team in that department is not possible. Harvey Pulford at point and Hod Stuart at cover point completed a strong background for the forward line and the defence was never seriously pressed except for very short-lived rushes by Liffiton and Bonin of the visitors”
“Liffiton on the forward line was the particular star [of the Montrelers] and did some hustling work but was closely watched by Henry of the home team”
“Bonin was the neatest body player on the ice and in that line he can give a man a great deal heavier than himself a heavy jolt. Hod. Stuart and Pulford found him too clever for them and lost their balance considerably when they went up against him”
“Christmas and Brown the other forwards played an ordinary game and were tired enough when the match was over”
“The defence was weak although Munro in goal made some good stops but was in hard luck”
“Smith and Boon at point and cover respectively were rather slow and allowed too much for the goalkeeper”
“The sticky ice did not prevent Hod Stuart from lifting the puck nicely”
Final Score: 5-2 Ottawa HC
Rosters
Montreal: Munro in goal, Smith at point, Boon at cover, Christmas, Bonin, Liffiton, and Brown at forward
Ottawa: Hutton in goal, Pulford at point, H. Stuart at cover, Nolan, Rogers, Henry, and B. Stuart at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Montreal | Liffiton | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | H. Stuart or Nolan | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Liffiton or Christmas | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | Rogers or B. Stuart | N/A | M/A |
| Ottawa | Nolan or Henry | Maybe Henry | N/A |
| Ottawa | B. Stuart | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | B. Stuart or Rogers | Henry | N/A |
Game #7: Quebec HC vs Montreal Victorias, 20 January 1900
The game starts with Quebec making a push, forcing Powers to make a save. Bowie takes the puck out of danger, and Russell scores. Marquette ties the game, but then Victoria rattles off six more goals before the end of the half (of the six goals, 2 are credited to each of Russell, Bowie, and Rollo, though I don’t have the exact order). Bowie gives Schwartz, Scott, and Gillespie fits after the half, scoring quickly after play resumed. Ewing and Russell each score as well. Marquette scores, then Ewing and Bowie each score two. Gilmour scores the last of the match for Quebec.
A Montreal paper wrote: “Gillespie and Marquette brightened the forward work with an occasional combination run in centre ice. Gillespie was the relief to a painfully weak line and is something of a fair good man. Schwartz at cover lifts well, and so does Scott. The latter blocks well and his stops of Bowie and Eqing in the first half looked like the real thing. Stocking, in the flags, is the same old reliable”
“Fairbanks, with an acquired steadiness, will be an acquisition at cover in time. Rollo, who replaced McLea, is very strong and fast, and a better stickhandler than McLea. Victoria was in the game with snap, forcing the heavier opponents at all times. Bowie’s work was the feature”
Another Montreal paper reported: “In George Fairbanks, who played cover, the Vics have a good player and one whose services will be exceedingly valuable when he has had more experience in dealing with senior forwards”
“Rollo, who occupied a wing position, did good work and ought to improve considerably with careful practice. Rollo was a good addition to the Vics’ attacking line”
“Quebec’s defence was fair, Schwartz and Scott doing some good work and some very careless work”
“Frank Stocking had a night off and did not do any good work until near the end of the game”
Final Score: 14-3 Victorias
Rosters
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Scott at point, Schwartz at cover, Gillespie, Marquette, Smith, and Gilmore at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Victorias | Russell | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Marquette | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Russell | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Russell | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Rollo | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Rollo | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Ewing | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Russell | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Marquette | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Ewing | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Ewing | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Gilmour | N/A | N/A |
Game #8: Montreal HC vs Quebec HC, 27 January 1900
Quebec comes out hot in this one, holding a 7-2 lead until about 15 minutes before the end of the match. Montreal HC tied it before the end of regulation, then got the game winner to complete the comeback. Unfortunately, I have not come across a detailed play by play, but we at least have a list of goal-scorers.
