Top-60 Pre-Merger Players Of All Time: Round 2, Vote 2

[Sturminator]

I think I see an emerging theme of players who may have "saved themselves" for the money games in an era when the starters went almost the whole way and the game was particularly brutal.

Phillips and Foyston end up looking like players of this type, and perhaps Hap Holmes, as well (though as a goalie, it might not have mattered so much).

edit: we should dig into Jack Walker's playoff performances because it wouldn't shock me if he shows up looking like this, as well. I know he was specifically cited as one of the stars of the 1925 Finals, the final Cup won by a western franchise before consolidation.

 

[rmartin65]

"gameness" is early 20th century speak for what we would now call "clutchness," right?

I think it is a mixture of "clutch" and, I don't know, something that denotes hard play. Not necessarily physically dominating, but guys who are involved in all aspects of the play. I'm still working through it, haha, so I welcome any opinions.

absolutely, Tommy isn't here based on his regular season stats for Kenora, where he was basically neck and neck with his center Billy McGimsie for the best scorer on the team. (McGimsie should be a candidate for our list but not for a long time).

I'm working on a quick read through of all Phillips' SC games (looks like 18, so I should have it done by Saturday- hold off on your votes people!), and the Eastern papers really have a low opinion of the teams/leagues Phillips played in before he joined Montreal HC/AAA in 1903, likening it to a intermediate (aka the level below Senior) level hockey. Multiple papers even called his first SC game his first taste of Senior action, and noted some flaws in his play that would get ironed out with more experience.

He gets good marks in his first series for his ability to shut down Scanlan (of the Shamrock teams led by Trihey) in the first SC series, but nothing overly effusive, to offer a bit of a teaser.

he's likely in my top 4-5 this round, but I did need to point out how relatively pedestrian his regular season goal scoring looks for a guy who will in all likelihood end up in our top 10 overall.

Yeah, I'm hoping to get a better read on what made everyone of the time love Phillips so much. He scored, but not at ridiculous rates like Bowie or McGee, to point out his contemporaries, or Routh and McDougall to point out a couple high-scorers that preceded him by a couple years and would still be fresh in people's memories.

The fact that his immediate post-playing career praise largely focuses on his speed and shooting ability is hard for me to reconcile with his good-not-great looking scoring stats, so I'm really hoping to find more praise about his all around game.

I'd postulate that LW was just a really weak position historically, so he stayed on best-of lists for a while, but he was getting called the best player in the world at points, so that argument falls flat.

 

[jigglysquishy]

I get serious Maurice Richard vibes reading about Phillips. Great, but not world beating regular season stats. Playoff warrior with other amazing goal scoring there.

Really fast, big shot. Reputation that far exceeds the paper stats.

Except Phillips is also noted for strong defensive play.

I look forward to reading more on him from the playoff games.

 

[Sturminator]

I get serious Maurice Richard vibes reading about Phillips. Great, but not world beating regular season stats. Playoff warrior with other amazing goal scoring there.

Really fast, big shot. Reputation that far exceeds the paper stats.

Except Phillips is also noted for strong defensive play.

I look forward to reading more on him from the playoff games.

I think comparing him to Rocket is a little rich.

 

[Sturminator]

Continuing our TED talk, I genuinely wonder if Lehman's nickname ("Ol' Eagle Eye") is not ironic.

 

[tarheelhockey]

"gameness" is early 20th century speak for what we would now call "clutchness," right?

I think it is a mixture of "clutch" and, I don't know, something that denotes hard play. Not necessarily physically dominating, but guys who are involved in all aspects of the play. I'm still working through it, haha, so I welcome any opinions.

It survives in the phrase "I'm game", meaning you're willing to engage in something, with a very slight tone of willingness to take a risk. As in, "I'm thinking about taking a cross-country road trip this summer. You game?"

In a sports context, think of guys who dig in and lead by example. It's not necessarily about being a physical player, but there's an element of putting one's neck on the line to get a victory -- Cal Clutterbuck fits, and so does Steve Yzerman. Tim Thomas had a high level of gameness. Doug Gilmour and Rod Brind'amour were off the charts with gameness. Does that make sense?

