Some Ernie Russell quotes/commentary (first 4 years of his career):
1905-
“Russell did excellent service on the Montreal forward line”
“The Montreal forward line showed improvement since the opening game against National, and the busiest worker of the lot was Russell, who was always after the puck"
“He made some great plays that [Ernie] Russell, for a comparatively new man"
“[Ernie] Russell kept flying about with amazing rapidity. He was here, there and everywhere, and once or twice he made most unmerciful swipes at pursuers”
“The Montreal defence was fine, Russell and Johnson, of the Montreal forward line, played a good game"
"On the forward line all worked hard, especially Johnston, Coulson, and Russell.
"Montreal gave a nice exhibition of clean, fast hockey, Russell and Sargent in particular showing up well"
1906-
“Russell was all around the best forward. His play was cool and heady and that he was effective may be seen in the fact that he came next to Johnson in the scoring line with four goals"
“Ernie Russell at centre played the all around good game, using his head in fine style and keeping free from any dirty work”
“Russell had up till then played a fast clean game and his loss was a severe one for the Wanderers"
“The Wanderers were a disappointment. Ernie Russell was missing from the centre position and his loss was apparent in the lack of cohesion in the forwards’ play”
“Ernie Russell was out again and did some very good work”
“Russell was back in his old place at centre, for the first time since he was injured in the game in Ottawa, and was easily the pick of the Wanderer forward line”
“Lester Patrick and Ernie Russell were the pick of the forwards, though when they wanted to play Pud Glass and Ernie Johnson pranced into the limelight"
“Russell and Johnston played steadily and effectively, but each moved away from his wing”
“He [Russell] had been a thorn in the Ottawa’s side for hours. He had done some of the most magnificent work in the way of shooting ever seen at a hockey match here, and they had been unable to effectually stop his shots, so there was nothing to do but to ‘put him out of business’, and Moore took it upon himself to do so. He has gained high honors as an executioner, and he did his work very well this time”
“Russell, as a rule, was waiting on the side for the puck to come his way, and shoot with admirable position almost from the very spot where it reached his stick, while Glass would walk in with it pretty well”
“Russell, that dangerous little wing…”
“Certainly Johnson and Russell moved all over the shop in that game, just as they did in previous ones, and their wanderings and failing had a considerable effect in the rising score of Ottawa”
“Russell’s strong point is that he is a dangerous shot, Johnson that he is fast and a hard worker”
"For Wanderer, Menard and Patrick were the king pins. The former staved off defeat by his marvellous stops, while Patrick was responsible for the goals scored for his team. Ernie Russell was good in his checking and following up, but rarely got away on a rush”
1907-
"Russell was speedy and seemed to be working along, but his play was then not as good as usual"
“On the other side, Blair Russell had the best of his namesake" [Blair Russell was matched up on Ernie Russell, and it sounds like Blair got the better of the contest]
“Russell performed well in the centre, and inasmuch as he captured five of the Wanderer goals, his scoring ability was no small factor in his team’s victory"
“Blachford and Johnson kept the centre supplied all through the game, and Russell and Glass were always in their place to take the expected pass"
“Blatchford played a stronger game than he has played for some time, and the two ‘Ernies’, Russell and Johnson, also did some good steady work”
"The best shot of the bunch and one of the prettiest stick handlers in the game is Ernie Russell. He was at all times very dangerous and was watched pretty closely, but scored about half of the goals for his team"
"Glass, Johnston and Blachford followed back effectively, but Russell loafed”
“Without desiring to say a word in disparagement of Ernie Russell, it is highly probably that the poor exhibition he gave last winter in Ottawa, March 17 was the day that had something to do in Saturday’s results. In the final of the famous series, Russell was a fifth wheel and his services were of little value. On Saturday Ernie Russell played a game that Bowie could well be proud of. Russell took a leaf out of Bowie’s book and jumped for the proper spot near the goal, with the result that six of the tallies are credited to him alone. Not only did Russell loom large on the score sheet, but he earned his goals, and a brace of the were taken after dashing, dodging runs.”
“The Wanderer forwards were steady and useful throughout; Russell sometimes rose to brilliancy, but on the whole their forte was steadiness rather than showiness. The pick of the line was Johnson, this despite the array of goals credited to Russell"
“Russell was at his best as a scorer and six of the Wanderers’ ten are notched up to his credit. His game was useful at all times; he did not mix it up like Blachford and Johnson on the wing, but he hovered around the Ottawa poles in a way that proved deadly to the Senators and Harry Smith had nothing on him tonight for ability to get rid of the disc speedily and accurately. In addition his falling back and checking in centre ice proved useful to the defence"
Originally posted in an ATD thread, so there are redactions: "The story of Russell's desertion was told and retold and garnished with much detail of circumstance. It was said that Russell had been left off the team to meet Ottawa tonight, and that UNDRAFTED (who I don't think as ever actually been selected in the ATD [I believe Cecil Blachford was the name mentioned]) had been selected to play on the wing. The reason for this move was that it was considered that Ernie Russell had failed to hold down Smith in the now famous match in Ottawa. Alf. Smith will play on the wing tonight, so UNDRAFTED [again, Blachford] was selected for the position because of his general ability, and also for the reason that he is a stiff check and more likely to break a lance with the sturdy Smith boy."