A Montreal paper wrote: “Quebec played much the better team game, nearly all of Montreal’s goals being taken by individual rushes by the forwards. All the Quebec forwards, three of whom are newcomers this year, showed up well and so did Cahill until he was disabled. Scott played his usual game, and so did Stocking. Liffiton was Montreal’s star forward, but he inclined to foul work, and Christmas also played well. Bonin was useless at first, but played well later. The goaler stopped dozens of shots and the defence was very strong”
Final Score: 8-7 Montreal HC
Rosters
Montreal: Munro in goal, Smith at point, Boon at cover, Christmas, Bonin, Liffiton, and Brown at forward
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Scott at point, Cahill at cover, Pacaud, Gillespie, Hogan, and Blair at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Quebec | Pacaud | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Gillespie | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Christmas | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Hogan | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Gillespie | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Blair or Pacaud | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Christmas | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Blair | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Gillespie | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Bonin | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Brown | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Christmas | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Christmas | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Liffiton or Christmas | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Christmas or Liffiton | N/A | N/A |
Game #9: Ottawa HC vs Montreal Victorias, 27 January 1900
Duval makes a lift, and Bruce Stuart makes a run. Fairbanks lifts the puck away. Bowie gets the puck, but Pulford is there. Henry takes the puck down the ice. The Vics’ defence does what it can, but after several shots from Ottawa, Hod or Bruce Stuart scores. Ottawa keeps pressing, though McRobie is able to release the pressure via a couple runs. The Ottawa center is described as being “too strong for Russell and Ewing”, as Duval was providing ample support from cover. Fairbanks struggles to match lifts, and Ottawa has a dangerous chance. Bowie goes on a run, but the pass is missed. Stuart goes on a rush, passes to Henry who passes a fallen Fairbanks and scores (one source has H. Stuart scoring). Bowie makes another run, but Duval ends it. Pulford gets the puck out, Henry takes another shot that Powers stops. H. Stuart or Henry eventually scores to give Ottawa a 3-0 lead at the half. Bowie keeps grinding, and eventually scores “after the prettiest run of the night” (another source has Ewing scoring). Bowie scores again quickly after the face. Rogers or H. Stuart or Nolan scores next to give Ottawa an insurance goal. Ottawa scores again after Bruce Stuart blocks a Fairbanks lift. Bowie scores the next one after Duval makes a pass that Pulford doesn’t see and Hutton misses the puck.
A Montreal paper wrote: “... though they found Ottawa’s defence almost impregnable, the Victoria line, particularly Bowie and Ewing, frustrated the visitors’ forward play time after time. Scintillating brilliancy was evidenced only rarely, then Bowie and Ewing, on Victorias’ right wing contributed the welcome variety”
“H. Stuart landed down a hard body into the siding, thirty seconds before the call of time, that incapacitated Rollo, the plucky Victoria right wing”
“Pulford, at point, showed right good hockey and was ably supported by Duval, at cover. Pulford’s bringing out and centring to his line did much to steady the forwards, and might advantageously be adopted by many senior defence players. Duval is a sturdy, sure kind of man, difficult to pass and covering good territory. A tendency to to lift away from his forwards mars his otherwise perfect defence work. Little “Chic’ Henry, with Alf. Smith’s famous stick jumping, reduced to scientific turn, caught on immensely. He is fast, a pretty stick handler and a great little hustler. Rollo held him in good style though. Ewing’s handling of Stuart, the big Ottawa captain, gave Victoria an even break in centre ice. Ewing has seldom been better. Fairbanks is improving with each successive match and will undoubtedly develop into one of the strongest Victoria defence men. McRobie was as reliable as ever. Both Hutton and Powers brough off many stops of the electrifying sort. Hutton, in the Ottawa flags, is certainly a star. Goalkeeper Powers’ one-hand warding off of Rodgers’ fast side puck in the sixth game brought the benches up in a howl”
“The two Stuarts, Henry and Rodgers are the best quartette of shooters in the league”
