1903 CAHL season

The 1903 Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL) season was the fifth season of the league. Teams played an eight-game schedule. Ottawa and Montreal Victorias tied for the league championship with records of six wins and two losses. Ottawa defeated the Victorias in a two-game playoff to win the season and their first Stanley Cup championship, the first of "Silver Seven" era.

League business

Executive Harry Trihey, Shamrocks (President) P. M. Butler, Ottawa (1st vice-president) A. D. Scott, Quebec ( 2nd vice-president) Fred McRobie, Montreal (Secretary-Treasurer)

It was decided that league champions would not play for the Stanley Cup until after the season. If a challenge was ordered by the Cup trustees, Montreal would default the Cup. A challenge was ordered by the trustees and Montreal eventually agreed to play Winnipeg in January during regular season play.

This season saw the loss of several players to hockey leagues in the U.S., including Charlie Liffiton, Hod Stuart, Bruce Stuart, Eddie Hogan and George McCarron.

Season

Highlights

This season saw several impressive rookies including Frank McGee and Art Moore for Ottawa.

The season would be a two team race between Montreal Victorias and Ottawa, splitting their matches between each other. The season ended in a tie, which necessitated a playoff, won by Ottawa to win their first Stanley Cup. At the other end of the standing, Shamrocks did not win any games.

Final standing

Note GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against Team GP W L T GF GA Ottawa Hockey Club 8 6 2 0 47 26 Montreal Victorias 8 6 2 0 48 33 Montreal Hockey Club 7 4 3 0 34 19 Quebec Hockey Club 7 3 4 0 30 46 Montreal Shamrocks 8 0 8 0 21 56

Results

Month Day Visitor Score Home Score Jan. 3 Victorias 4 Ottawa HC 3 3 Shamrocks 0 Montreal HC 10 10 Ottawa HC 6 Shamrocks 1 10 Victorias 11 Quebec HC 5 17 Montreal HC 1 Ottawa HC 7 17 Quebec HC 5 Shamrocks 3 21 Montreal HC 5 Victorias 2 24 Ottawa HC 6 Quebec HC 8 24 Victorias 12 Shamrocks 7 31† Quebec HC Montreal HC Feb. 4 Shamrocks 2 Ottawa HC 5 7 Montreal HC 9 Quebec HC 3 7 Ottawa HC 7 Victorias 6 11 Victorias 7 Shamrocks 3 14 Quebec HC 3 Ottawa HC 10 14 Montreal HC 6 Shamrocks 1 21 Ottawa HC 3 Montreal HC 1 21 Shamrocks 4 Quebec HC 5 25 Montreal HC 2 Victorias 3 28 Quebec HC 1 Victorias 3

† Postponed and not played.

Player Stats

Scoring leaders Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals scored Name Club GP G Russell Bowie Victorias 7 22 Frank McGee Ottawa HC 6 14 Herb Jordan Quebec HC 7 12 Billy Gilmour Ottawa HC 7 10 Archie Hooper Montreal HC 6 9 Jack Marshall Montreal HC 7 8 Blair Russel Victorias 8 7 Dave Gilmour Ottawa HC 4 7 Suddy Gilmour Ottawa HC 7 7 Harry Bright Shamrocks 8 7

Goaltending averages

Note: GP = Games played, GA = Goals against, SO = Shutouts, GAA = Goals against average Name Club GP GA SO GAA Archie Lockerby Victorias 3 6 2.0 Billy Nicholson Montreal HC 7 19 1 2.7 Bouse Hutton Ottawa HC 8 26 2 3.3 Jim Nichol Victorias 5 27 5.4 Paddy Moran Quebec HC 7 46 6.6 Patrick O'Reilly Shamrocks 8 56 7.0

Playoffs

Ottawa HC and Montreal Victorias played a two-game total-goals series.