Importantly, bear in mind that this was still during the era of strong British ideals around athleticism, so we are distinctly not talking about dirty play.

 

[rmartin65]

I'll post this again with the complete Phillips SC game roll-up, but it's too good for me to hold on to until then-

From the Montreal Star, 8 March 1905:

"Of course it was hard to have to watch the greatest left wing to-day in the game, possibly the greatest who has ever been seen in Canada, a master of every art included under the designation hockey, a speedy skater, a stickhandler far above average, a diplomat on ice, for Phillips is not only a player, he is a general. The like of Phillips’ play has not been seen in Ottawa for years, and the crowd cheered him as best a beaten crowd can."

Phillips is still a couple months shy of 22 years old, and he is already being called possibly the greatest LW of all time- that is impressive to me (though there wasn't a ton of high-profile LWs before him, now that I think of it).

EDIT- fixed a couple typos, added a thought at the end.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Just to comment shortly on the 1920's Ottawa players to close that chapter:

I don't suggest they should be ranked anywhere in particular, or over the Silver Seven guys. I have no horse in this race, except that I'm more familiar with the formers.

Eddie Gerard should be considered a strong candidate here. Four straight cups, plus immensely respected and praised by his contemporaries. The actual game reports don't always match the prestige he seemed to enjoy, but his quiet and defensive style probably explains that away. One of the greatest leaders of all-time.

Clint Benedict is hard to get a read on. My impression of him goes anywhere from clutch to inconsistent, at least in the playoffs. He did have several great games when it mattered though.

George Boucher was, in my opinion, the most consistently clutch player on those Ottawa teams. It's clear he wasn't in Gerard's league overall, but he was a real money player. One of the greatest stickhandlers of all-time. If anyone should get boosted for his playoff record among that crew, it's him.

Cy Denneny didn't get praised in as many big games, although he did score 4 goals out of 7 on his team in the 1927 Stanley Cup Finals on the last legs of his career, in an unexpected win for Ottawa, who were considered too old to win another championship.

 

[ResilientBeast]

Continuing our TED talk, I genuinely wonder if Lehman's nickname ("Ol' Eagle Eye") is not ironic.

On the basis of what?

Pivoting away from nick-names

Taking about innovation with regards to Benedict, Lehman was one of the earliest frequent puck handling goaltenders and would help Vancouver break out of the zone (from Nalyd Psycho, 2012)

Puck Handling:
Hugh Lehman was one of the first goalies who handled the puck on a regular basis, prevented dump and chase tactics and benefited the offence with a quick transition game.

Lehman for years has maintained his reputation as the most colorful goalie in the game. His mind works with the speed of an electric battery and his ability to size up a situation quickly and toss a pass to an uncovered colleague is one of his greatest assets in the moil and turmoil of a furious struggle. Many a quick break away of the Maroons has been engineered by Lehman.

Source

The latitude the code allows the goal keeper in the matter of passing out the puck was made evident by Hughie Lehman, the custodian for the coast team. His clearing and passing out proved a revelation to many and certainly added to the spectacle, for many of his moves were smart, as well as calculated and frequently baffled the Canadien forwards, who were boring in on the goal.

Source

 

[Sturminator]

On the basis of what?

Goalies who struggle with long shots often do so because they have trouble tracking them with their eyes.

 

[ResilientBeast]

Goalies who struggle with long shots often do so because they have trouble tracking them with their eyes.

Do you have any evidence that Lehman specifically struggled with long shots, or are you just tossing something out there?

Below is an example of a long shot he saved, but the rebound ultimately was punched in by Darragh

Game 3
Edmonton Bulletin, 03-29-1921

Lehman's long forward passing from the Vancouver goal bothered the easterners as it did in the first of the series.
...
Desireau on the Vancouver right wing was playing pretty well at large, allowing his opponent Denenny to run wild. As a result it was from the left that most of the shots poured in on Lehman. The Ottawa checked splendidly throughout the period. Darragh carrying the puck part the way and shot from the blue line.

Lehman cleared but the speedy runner gathered in the rebound and snapped it in. The time was 8:08 . One of the features of the is period was the offensive rushes or Eddie Gerard.