Another Montreal paper reported: “Ottawa has three strapping men on the forward line in Nolan, Rogers and ‘Hod’ Stewart. They were altogether too much for their opponents as far as weight and strength went”
“Stewart is a particularly heavy man for the forward line, but he skates well and is an excellent shot”
“The Ottawa defence is strong, and a forward who gets in their neighborhood of Duval and Pulford will have to be wary lest something happens. Both play the body to advantage”
Hutton had some stiff shots to look after and did his work well”
“The Victoria defence was far from perfect. Fairbanks did not do anything like his work in the Quebec game. McRobie, however, worked hard, and a couple of shots that went by him savoured of luck”
An Ottawa paper wrote: “Here is what the Montreal Sunday Sun says about Saturday’s game- ‘On the forward line Ottawa also had the advantage. ‘Hod’ Stuart is not only a big man, but exceedingly fast, and a dangerous shooter. This is a combination that is very hard to battle. All the others, except Henry, are heavy, as well as fast men, and little Henry is one of the most indefatigably of ‘followers-up’’”
“[Hod] Stuart had a disposition to wander out of his territory somewhat, but nevertheless played a fine game. Bruce Stuart showed an improvement over his former games, and Rogers behind centre was very strong. Henry played his usual game on the other wing.
Another Ottawa paper reported: “Hod Stuart was by all odds the star of the forward line and he led many a rush”
Final Score: 5-3 Ottawa HC
Rosters
Ottawa: Hutton in goal, Pulford at point, Duval at cover, B. Stuart, Rogers, Henry, and H. Stuart at forward
Victorias: Powers in goal, McRobie at point, Fairbanks at cover, Ewing, Bowie, Russell, and Rollo at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Ottawa | H. or B. Stuart | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | Henry or H. Stuart | Maybe H. Stuart | Possibly Nolan |
| Ottawa | H. Stuart or Henry or Rogers | Maybe H. Stuart | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie or Ewing | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | Rodgers or H. Stuart or Nolan | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | B. Stuart | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
Game #10: Quebec HC vs Montreal Shamrocks, 3 February 1900
Wall scores the first goal via a lift that Stocking misses. Trihey pass the puck to Farrell, who scores. Trihey takes a pass from Scanlan, gets around Cahill, and scores. Trihey gets the next one as well after a nice rush from Scanlan and Brannen, which was initially started by a pass from Wall. Gilmour eludes Wall and Tansey, and his shot beats McKenna. Brannen passes to Trihey for a goal, and Farrell scores shortly afterwards. Wall strays too far from his position, and Gillespie gets a chance, passes to Hogan, who scores. Trihey and Farrell get the last two of the match.
A Montreal paper wrote: “Scott, Cahill, and Gillespie never failed to get home with stick and body whenever opportunity presented itself”
“Captain Trihey’s stick handling is simply superb, while the other three forwards can also be said to have improved a whole lot in stick manipulation. Scanlan has acquired a dangerous puck from the side. Farrell, at the right side is fit now”
“Quebec as a team is lamentably weak. Gillespie and Gilmore are both fair individual players. Scott did well in front of Stocking”
Final Score: 8-2 Shamrocks
Rosters
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Scott at point, Cahill at cover, Gilmore, Gillespie, Hogan, and Schwartz at forward
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Farrell, Trihey, Scanlan, and Brennan at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Shamrocks | Wall | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Farrell | Trihey | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | Scanlan | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Gilmour | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | Brannen | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Farrell | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Hogan | Gillespie | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Farrell | N/A | N/A |
Game #11: Montreal Victorias vs Ottawa HC, 10 February 1900
Powers makes a nice stop against Duval. Hod Stuart gets the first of the game on a “cyclonic sweep”. Bruce Stuart ruins a rush from Russell and Rollow, takes the puck in the other direction and scores. Bruce Stuart knocks over both Ewing and Rollo and scores. Hod Stuart makes some more rushes. Bowie takes the puck out of danger, but Hod Stuart gets it again and scores. Henry makes a nice rush but is unable to score, so Rogers does it for him. Bowie gets the Vics on the board. Bruce Stuart passes to Hod Stuart, who scores. Bruce Stuart scores the next game. Duval scores, then Bruce Stuart, then Henry, and then Bruce Stuart again scores.