Ottawa HC 1 Victorias 1+ March 7, 1903 John "Bouse" Hutton G Archie Lockerby Harvey Pulford, Capt P Billy Strachan Arthur Moore CP George Fairbank Harry Westwick RO Russell Bowie, Capt Frank McGee C Bert Strachan 1 Billy Gilmour RW Charles Allan Suddy Gilmour 1 LW Blair Russell Dave Gilmour C-Sub Referee – Harry Trihey

Victorias 1 Ottawa HC 8+ March 10, 1903 Archie Lockerby G John "Bouse" Hutton Billy Strachan P Harvey Pulford, Capt George Fairbank CP Arthur Moore Bert Strachan RO Frank McGee 3 Russell Bowie, Capt C Dave Gilmour 2 Blair Russell LW Billy Gilmour 1 Charles Allan RW Suddy Gilmour 2Referee – Percy Quinn

Stanley Cup challenges

Winnipeg vs. Montreal Another Montreal HC vs. Winnipeg Victorias best-of-three challenge series was held in early 1903. In game one, defending champion Montreal defeated Winnipeg, 8–1. Game two was the first Stanley Cup challenge match to be replayed. Both teams skated to a 2–2 tie before the game had to be suspended at 27:00 of overtime because of a midnight curfew. It was then decided to discard the result and replay the game two days later. In the rescheduled contest, the Victorias won, 4–2, to even the series. However, Montreal won the decisive game three, 4–1, to retain the Cup.

Date Winning Team Score Losing Team Location January 29, 1903 Montreal HC 8–1 Winnipeg Victorias Montreal Arena January 31, 1903 Suspended at 27:00 of overtime due to curfew and the 2–2 tie was discarded February 2, 1903 Winnipeg Victorias 4–2 Montreal HC February 4, 1903 Montreal HC 4–1 Winnipeg VictoriasMontreal wins best-of-three series 2 games to 1

Winnipeg Victorias 1 Montreal HC 8+ Jan 29, 1903Fred Olsen G Billy Nicholson Rod Flett P Billy Bellingham Magnus Flett CP Dickie Boon, Capt. Billy Kean RO Archie Hooper 4Fred Cadham, Capt. 1 C Jack Marshall 3Tony Gingras 1 RW Jimmy Gardner Fred Scanlon LW Tommy Phillips Referee – Percy Quinn Spare - Winnipeg Victorias - Dan Bain - C Spares - Montreal - Cecil Blachford - RW, Tom Hodge - D, Charles Liffton - RW, George Smith - RW

Winnipeg Victorias 2 Montreal HC 2+ Jan 31, 1903 stopped at 27 minutes overtime due to Sabboth Law Fred Olsen G Billy Nicholson Rod Flett P Tom Hodge Magnus Flett CP Dickie Boon, Capt. Billy Kean RO Archie Hooper 1 Fred Cadham, Capt. 1 C Jack Marshall Tony Gingras 1 RW Cecil Blachford Fred Scanlon LW Tommy Phillips 1Referee – Percy Quinn Spare - Winnipeg Victorias - Dan Bain - C Spares - Montreal - Billy Bellingham - D, Jimmy Gardner - RW, Charles Liffton - RW, George Smith - RW

Winnipeg Victorias 4 Montreal HC 2+ Feb 2, 1903 Fred Olsen G Billy Nicholson Rod Flett P Tom Hodge Magnus Flett CP Dickie Boon, Capt. Billy Kean 3 RO Archie Hooper Fred Cadham, Capt. C Jack Marshall 2 Tony Gingras 1 RW Cecil Blachford Fred Scanlon LW Tommy Phillips Referee – Percy Quinn Spare - Winnipeg Victorias - Dan Bain - C Spares - Montreal - Billy Bellingham - D, Jimmy Gardner - RW, Charles Liffton - RW, George Smith - RW

Winnipeg Victorias 1 Montreal HC 4+ Feb 4, 1903 Fred Olsen G Billy Nicholson Rod Flett P Billy Bellingham Magnus Flett CP Dickie Boon, Capt. Billy Kean 1 RO Archie Hooper Fred Cadham, Capt. C Jack Marshall 2 Tony Gingras RW George Smith Fred Scanlon LW Tommy Phillips 2Referee – Percy Quinn Spare - Winnipeg Victorias - Dan Bain - C Spares - Montreal - Cecil Blachford - D, Jimmy Gardner - RW, Tom Hodge - D, Charles Liffton - RW,

Rat Portage vs. Ottawa HC

Ottawa defeated the Rat Portage Thistles 6–2, 4–2 (10–4) in a two-game, total goals series in Ottawa, March 12–14, 1903.