Another earlier example of Lehman's puck handling from the 1922 Cup Finals. Also given Babe Dye was known for his wicked shot, the commentary that Lehman "had (his) curve's figured out and he heat him time and time again. Strongly suggests to me that his nickname wasn't ironic.

The Toronto Daily Star - 03-18-1922

Great is Lehman

The big surprise of the evening was not so much St Patrick's defeat as it was the appearance of a goalkeeper who out worked the famous little St Pats cage custodian. Public opinion as to the relative strength of the club was about equally divided before the game. But most fans were willing to Admit that John Ross Roach was the best little Jack in the box in pro hocky
....
But to get back to a goalkeepers Johnny Roach put up a sterling performance last night and no one will try and take any of the credit from him but the fact remains that Hugh Lehman, the ex-Berlin veteran proved himself to be one of the greatest goalkeepers that ever donned a pad. Lehman has been in the game a long time and has been for years considered the one of the best three goalkeepers in Canada, but it was figured that if he slipped back the width of a whisper that Roach would out star him.

But Lehman hasn't slipped and last night's performance made them all sit on and take notice. He is the liveliest goalkeeper I have seen in many a moon. He thinks nothing at all of going over into the corner to get the puck and pass it out to his forwards. He was out of his net three or four times last night, and away out at that.
....
But Lehman had Babe's (Dye) curves figured out, and he beat him time and time again

 

[Sturminator]

Do you have any evidence that Lehman specifically struggled with long shots, or are you just tossing something out there?

Yeah, I do.

Specific descriptions of the bad goals he coughed up in the playoffs always depict long shots. I believe he had a bouncing shot beat him late in the PCHA playoff series that Vancouver team lost to Seattle, and I know that Jack Darragh's famous Cup-sealing goal against him in 1921 came on a long shot, as well.

aside: Darragh's goal is where the "possibly apocryphal" part of the Lehman playoff legacy I referenced earlier comes into play. Stories about that goal are fairly colorful, including one that Darragh's toupee had fallen off, distracting Lehman, who then let the puck in and the Senators won the Cup.

I don't go in for looney tunes narratives of hockey, but yeah...Lehman's playoff gaffes were famous at the time, and yes, it seems to have been long shots that were his bugbear.

I've posted all this information on the boards already. It's probably in the Dishing the Dirt thread, but could be elsewhere. Alas...that post is lost to me in the mists of time.

 

[ResilientBeast]

Yeah, I do.

Specific descriptions of the bad goals he coughed up in the playoffs always depict long shots. I believe he had a bouncing shot beat him late in the PCHA playoff series that Vancouver team lost to Seattle, and I know that Jack Darragh's famous Cup-sealing goal against him in 1921 came on a long shot, as well.

aside: Darragh's goal is where the "possibly apocryphal" part of the Lehman playoff legacy I referenced earlier comes into play. Stories about that goal are fairly colorful, including one that Darragh's toupee had fallen off, distracting Lehman, who then let the puck in and the Senators won the Cup.

I don't go in for looney tunes narratives of hockey, but yeah...Lehman's playoff gaffes were famous at the time, and yes, it seems to have been long shots that were his bugbear.

I've posted all this information on the boards already. It's probably in the Dishing the Dirt thread, but could be elsewhere. Alas...that post is lost to me in the mists of time.

I found you work you did at least for 1923 in Chasing the Cup

In the last minutes of play a straight shot from Nighbor went between the Vancouver defense, and headed for the corner of the Vancouver net. Lehman did not see it until it was a few inches from him, but managed to save...

Both teams appeared to have an even break on the play. Lehman had more shots to handle in this period, and the Ottawa players appeared to have recovered their shooting eye, for their marksmanship left nothing to be desired. End second period, no score.

Ottawa Citizen - March 20th, 1923:

Denneny tried a shot from center ice which caught in Lehman's pads. The Vancouver goalie just got clear of his goal line before the rubber dropped...