A Montreal paper wrote (which was either quoting an Ottawa paper or was quoted by an Ottawa paper): “The change in sending Hod Stuart to the forward line has improved the team immensely. The two Stuarts scored eight out of the eleven goals”
An Ottawa paper reported: “Hutton did not have much to do, but stopped all shots but one that came his way. Pulford played effectively and did not have much trouble in breaking up the rushes of the Vic’s forwards. DUval has seldom played a better game. He plays for the puck rather more than for the man, but he was very fortunate in getting it. All the forwards had the better of their opponents; Bruce Stuart and Harry were too tricky for their covers and when Hod Stuart and Roger got going they frequently passed everything”
“Powers in goal for the visitors made some good stops. McRobbie played almost as an extra goal keeper and did the bulk of the Victoria defence work. Fairbanks at cover point was weak and Bowie was the star of the visitors' forward line”
Another Ottawa paper wrote: “Fairbanks at cover for the Victorias did not play a very brilliant game either as it was no task for the Ottawa forwards to pass him. Bowie and Russell on the Vic’s forward line were the best skaters and stickhandlers the visitors had, and they did a pile of work without adequate support from the rest of the team. Rollo and Eqing were fair, but not aggressive and they made defence the principal point of their play”
“Hod Stuart was never faster in his life and he makes a desperate charge which is hard to withstand. Roger and Henry handled their sticks well and were especially valuable in dodging the Victoria forwards”
“Duval at cover point for the home team filled that position to perfection as he always does, and Pulford and Htton at point and goal respectively constituted the two old reliables on that end of the ice.
“The Stuart brothers were great goal-scorers”
“Bowie and Russell were the stars of the Victoria club”
“Pulford kept the puck well out from Ottawa’s goal”
“Mr. Roger was badly off-color and would require to tone up very much from Saturday’s showing”
Final Score: 11-1 Ottawa HC
Rosters
Victorias: Powers in goal, McRobbie at point, Fairbanks at cover, Russell, Bowie, Ewing, and Rollo at forward
Ottawa: Hutton in goal, Pulford at point, Duval at cover, Henry, Rogers, B. Stuart, and H. Stuart at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Ottawa | H. Stuart | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | B. Stuart | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | B. Stuart | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | H. Stuart | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | Rogers | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | H. Stuart | Bruce Stuart | N/A |
| Ottawa | B. Stuart | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | Duval | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | B. Stuart | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | Henry | N/A | N/A |
| Ottawa | B. Stuart | N/A | N/A |
Game #12: Quebec HC vs Montreal HC, 10 February 1900
The only primary source I have been able to find with any play-by-play detail makes my eyes bleed. Boon scores on a rush. Boon and Smith receive credit for their defense play, but Gillespie scores- Nicholson apparently blew this one, as it should have been an easy save. Christmas scores. McCarron gets the equalizer. Bonin scores, then McCarron answers. Bonin scores again. McCarron scores, then Gillespie scores to give Quebec the lead. Liffiton ties it. Smith makes a couple stops against McCarron. Christmas gets the winner.
