The 1902–03 Ottawa Hockey Club season was the club's 18th season of play. The club would win the CAHL championship in a playoff with the Montreal Victorias to win the Club's first Stanley Cup. For their win, the players would each be given a silver nugget. From that day forward, the club was nicknamed the Silver Seven.
Off-season Defenceman and former captain Peg Duval left the team to sign with the Pittsburgh Victorias as a professional in the Western Pennsylvania Hockey League.
Regular season
Highlights
This season was the first season for Frank McGee and Art Moore. McGee would place second in the league scoring race with 14 goals in six games.
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 two-game playoff, won by Ottawa to win their first Stanley Cup.
Final standing
Team Games Played Wins Losses Ties Goals For Goals Against Ottawa Hockey Club Montreal Victorias Montreal Hockey Club Quebec Hockey Club Montreal Shamrocks
Schedule and results Month Day Visitor Score Home Score Jan. 3 Victorias 4 Ottawa 3 10 Ottawa 6 Shamrocks 1 17 Montreal 1 Ottawa 7 24 Ottawa 6 Quebec 8 Feb. 4 Shamrocks 2 Ottawa 5 7 Ottawa 9 Victorias 3 14 Quebec 6 Ottawa 1 21 Ottawa 4 Montreal 5
Goaltending averages Name Club GP GA SO Avg.Hutton, John BouseOttawa 8 30 0 3.80
Scoring Leaders Name GP GMcGee, Frank 6 14Gilmour, Billy 7 10Gilmour, Dave 4 7Gilmour, Suddy 7 7
Playoffs
Ottawa and Victorias played a two-game total-goals series.
Game one + March 7 Ottawa 1 at Victorias 1John Hutton G Archie Lockerby Harvey Pulford P Billy Strachan Arthur Moore CP George Fairbank Harry Westwick R Russell Bowie Frank McGee C Bert Strachan 1 Billy Gilmour RW Charles Allan Suddy Gilmour 1 LW Blair Russell Dave Gilmour C-Sub Referee – Harry Trihey
Game two + March 10 Victorias 0 at Ottawa 8Archie Lockerby G John Hutton Billy Strachan P Harvey Pulford George Fairbank CP Arthur Moore Bert Strachan C Frank McGee 3 Russell Bowie R Dave Gilmour 2 Blair Russell LW Billy Gilmour 1 Charles Allan RW Suddy Gilmour 2 Referee – Percy QuinnSource: Ottawa CitizenThe game was played at Dey's Arena on ice that was covered in water.
Stanley Cup challenges
Rat Portage vs. Ottawa
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 LocationMarch 12, 1903Ottawa 6–2Rat Portage ThistlesDey's ArenaMarch 14, 1903Ottawa 4–2Rat Portage ThistlesOttawa wins best-of-three series 2 games to 0
Game one + March 12 Rat Portage 2 at Ottawa 6Fred Dulmage G John Hutton Mat Brown P Harvey Pulford Tom Hooper CP Arthur Moore Si Griffis R Dave Gilmour 1 Billy McGimsie 2 C Frank McGee 2 Bill Martin LW Billy Gilmour 3 Roxy Beaudro RW Suddy Gilmour Referee- Harry Trihey Source: Ottawa CitizenAll of the goals were scored in the first half. Fred Westwick did not play due to his wife's illness.
+ March 14 Rat Portage 2 at Ottawa 4Fred Dulmage G John Hutton Mat Brown P Harvey Pulford Tom Hooper CP Dave Gilmour 1 Si Griffis R Frank McGee 2 Billy McGimsie 1 C Percy Sims 1 Bill Martin RW Billy Gilmour Roxy Beaudro 1 LW Suddy Gilmour Referee- Chauncy Kirby Source: Ottawa Citizen
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.
Ottawa Hockey Club March 1903 Stanley Cup champions
See also 1903 CAHL season List of Stanley Cup champions
References