However this quote you cite in the dishing the dirt thread, implies that the nickname was used earnestly "Lehman was far from the form that won him the sobriquet of "Eagle Eye"

Next, we move forward to game 5 of the same series, in which Boucher stars. From the Vancouver Sun: March 27, 1923:

Ottawa's victory was decisive, convincing and alibi-proof. The Senators skated as fast as their opponents, combined play better, back-checked more closely and shot harder and more accurately. The 5-1 score was perhaps a bigger margin that the play warranted, but there was no doubt in the minds of the 8000 fans present that the better team won.

A long shot by George Boucher from the left boards, away out by the blue line, that Lehman touched with his arm but failed to stop, put Ottawa one to the good seven minutes from the start...

Vancouver failed to show the stuff that beat out Victoria and Seattle for the coast title. Frank Boucher, Harris and xxxxx all played up to their best form, but MacKay was lost in his unaccustomed position at right wing, where he replaced the injured Skinner. Duncan failed to put the finishing touch to his rushes that marked his work last week. Cook was fair, but not as good as he has been at times. Lehman was far from the form that won him the sobriquet of "Eagle Eye". Corbett Denneny made some nice efforts when he got a couple of fairly long spells on the ice.

Frank Boucher was the best of the local forward line. He was back at his old game of hook-checking and stealing, and his back-checking was excellent. More than once he whizzed back on the defense in time to avert goals, and on the attacking end he contributed a number of clever passes and an occasional stinging shot. Harris and Duncan both slammed a number of hot ones at the nets, but with one exception, Benedict handled them all to perfection.

 

[Sturminator]

However this quote you cite in the dishing the dirt thread, implies that the nickname was used earnestly "Lehman was far from the form that won him the sobriquet of "Eagle Eye"

Next, we move forward to game 5 of the same series, in which Boucher stars. From the Vancouver Sun: March 27, 1923:

Ah...there it is. Thank you.

The moniker may have become somewhat ironic later, but it doesn't look like he earned the nickname because of whatever his problem was.

 

[ResilientBeast]

Ah...there it is. Thank you.

The moniker may have become somewhat ironic later, but it doesn't look like he earned the nickname because of whatever his problem was.

The quotes we're citing are also when he was a 36/37 year old man, some natural deterioration of his physical abilities is expected

 

[Sturminator]

The quotes we're citing are also when he was a 36/37 year old man, some natural deterioration of his physical abilities is expected

A goalie, tho.

And wasn't that old man a 1st team all-star in 1923?

 

[ResilientBeast]

Another player receiving the "Cyclone" nick name of the era

The Edmonton Bulletin, February 1, 1923

"More dashing, dazzling, sizzling play, and "Cyclone" Art Gagne came into possession of the rubber behind his own blue line. He was off in a cloud. Zig Zagging his speedy way through the entire Regina team. "

There are other references to him being called that as early as 1921.

Did Frederickson carry the puck up ice a lot? As that was inspiration for Taylor's nick-name and the descriptions of Gagne's play match that I'd expect it to be a common name for those who carried the puck and went through the whole team.

Back on topic...

The Edmonton Bulletin, March 17, 1923​

"Two men, Frank Frederickson of Victoria and Joe Simpson of Edmonton stand out head and shoulders above the other players in the same positions. If they above all star group were peaks of the Himalayas Frederickson and Simpson would be a pair of towering Mt Everests. As a center man the Icelander is the consummation of all that is desired in a player in that position. Briefly he is a two-way sixty minute man of ample weight posessing unrivalled speed and goal getting ability together with a disposition for unselfish team play and a temperament that keeps him on the ice. Beyond the shadow of a doubt his is the king of center icemen today, whose like will not be produced for many seasons to come.

The team

Lehman - G
Simpson - RD
C. Loughlin -LD
Frederickson - C
Gagne - RW
Hay - LW
Keats -Sub C
MacKay - Sub RW
Riley - Sub LW
L. Cook - Sub D

​

A goalie, tho.

And wasn't that old man a 1st team all-star in 1923?