Final Score: 6-5 Montreal HC
Rosters
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Chaill at point, Scott at cover, lair at right wing, Gilmour at left wing, Gillespie at centre, and McCarron at rover
Montreal: Nicholson in goal, Smith at point, Boon at cover, Liffiton at right wing, Christmas at left wing, Brown at centre, and Bonin at rover
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Montreal | Boon | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Gillespie | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Christmas | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | McCarron | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Bonin | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | McCarron | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Bonin | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | McCarron | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Gillespie | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Christmas or Liffiton | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Liffiton or Christmas | N/A | N/A |
Game #13: Ottawa HC vs Montreal HC, 17 February 1900
Montreal starts off with the initiative, but Duval comes up big with a couple lifts. Pulford’s physicality is noted, and it appears to have taken a toll on the Montreal forwards. Bruce Stuart and Henry make some rushes, but Nicholson can’t be beat. Smith and Boon are credited with “great defence”. Duval or H. Stuart eventually bobbles the puck, Bonin pounces on it and scores the only goal of the first half. Pulford injures Bonin early in the second half. Ottawa makes a strong push, Duval being noted for his lifts, Bruce Stuart and Henry are praised for rushes. Hutton misses an easy shot from Liffiton. Christmas or Brown scores the final game of the match.
A Montreal paper wrote: “Boon’s playing at cover was a feature of the match. Nicholson, the Montreal goal keeper, was in great form. Christmas and Liffiton were the Montreal forward stars. Pulford, though inclined to rough it, was very effective, well backed by Duval. Henry did not shine with his usual brilliancy. Bonin held him well”
An Ottawa paper reported: “Boone, at cover-point, is a light man, who plays always for the puck, and Saturday night he seldom missed it, although frequently his interceptions were very lucky”
“Captain Stuart, of the Ottawas, was laid up during last week with a badly swelled knee and should hardly have been in the game on Saturday night. Bruce Stuart was not up to his sual mark in dodging and scoring and Roger was hardly as good as usual either. Henry was the only man on the forward line who played his customary game”
“Brown and Liffiton, on the Montreal forward line, are good players, and they required the closest kind of watching”
Final Score: 3-0 Montreal HC
Rosters
Ottawa: Hutton in goal, Pulford at point, Duval at cover, H. Stuart, Henry, Rogers, and B. Stuart at forward
Montreal: Nicholson in goal, Smith at point, Boon at cover, Christmas, Bonin, Brown, and Liffiton at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Montreal | Bonin | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Liffiton | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal | Christmas or Brown | N/A | N/A |
Game #14: Quebec HC vs Ottawa HC, 24 February 1900
Duval and Bruce Smith were unable to play; Ottawa moved Hod Stuart from forward to cover, with Nolan and Sixsmith taking the two open forward spots, “both of whom put up splendid games”. Gillespie scores the first goal of the game, and the only one scored in the first half. Ottawa pressures, but Cahill clears. Stuart, Henry, Sixsmith, and Rogers make several runs, but Cahill or Stocking are always able to get the puck out of danger. Hogan makes a “brilliant” rush and scores. Stuart is all over the ice at this point. Cahill makes a lift that Gilmour or Stanley eventually put past Hutton.
A Montreal paper reported: “The Ottawa defence was a little off colour. Hutton and Henry put up their usual good games and for Quebec Stocking and Cahill shone brilliantly”
An Ottawa paper wrote: “Pulford, Henry and Sixsmith did the best work for the Ottawas. Stocking, Cahill and Scott for Quebec made one of the strongest defenses seen here this season”
Another Ottawa paper reported: “Time and again Hod Stuart, Roger, Sixsmith, and Harvey Pulford would rush the puck down and shoot on the goal, but none seemed to have the range and the majority of the shots were wide. Stocking in goal for the visitors and Cahill at point put up a defence a la Ladysmith”
“As a goalkeeper, Stocking, of the Quebec seven, is simply out of sight”
Final Score: 3-0 Quebec
Rosters
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Cahill at point, Scott at cover, Gillespie, Gilmour, Hogan, and Stanley at forward
Ottawa: Hutton in goal, Pulford at point, H. Stuart at cover, Nolan, Henry, Rogers, and Sixsmith at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Quebec | Gillespie | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Hogan | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Gilmour or Stanley | N/A | N/A |
Game #15: Montreal Victorias vs Montreal HC, 24 February 1900
Russell scores the first of the game. Brown scored to tie the game for Montreal HC, then Christmas gave them the lead. Liffiton scores the insurance marker in the second half. Grant and Bowie were noted for some rushes in the second half, but Boon and Smith were always there to stop them. Nicholson played well.