As the new CAHL and Cup champions, the Ottawas accepted a challenge from the Rat Portage Thistles of the Manitoba & Northwestern Hockey Association (MNWHA). Entering the best-of-three challenge series, the Thistles were younger and quicker than Ottawa; only one player on the Thistles was over the age of 20. Any chance that those factors could have helped the team was negated by soft ice conditions. Ottawa swept the series with scores of 6–2 and 4–2.

Date Winning Team Score Losing Team Location March 12, 1903 Ottawa HC 6–2 Rat Portage Thistles Dey's Arena March 14, 1903 Ottawa HC 4–2 Rat Portage ThistlesOttawa HC wins best-of-three series two games to none

Rat Portage 2 Ottawa HC 6+ March 12, 1903 Fred Dulmage G John "Bouse" Hutton Mat Brown P Harvey Pulford, Capt Tom Hooper, Capt CP Arthur Moore Si Griffis RO Dave Gilmour 1Billy McGimsie 2 C Frank McGee 2 Bill Martin LW Billy Gilmour 3 Roxy Beaudro RW Suddy Gilmour Referee- Harry Trihey

Rat Portage 2 Ottawa HC 4+ March 14, 1903 Fred Dulmage G John "Bouse" Hutton Mat Brown P Harvey Pulford, Capt Tom Hooper, Capt CP Dave Gilmour 1 Si Griffis RO Frank McGee 2 Billy McGimsie 1 C Percy Sims 1 Bill Martin RW Billy Gilmour Roxy Beaudro 1 LW Suddy Gilmour Referee- Chauncy Kirby

For their win, the Ottawa players would each receive a silver nugget. From that point on the team would also be known as the Silver Seven.

Stanley Cup engravings

+ 1903 Montreal Hockey Club Players Forwards Cecil Blachford (right wing) Jimmy Gardner (left-right wing) Charlie Liffiton (right wing) Tommy Phillips (left wing) George Smith (right wing) Jack Marshall (center) Archie Hooper (rover) Defencemen Billy Bellingham (point) Dickie Boon (cover point-captain) Tom Hodge (point-cover point) Goaltender Billy Nicholson

non-players= Charles G. Chitty (President), Clarence McKerrow (manager), Desse Browne (coach) Harry C. Dewitt (Hon. Secretary/Treasurer), Frank Bickerdike (director) George A. James (director), Paul Lefebvre (trainer)

+ 1903 Ottawa Hockey Club Players Forwards Hamilton Billy Gilmour (right wing) Sutherland Suddy Gilmour (left wing) Harry Westwick (also played rover) Percy Sims (center) Frank McGee (center-rover) Dave Gilmour(rover-cover point) Defencemen Harvey Pulford (point-Captain) Arthur Fraser (point-cover point) Arthur Moore (cover point) Frank Wood (point-cover point) Charles Spittal Goaltender John "Bouse" Hutton

non-players= Percy M. Butler (President), Robert T. "Bob" Shillington (Manager) Alf Smith (Coach), Archie P. Mutchmor (Treasurer)† Martin Rosenthal (Secretary), Halder Kirby (Club Doctor), Llewellyn Bates (Vice President) W.H. Hutton†, Chauncy Kirby, Jack Smith, Charles Sparks (Directors) Mac McGilton (Ass't Trainer), Pete Green (Trainer) Alf Smith did not play for Ottawa in 1903. However he was playing-coach for Ottawa Silver Sevens next 3 Stanley Cup winning seasons

† one executive first name remain unknown

References Notes

Bibliography

See also List of Stanley Cup champions