He could've lost a step and still been the best western goaltender. The same paper I cite above when talking about Lehman has the following to say

I assume the "western canada lot" means strictly WCHL goaltenders

More Good Goal Tenders Than Players in Any Other Position

There is a galaxy of capable performers in the job of goaltending and room for great controversy as to who is entitled to the call. Our choice is Hughie Lehman of Vancouver who has earned himself the sobriquet of "Eagle Eye". His work in this city was gilt-edged and finished, and when the concurrent and unvaried opinion of all hockey experts in the course of several seasons concedes Lehman the palm on the coast there is no doubt of his consistency. Hal Winkler of the Eskimos as easily proved himself to be the best of the Western Canada lot. He has been uniformly good, brilliant in spots and has never had a really bad night. Other goaltenders in this league have turned in brilliant games, but sooner or later they have balanced up their records by a worse than mediocre exhibited. There is little to choose among Lehman, Winkler and Fowler of Victoria.

Edit: In case people are looking for a link for primary source research my alma mater has this open source link to prairie newspapers Peel's Prairie Provinces - Sources for Western Canada and Western Canadian History

 

[ResilientBeast]

Here is another reference to his "Eagle Eye" nickname

The Edmonton Bulletin, December 6, 1921​

Penalty Shot

The new penalty shot was tried for the first time in professional and amateur hockey and the oldest hockey fans knew an added thrill when with the score one all, Walker placed the puck in of the little circles just inside the blue line and shot like rifle straight at the narrow space between Lehman and the upright. Only eagle eyes could have saved it from getting by. The penalty was awarded when Duncan tripped Riley close to the Vancouver net.

I'm not 100% sure the dimensions of the playing surface at this time, but that is quite the distance to take a shot from. But the distance was likely chosen for a decent probability of ending up in a goal for the time.

 

[tarheelhockey]

I'm not 100% sure the dimensions of the playing surface at this time, but that is quite the distance to take a shot from. But the distance was likely chosen for a decent probability of ending up in a goal for the time.

My understanding is that the penalty shot dots were set 35 feet from the net. On a modern rink, that’s roughly the top of the faceoff circle.

 

[ResilientBeast]

Not to steal @rmartin65 's thunder on his upcoming Phillips post but here's what the Edmonton Bulletin had to say about the 1908 Challenge against the Wanderers.


The Edmonton Bulletin, December 29, 1908

Why Edmonton Lost

Edmonton lost last night because the Wanderers were in physically better condition and scientifically better combination players. In the first half it looked as if Edmonton had the best of the play, but this was actually not so. Their good showing was mainly due to the fact that the Wanderers were unable to get at the curves of Harry Smith. When they did, in the second half, they had Edmonton at their mercy.

Edmonton's greatest calamity came when Tom Phillips was bowled out. A blow on the foot had broken his ankle and none of the 1000s of spectators at the rink knew it even when he fell against the side 10 minutes before the end, and it was at the time supposed that he had injured his head, although in reality he made the bump because the pain in his foot had made him unable to control his movements. By a great effort he got to his feet again, however and insisted to on continuing.
......
Phillips started off the second half with an ankle that was giving him intense pain and toward the finish of the hour was playing on his courage and was unable to give the exhibition of brilliant forward play that has made him the most talked of player in Canada.

Pitre and Phillips Weak
Both Pitre and Phillips were weak spots on the challenging seven when it came to the test. The wanderers appeared tired towards the end of the first half, but came out for the last half fine and fresh from the very start to the finish of the period they were easy masters of the game.
.....

Weak on the Wings
Weakness on the wings, however appeared to the be the main cause for the collapse of the western team. In the first McNamara received a bad jolt in a collision with Johnson. From then on to half time he was only indifferent. In this first half Phillips was playing brilliant hockey. Conditions were reversed in the second half. Phillips after hs ankle had been injured lost most of his dash and in additon to this tired badly through a lack of condition. When Phillips weakened McNamara came back strong and the ex-Shamrock was the most useful man. Pitre was a disappointment....
.......

Lineup

Hern -G- Lindsay
Ross -P- Patrick
Smail -CP- Pitre
Glass -R- Whitcroft
Smith -C- Vair
Johnson -RW- Phillips
Gardner -LW- McNamara

Boxscore
1. Wanderers - Smith - 7 minutes
2. Edmonton - Whitcroft - 7 minutes
3. Edmonton - Vair - 8 minutes
4. Edmonton - Phillips - 1 minute
5. Wanderers - Smith - 3 minutes

6. Wanderers - Glass - 8 minutes
7. Wanderers - Smith - 12 minutes
8. Wanders - Smith - 4 minutes
9. Wanderers - Smith - 1 minute
10. Wanderers - Glass - 4/1(?) minutes

Edit: As Lester is also eligible the paper on had this to say

Lindsay played steady in goal and Patrick was strong in front of him, though towards the end he sack a lack of condition and was practically a defence man.