A Montreal paper wrote: “The fact that Grant was on seemed to brace the rest of the team, and they put forth their best energies to defeat their Montreal rivals”
“... had not Powers been in excellent trim there would have been a larger score to their credit”
“Vallance was the weak man of the forward line. He appeared stale and was gone in a few minutes after he was on the ice. Ewing, Bowie and Russell worked hard, though Russell appeared to do the most effective work of the three”
“Montreal had a change of their team, Smith replacing Bonin, who is still on the sick list. Smith proved an acquisition and did splendid work”
“Boon and Smith played a splendid defence game for the Montreal team, and Nicholson’s work in the poles was excellent. Boone had a special apparatus for his injured wrist and a regular boxing glove covered his hand, giving him quite a pugilistic appearance”
“Grant played a nice easy defence, but his presence put a vim into the work of the other six players, and they hustled every time and all the time”
“McRobie did good work behind Grant, but appeared rather chary of taking chances on a rush until the game was practically lost”
Final Score: 3-1 Montreal HC
Rosters
Victorias: Powers in goal, McRobie at point, Grant at cover, Bowie, Russell, Ewing, and Vallance at forward
Montreal HC: Nicholson in goal, Smith at point, Boon at cover, Liffiton, Christmas, Brown, and Smith at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Victorias | Russell | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Brown | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Christmas | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Liffiton | N/A | N/A |
Game #16: Montreal Shamrocks vs Montreal HC, 27 February 1900
I haven’t come across much information on this game. Rosters, goal scorers, and a bit about the game, but not much in comparison to most of the other games this season.
A Montreal paper reported: “Liffiton’s speed kept Shamrock’s wing guessing, while Brown and Smith waged a persistent warfare against Trihey and Brannen in centre. Montreal’s defence was lucky too. Boone’s breaking up of Trihey’s runs within shooting range saved Montreal many times”
Trihey was the Sharock star, while Montreal’s forwards all did well, with Liffiton and Smith showing slightly in front”
Final Score: 5-3 Shamrocks
Rosters
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Brennan at point, Wall at cover, Farrell, Scanlan, Brannen, and Trihey at forward
Montreal HC: Nicholson in goal, W. Smith at point, Boon at cover, G. Smith, Christmas, Brown, and Liffiton at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Shamrocks | Farrell | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Scanlan | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Brannen | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Brannen | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Boon | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Liffiton | N/A | N/A |
| Montreal HC | Liffiton | N/A | N/A |
Game #17: Montreal Shamrocks vs Montreal Victorias, 1 March 1900
Not a lot here, either. There was apparently a big storm earlier that made travel difficult. I have not tracked down a list of scorers, but I do have that Tansey scored one and Brannen had at least one as well. I don’t have the order these goals were scored in, so I am just listing them as the first two.
A Montreal paper reported: “The Vics tried Adams in the place of Vallance, and the line change strengthened the forward line. Fairbanks played cover again, and these two changes worked to advantage. Bowie and Russell played well, and their work counted considerably in the Victorias score. Ewing and Adams were in good form and worked hard”
“Tansey was in good form last night, and his many rushes were features of the game”
“Brannen, too was down in the scoring list. The other forwards, Trihey, Farrell and Scanlan, played excellently, and all three did their usual effective work”
Final Score: 10-6 Shamrocks
Rosters
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Brennan at cover, Trihey, Brannen, Farrell, and Scanlan at forward
Victorias: Powers in goal, McRobie at point, Fairbanks at cover, Ewing, Russell, Bowie, and Adams at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Shamrocks | Tansey | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Brannen | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | UNK | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | UNK | N/A | N/A |
Game #18: Ottawa HC vs Montreal Shamrocks, 3 March 1900- Game Defaulted
Game #19: Montreal Victorias vs Quebec HC, 4 March 1900
It really looks like the papers have lost momentum as the season progressed- I don’t have much on this one, either. Power was hurt and replaced in goal by Cheese, “who, with McRobie, stopped close to a hundred shots”.