"When Russell found that he was not on the team, so it is said, he gathered up his belongings in the Wanderer room at the Arena, and removed them"
1908-
"Ernie Russell, the scoring man of the team, seemed to have an attack of stage fright and he kept well away from the Ottawa defence"
"Ernie Russell, the famous footballer, who caused all the trouble in the Interprovincial Football Union, was up against a situation he could not master. Russell was never prominent, loafing and laying back throughout. The tell-tale aggressiveness which characterized his work on the occasion of his last appearance here was missing, he could not carry the rubber and his shooting was erratic"
"Bowie and Hale as a pair were better than Ernie Russell and Glass. But Glass was steady and played consistently from end to end, while his partner was uncertain”
“The improvement in the work of Russell was the most noticeable feature to the play of the Wanderer forwards. Russell did not earn a place on the score sheet, but he played good hockey all the way, carrying the puck successfully and working close in with Stuart in Wanderer attacks"
“Russell played a lively game, endeavoring, no doubt, to overcome the growing suspicion that he is a dead one”
“On the wings, Blachford and Johnson were better than Hogan and McDonald, but in the centre, Jordan and C. Power had something on Russell and Glass”
“Jovial critics in the 50 cent seats kept asking Russell if he quit at Ottawa. That’s the kind of talk that gets on a player’s nerves”
"Russell made good too at centre, especially in the first part of the second half, when he scored four goals for Wanderers. He worked hard, and in the first half he would have had goals to his credit but for his sensational work by Robinson"
He was named to the 2nd team in a couple of all-star teams made by some fans during the halftime of a game. Marty Walsh was the first team center.
"Russell was in his best form, went in fearlessly on the Quebec nets, and took a lot of heavy checking"
"Russell’s chief claim to notice was his ability to get in with the Quebec defence”
"Ernie Russell played a game that was easily better than anything he had shown this season. He showed himself to be plucky in getting to the trouble centre and his work in getting after the puck in scuffles about the Quebec goal proved exceedingly useful for his side”
“The cup-holders had a changed line up on Saturday and that it worked out well is shown by the result. Ernie Russell, whom the M.A.A.A. expelled for joining Wanderers after promising to play with Montreal, was dropped, and Bruce Stuart, the Ottawa boy and brother of the late Hod Stuart, went on and played a star game. It must have been a very sore touch for Russell after playing all season to be dropped in the deciding game”
“The result [Russell not playing] probably justifies the club’s decision, although Russell has played such good hockey in recent games that many figured out he would be more useful to the team, on account of his scoring ability, than Glass. But Glass, although off color for a while in the first half, was a big source of strength to the champions in the second; his checking was very effective and he kept in the play all the time, although never starring. He watched Walsh, a tricky scorer, so carefully that the Ottawa centre never figured on the score sheet. Glass fairly hung to him whenever Wanderer nets were in danger”
“Wanderers’ officials explained that Russell was dropped for Stuart because of the latter’s ability to bore in on a defence. It was figured that Russell would have too much trouble getting by Taylor”
"Russell was crafty and dangerous around the nets, getting three out of his side’s six goals, but after the first quarter had little success in carrying the rubber. He was checked very hard every time he moved"
“Russell’s anxiety to prove his value was noticeable, and he did not let the smallest opportunity escape him, although the vigilance of Nicholson, Pitre and Laviolette made it difficult for him to use them to the best advantage”
Originally posted in an ATD thread, so there are some redactions: "Russell scored Wanderers one goal in the first half, but his weakness in carrying on the slow surface and indifferent checking made the change, which brought out UNDRAFTED [I don't have the quote in front of me, but I believe Bruce Stuart], work to Wanderers advantage. UNDRAFTED [again, I think it is Bruce Stuart] did not star, but he did a lot of useful work, as well as scoring twice"
Closing Thoughts
I'm glad I took the time to go back through the seasons with a focus on Russell, because there is more praise for his overall game than I had remembered, especially early in his career. It is probably more fair to say that Russell was inconsistent as an overall player as opposed to saying that he was an offense only guy.
Still, though- being benched in a couple high-profile games despite being the top scorer on the team (and his teams were successful with him not on the ice) doesn't sit well for me. In re-reading the games, he was clearly (IMO) not the top guy for his teams, not in the same way most of these other guys were for theirs.