 

[jigglysquishy]

I keep flip flopping on Benedict and Lehman. Every time I read through each of their ATD bios I go the other way.

I'll likely include them both in my top 5, but maybe not. Malone and Gerard are tops for me right now, and I look forward to reading more on Phillips. He'll likely join too.

 

[ResilientBeast]

I keep flip flopping on Benedict and Lehman. Every time I read through each of their ATD bios I go the other way.

I'll likely include them both in my top 5, but maybe not. Malone and Gerard are tops for me right now, and I look forward to reading more on Phillips. He'll likely join too.

At this point for me Benedict and Denney are likely going to pay for Nighbor, Cleghorn and Gerard ranking as highly as they do. Boucher to a lesser extent as @BenchBrawl 's work really highlights his contribution in the playoffs.

MacKay is likely going to fall for me to pay for Lehman's lack of cups outside of 1915. The Cully Wilson incident really derailed his career.

Malone, Gerard, Fredrickson are locks for me

Lehman, Phillips are personally the most likely at this moment to make it into the top 5.

 

[rmartin65]

It says 2 things - 1) Phillips was really good; 2) he was willing to sell himself to the highest bidder at a time when the "purists" like Russell Bowie found that distasteful.

In researching Phillips I found a fun little story on Bowie and his hockey purism- in 1907, the Wanderers were playing the Thistles for the Cup. The Thistles won the first one. The Wanderers reached out to Bowie to play the next game or two, and apparently offered him $1000 for the one or two games (source- The Ottawa Journal, 22 January 1907 page 2). He initially accepted, but then backed out at the last moment. The dude must have like being an amateur, because that was a lot of money for not a lot of work. The Montreal Star on the same date (page 10) even wrote the following after Montreal lost game two, and thus the Cup-

"There is no doubt it was a very annoying one [comment- the Bowie incident, as it became known], and it may have had some hearing upon the loss of the cup, for Bowie is as good a forward as they make them".

 

[rmartin65]

Pulling it back to players eligible this round- Si Griffis apparently outplayed Hod Stuart at cover point in the 1907 Montreal Wanderers/Kenora Thistles Stanley Cup games. Small sample size and all that, but since we are already debating Stuart's merits and ability to lead his teams to victory, I figure it was worth posting.

 

[overpass]

I have a hard time placing Moose Johnson. Surprisingly, for a player who played as long as he did, there just don’t seem to be many easy points of comparison.

He was considered to be the greatest defenceman in PCHA history. But none of the other contenders are up for vote now, and there won’t be many coming up soon.

He’s not mentioned on as many all-time lists as some eastern defencemen. But how many hockey players, writers, and fans saw him at his best, when he was playing in New Westminster, Portland, and Victoria? He only came east for one Cup final, in 1916.

He was often the best player on his team out west, but they were pretty average teams for the most part. He shared star billing with Eddie Oatman in 1916, the best PCHA team he played on.

I’ve researched Johnson a bit for the ATD and found a couple of articles. I don’t know if there’s anything to really influence his placement, but I’ll post if for colour if nothing else.

Johnson was known for his pokecheck and his very long reach, thanks in part to his extra long stick. I’ve seen a few numbers in different places but this 1915 article should be pretty accurate in describing his stick and reach.