A Montreal paper reported: “The home team was short the services of Scott, but Nolan, who replaced him, put up the star game of the evening. Gillespie was the only Quebec forward who showed up, but he was very selfish, and McCarron who was hurt early in the match, shot well but otherwise did not show up in his usual form. Stocking was off his game”
Final Score: 10-7 Victorias
Rosters
Victorias: Power/Cheese in goal, McRobie at point, Fairbanks at cover, Russell, Adams, T. Davidson, and Bowie at forward
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Cahill at point, Nolan at cover, Gillespie, Gilmour, McCarron, and Hogan at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Victorias | Russell | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | McCarron | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Hogan | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Gillespie | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | T. Davidson | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Gillespie | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Russell | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | T. Davidson | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | McCarron | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | McCarron | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | McCarron | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Adams | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Fairbanks | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
| Victorias | Bowie | N/A | N/A |
Game #20: Montreal Shamrocks vs Quebec HC, 10 March 1900
Trihey gets the first of the match by means of a lift. Quebec has a chance, but McKenna is able to clear. Brannen or Scanlan scores the next goal, but then Stanley scores off a rush. Gillespie of Stanley scores, then Gillespie sends a pass to Gilmour, who scores. Gillespie scores. Tansey knocks out Gilmour via a hard hit. Scanlan or Brannen scores the last goal of the match.
A Montreal paper wrote: “Quebec’s defence was superb, and after tonight’s game it is considered as good as any that could be put on the ice. Scott, at point, was a whole team in himself, and was well backed up by Cahill and Stocking”
Another Montreal paper reported: “The Quebec forwards all put up a dashing, spirited game. The defence was the strong point, and it was wonderful to see Trihey, Farrell, Brannen, Scanlan, Tansey and Wall hurl themselves on the Quebec goals at full speed only to find themselves stopped, or their passes intercepted by the imperturbable Charlie Scott, who is the hero of the hour, especially in view of his approaching departure for South Africa to take the place of one of those on the first contingent who laid down their lives for Queen and country”
“Cahill backed Scott up in splendid style, and so did Stocking, some of whose stops towards the end were sensational”
“Gillespie was as brilliant as ever, and Gilmour put up a very speedy game. Hogan redeemed himself by his wonderful checking and the manner in which he aided the defence, together with some excellent dashes, while Charlie Stanley, a mere tyro, showed himself to be right at home among his speedy opponents, playing with grit, speed and coolness”
“McKenna made grand stops in goal and ably helped out by his defence men, who warded off scores of hot ones. Wall played a steady, hard game, and so did Tansey, though the latter forgot himself more than once”
“Just who played the best game among the Shamrock forwards’ line is hard to say, but Trihey was certainly a star, and so, too, was Scanlaw, while Brannen’s work was excellent”
Final Score: 4-3 Quebec HC
Rosters
Shamrocks: McKenna in goal, Tansey at point, Wall at cover, Trihey, Scanlan, Brannen, and Farrell at forward
Quebec: Stocking in goal, Cahill at point, Scott at cover, Gillespie, Hogan, Stanley, and Gilmour at forward
| Team | Goal Scorer | Assist | Assist |
| Shamrocks | Trihey | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Scanlan or Brennan | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Stanley | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Gillespie or Stanley | N/A | N/A |
| Quebec | Gilmour | Gillespie | N/A |
| Quebec | Gillespie | N/A | N/A |
| Shamrocks | Brannen or Scanlan | N/A | N/A |
Retro All-Star Team
As always, there were some tough calls. Cover was probably the toughest this time around- Hod Stuart only played four games at the position, and definitely (for this season, at least) seemed like he was a better forward than cover. But, he received good marks for his defensive ability while at the position, and while he did have a poor game, I think he was probably still more valuable than the other covers around the league (Boon and Wall being the other two who I considered). I almost decided against Bruce Stuart as well, but his offensive contributions were too hard to ignore. It should be noted that he received criticism for either laziness or lack of condition. Gillespie (Quebec HC) was the guy I almost put at the last forward spot.
