Toronto St. Pats

This article is about the National Hockey League team.

For the amateur team that played in the Ontario Hockey Association, please see the Toronto St Patricks.

The Toronto St. Patricks professional team started as an amateur ice hockey organization. In 1919, the club purchased the Toronto National Hockey League (NHL) franchise from the Arena Company and the NHL. The club renamed the franchise the Toronto St. Patricks club and operated the franchise until 1927, when it was sold to a partnership of Conn Smythe and Toronto investors. The club won the Stanley Cup in 1922.

Club history
The St. Pats organization had operated amateur hockey clubs in the Toronto area since the first decade of the 1900s, including the senior amateur Toronto St Patricks team in the Ontario Hockey Association.

The Toronto NHL franchise, since the NHL's founding in 1917, had been operated by the Arena Company, operators of the Arena Gardens arena in Toronto. The franchise and the NHL itself, were involved in litigation with the owner of the Toronto NHA franchise, Eddie Livingstone. While the legal battles were going on, the club had a successful season in 1917-18, winning the Stanley Cup, but the following season saw a steep drop-off and the club did not finish the season.

Before the 1919–20 season, the Arena Company stated that it wished to get out of managing the team. Manager Charlie Querrie, who also managed the Toronto Tecumsehs lacrosse club, at first had the club name changed to Tecumsehs on December 7, 1919. The following day, Querrie reached agreement with the Toronto St Patricks club of amateur ice hockey to purchase the franchise. Frank Heffernan was named as manager. On December 13, 1919, the NHL, under the direction of Frank Calder transferred the Toronto franchise to the Toronto St. Pats group, for the fee of $5,000. The incorporation date of the club was December 22, 1919, and listed Fred Hambly, Percy Hambly, Paul Ciceri and Querrie with 99 shares each, and Richard Greer with 4 shares.

In 1919–20, the franchise basically started over. Although Charlie Querrie returned, player turnover was nearly 100%, partly because the Quebec NHL franchise was activating for this season, and players were being returned to the club, and the poor performance of the previous season, and the turnover in franchise management. The club improved to second and third place finishes in the halves of the schedule.

In 1920–21, the club placed second and first in the schedule halves, enough to make a playoff appearance. Unfortunately, the 'Super Six' of Ottawa would dominate the club 7–0 in a two-game total goals playoff. The experience would be helpful in the following season, however.


 * 1922 Stanley Cup champions

In the 1921–22 season, the St. Pats made their first and only appearance in the Stanley Cup Final. After placing second in the league standings, the club upset first place Ottawa to win the NHL championship and face Vancouver in the final. A fifth and deciding game five was necessary in this series to determine who would win the Cup. After Vancouver won game one, 4–3, Babe Dye scored 4:50 into overtime of game two to give Toronto a 2–1 win. Then in game three, goaltender Hugh Lehman led the Millionaires to a 3–0 shutout win. However, the St. Patricks tied the series in game four, 6–0, as John Ross Roach became the first rookie goaltender to record a Stanley Cup shutout. game five belonged to Toronto as Dye scored 4 goals in a 5–1 victory to clinch the Cup. For the series, Dye scored 9 out of the St. Pats 16 goals, while Roach posted a 1.80 goals-against average.

In the following two seasons, the St. Pats would miss the playoffs with third place finishes. In 1924–25, the club would place second and play off against the Montreal Canadiens. While Hamilton had played first, the club was on strike, making the St. Pats-Canadiens semi-final the de facto final. The Canadiens would win the playoff to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

In 1925–26, the club struggled to a sixth placing, finishing behind the expansion Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Americans. Top scorer Babe Dye struggled and the club finished sixth out of seven teams. The Canadiens had lost their top goalie Georges Vezina and placed last. In 1926–27, the club finished fifth and last in the new Canadian division. Dye was sold to the new Chicago Black Hawks team for cash.


 * 1927 Franchise sale to Smythe

The club was in trouble in 1927, both on the ice and legally. Querrie lost a lawsuit to Livingstone and decided to put the St. Pats up for sale. He gave serious consideration to a $200,000 bid from a Philadelphia group. However, Toronto Varsity Graduates coach Conn Smythe put together an ownership group of his own and made a $160,000 offer for the franchise. With the support of St. Pats shareholder J. P. Bickell, Smythe persuaded Querrie to reject the Philadelphia bid, arguing that civic pride was more important than money.

Seasons
Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes, TG = Playoff series decided on total goals

Prominent players

 * Harry Cameron
 * Babe Dye

Coaches

 * Frank Heffernan
 * Harvey Sproule
 * Frank Carroll
 * George O'Donoghue
 * Charlie Querrie
 * Eddie Powers
 * Mike Rodden