Oregon Daily Journal - Sunday, January 24, 1915

Moose Johnson - picture - Newspapers.com

His name is "Moose Johnson", this man pictured below, and when he starts down the ice with the puck you can hear 'em sound the call of the north above the crack of the stick and the clank of the steel skate. The Moose is notable in ice hockey for the longest reach of anybody in the Canadian game, which has taken such a hold in Portland. Besides having the longest arm, the Portland defense man handles the longest stick in the game. It is from three to five inches longer than any other man uses. His stick from handle to heel is five feet one inch, and the extent of reach of the entire club is five feet three inches. His arm is 31 inches in length and by standing straight up and reaching out, allowing for the holding of the stick, the tape credits him with 81 inches. In his natural forward position, he can check nine feet of ice. He uses the push check instead of the hook check in the defensive game. The Moose is 5 feet 11 inches in height and weighs 195 pounds. Backing up his abnormal reach, Johnson is one of the cleverest players in the game, as well as one of the most popular. His middle name is nerve.

Looks like I’ve posted this article before in the thread below.

Moose Johnson

I came across a couple of articles from 1915 in the Oregon Daily Journal about Moose Johnson, the great defenseman who played a century ago. We didn't have a lot of information on Johnson when we did the HOH Top Defenseman project, so I found these articles interesting. Thanks to HFBoards...

forums.hfboards.com

Another article from that 2014 thread.

Oregon Daily Journal – February 28, 1915, page 18.
Johnson, the big defense man of the Rosebuds, is without equal as a defense player in professional hockey. He has played on the forward line and starred there; but from his arrival on the coast in 1911, he has been used continuously on the defense. Since coming to the western arena of hockey he has been picked for the All-Star team every season, and this year he has kept up his good work, occupying the calcium in most of the games. Johnson is an exceptionally clean player on the defense, and very seldom comes under the ban of the referee. He takes more bumps and comes up for more oftener than any other man playing hockey. This season he has not suffered very much in comparison with other years. This year he has participated in every game, although he has had the following list of injuries: A broken jaw, two fractured ribs, two stitches in right leg, two in the left ankle and a badly bruised thigh muscle. These little accidents did not stop the stalwart defense man. The fans are so used to seeing the “Moose†star that when he plays an ordinary man’s game they think he is having an off night.

“Mooseâ€, at his worst, is far superior to some defense men in the professional game at their best. The only game in which he did not play last year was caused from a spike from the skates of an opponent which ripped down the front of his shin bone, necessitating 17 stitches to close the gap. He is all grit, and to quit does not exist in his makeup. He specializes in his famous poke check, which breaks up many a combination play. A favorite stunt of his is to get up speed and, when approaching an opponent, slam the puck to the boards and skate around the man and recover it. This is a common trick with hockey players, but the average player plays the puck close. Not so with the “Moose.†He has the distance judged to a nicety, and will often shoot the puck against the fence when he is fully 30 feet away. Instead of following the puck, he will continue his course straight down the ice, receiving the puck as it comes back toward the center of the ice. The “Mooseâ€, when checking a man, usually skates backwards, meanwhile continually poking at the puck, and the chances are that he will capture it.

Here’s another one, from 1949 looking back. This one says his stick was 60 inches, which is probably not as accurate as the 1915 numbers. It adds some more description of his play.

Apparently Moose liked to drink.

Clipping from The Vancouver Sun - Newspapers.com

One of his temperamental stars was Ernie "Moose" Johnson who liked to break training and was seldom an easy fellow to handle especially if it happened he had one over the eight.

(Ed) Savage detailed Charlie Tobin and sober Dick Irvin to ride herd on the Moose and see that he paused at no oases before game time at Vancouver. When the team reached the Castle Hotel, the Moose broke loose but was recaptured by his guards.

They agreed to sleep three in a bed. They'd put Moose in the middle and if Dick slept Charlie would watch and vice versa. They awoke and stared at each other through empty space. The Moose had "slippit awa."

He turned up shortly before game time lit up, Irvin always said, like a cathedral. He insisted on playing and was the star of the night. Only one accident occurred. Moose liked to rush. On one of his raids that night Frank Patrick had dumped him.

On his next trip, Moose reached Patrick and scarcely pulling up, let puck and stick go and belted the league president fairly between the eyes.

Finally, I know you’ve all been wondering, did Johnson prefer to be called Ernie? Or Moose? Apparently either one was fine with him. I can’t find the article now, but there was a Victoria Daily Times article that described how Johnson, after a few drinks, would proclaim to the bar that the two greatest players in the world were Ernie Johnson and Moose Johnson.