Goal: Hutton, Ottawa HC
Point: Pulford, Ottawa HC
Cover: H. Stuart, Ottawa HC
Forward: Bowie, Montreal Victorias
Forward: Farrell, Montreal Shamrocks
Forward: Trihey, Montreal Shamrocks
Forward: B. Stuart, Ottawa HC
Black Gold Extractor
Registered User
- May 4, 2010
- 3,092
- 4,967
Wow, that is a shocking discrepancy for Trihey, who is generally credited with leading the league with 17 goals that season. Even if we take the "either or" situations and say Trihey scored all of them, that's still way short of 17...
In the interest of full disclosure, I don't assume that I have found all the primary source information there is; I've done the best I can within time and family obligation constraints, but I assume (hope) that there is more information out there that I just didn't get to. For example, there were 10 Shamrock goals that I don't have scorers for. Between that and the either/or goals, I don't think it is a stretch to believe that Trihey scored 17 (or more) goals. The big issue for Trihey's legacy here (to me, at least) is that he was outscored by his linemate Arthur Farrell.
BenchBrawl
Registered User
- Jul 26, 2010
- 31,063
- 13,996
Impressive work, @rmartin65
Haven't got around to reading all the posts yet, but I very much appreciate them being available in here for a full survey of that era.
Haven't got around to reading all the posts yet, but I very much appreciate them being available in here for a full survey of that era.
jigglysquishy
Registered User
Black Gold Extractor
Registered User
- May 4, 2010
- 3,092
- 4,967
VanIslander
20 years of All-Time Drafts on HfBoards
I just saw this.
Never received an invite (despite my 18 years of hockey history posts - and clear bias for pre-O6 hockey).
Is it too late to join?
I'd need time to put together a list. But I have heaps of hours this coming Tuesday!
Let me know.
Never received an invite (despite my 18 years of hockey history posts - and clear bias for pre-O6 hockey).
Is it too late to join?
I'd need time to put together a list. But I have heaps of hours this coming Tuesday!
Let me know.
I imagine that would be up to @seventieslord , as he has graciously volunteered to admin this project, and is the one accepting/tallying lists.
I will say that it is odd that you seem surprised; preliminary discussion began in late October in this thread, and you actually did sign up here on 5 November-
The current thread has been open since early November, and has rarely been off the front page of the HoH board. @seventieslord initially set a deadline for early January, but pushed it back an additional 10 days (in other words, until today).
Long story short- this project and its deadlines have not been shrouded in secrecy, nor have there been any sudden or short-term deadlines.
I do sincerely hope that you find the time to assemble a list, as you have indeed been a contributor here for quite some time. Even if you are unable to meet the deadline, I would encourage participation in the discussions, for even if you are unable to vote, perhaps you may sway the opinions of those who can.
seventieslord
Student Of The Game
Dr John Carlson
Registered User
seventieslord
Student Of The Game
Don't sweat it. I'll accept your list beyond today. There's still lots of time as we compile and screen lists.
jigglysquishy
Registered User
I just finished reading Empire of Ice. The Rise and Fall of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, 1911-1926. Great read and some really interesting context into the development of pro hockey in western Canada and the PCHA/NHA rivalry.
A takeaway for me is the huge reverence the author has for Cyclone Taylor, who he views as the clear best PCHA player.
A takeaway for me is the huge reverence the author has for Cyclone Taylor, who he views as the clear best PCHA player.
Maybe @ResilientBeast just has me brainwashed, but I thought this was a standard opinion?
jigglysquishy
Registered User
It is, but I may have underestimated the gap. Author Bowlsby talks of Taylor as in a category of his own, like a Gretzky or Orr instead of a Crosby or Jagr.
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