
1905-06 Stanley Cup champion Montreal Wanderers
The inaugural 1906 Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA) season lasted from January 3 until March 10. Teams played a ten game schedule. Ottawa HC and Montreal Wanderers would tie for the league championship with a record of 9–1, while the Montreal Shamrocks would not win a single game. The Senators and the Wanderers would play a two-game play-off to win the league championship, and the Stanley Cup holder. The Wanderers won the play-off 9–1,3–9 (12–10) on goals.
League Business[]
Executive[]
Initial:
- Howard Wilson, Montreal (President)
- G. P. Murphy, Ottawa (1st Vice-President)
- Dr. Cameron (2nd Vice-President)
- James Strachan, Wanderers (Secretary-Treasurer)
After December 20:
- Howard Wilson, Montreal (President)
- William Northey, Montreal Arena Corp. (Secretary-Treasurer)
Rule Changes[]
- Teams must appoint game timers for each game,
- a two referee system was adopted,
- new Arena Trophy would be awarded to the regular season winner,
- three-quarters vote would be needed to admit new teams,
- if a team resigns, all of its played games would be considered cancelled,
- $25 fine for delay of start of game, and
- $50 charge to make a protest, non-refundable.
Regular Season[]
The Ottawas played two Cup challenges during the regular season, defeating Queen's College of Kingston, the OHA champion, and defeating Smiths Falls, the FAHL champion.

Highlights[]
This season saw lots of new players. Wanderers brought in Lester Patrick, Ernie Johnson and Ernie Russell; Ottawa brought in Harry and Tommy Smith; and Joe Hall joined Quebec.
Fred Brophy, of Montreal HC, repeated his goal-scoring performance from the goaltender position in a game against Montreal Victorias on March 7.
Again, the league was high scoring, with Harry Smith scoring 31 goals in 8 games, Russell Bowie scoring 30 goals in 9 games, and Frank McGee scoring 28 goals in 7 games. Mr. Smith scored 6 in one game, 5 in another, topped by 8 against the Shamrocks on February 17. Mr. McGee would equal the 8 goals in a game feat against Montreal HC on March 3. Seven players scored at least 5 goals in a single game.
Final Standing[]
Playoff qualifiers in bold.
Team | Games Played | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals For | Goals Against |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ottawa Hockey Club | ||||||
Montreal Wanderers | ||||||
Montreal Victorias | ||||||
Quebec Hockey Club | ||||||
Montreal Hockey Club | ||||||
Montreal Shamrocks |
Results[]
Month | Day | Visitor | Score | Home | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jan. | 3 | Montreal | 9 | Shamrocks | 3 |
6 | Quebec | 3 | Ottawa | 6 | |
6 | Wanderers | 11 | Victorias | 5 | |
10 | Victorias | 9 | Shamrocks | 7 | |
13 | Quebec | 10 | Victorias | 11 (overtime) | |
13 | Wanderers | 4 | Ottawa | 8 | |
17 | Shamrocks | 2 | Wanderers | 3 (overtime) | |
20 | Wanderers | 6 | Quebec | 5 | |
20 | Ottawa | 4 | Montreal | 1 | |
24 | Victorias | 11 | Shamrocks | 2 | |
27 | Quebec | 3 | Shamrocks | 1 | |
27 | Victorias | 6 | Ottawa | 11 | |
31 | Wanderers | 6 | Montreal | 2 | |
Feb. | 3 | Victorias | 6 | Quebec | 2 |
3 | Ottawa | 3 | Wanderers | 5 | |
7 | Montreal | 4 | Shamrocks | 1 | |
10 | Shamrocks | 8 | Quebec | 14 | |
10 | Ottawa | 10 | Victorias | 4 | |
14 | Wanderers | 6 | Montreal | 2 | |
17 | Shamrocks | 2 | Ottawa | 13 | |
17 | Quebec | 7 | Montreal | 6 15'20" overtime | |
21 | Wanderers | 9 | Victorias | 4 | |
24 | Ottawa | 9 | Shamrocks | 3 | |
24 | Montreal | 5 | Quebec | 2 | |
28 | Victorias | 6 | Montreal | 5 | |
Mar. | 3 | Montreal | 9 | Ottawa | 14 |
3 | Quebec | 6 | Wanderers | 9 | |
7 | Montreal | 6 | Victorias | 14 | |
10 | Ottawa | 12 | Quebec | 5 | |
10 | Wanderers | 15 | Shamrocks | 1 |
Goalkeeper Averages[]
Name | Club | GP | GA | SO | Avg. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Menard, Henri | Wanderers | 10 | 38 | 3.8 | |
Hague, Billy | Ottawa | 10 | 42 | 4.2 | |
Brophy, Fred | Montreal | 10 | 63 | 6.3 | |
Frye, Nathan | Victorias | 8 | 52 | 6.5 | |
Moran, Paddy | Quebec | 10 | 70 | 7.0 | |
Kenny | Shamrocks | 8 | 64 | 8.0 | |
Waugh, Oswald | Victorias | 2 | 21 | 10.5 | |
Brennan, Jack | Shamrocks | 2 | 26 | 13.0 |
Leading scorers[]
Name | Club | GP | G |
---|---|---|---|
Smith, Harry | Ottawa | 8 | 31 |
Bowie, Russell | Victorias | 9 | 30 |
McGee, Frank | Ottawa | 7 | 28 |
Power, Joe | Quebec | 10 | 21 |
Russell, Ernie | Wanderers | 6 | 21 |
Smaill, Walter | Montreal | 10 | 17 |
Patrick, Lester | Wanderers | 9 | 17 |
Jordan, Herb | Quebec | 8 | 16 |
Smith, Alf | Ottawa | 10 | 13 |
Johnson, Ernie | Montreal | 10 | 12 |
Playoffs[]
Stanley Cup Challenges[]
The Ottawas played two Cup challenges during the regular season, defeating Queen's College of Kingston, the OHA champion, and defeating Smiths Falls, the FAHL champion.
Queen's vs. Ottawa[]
Date | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
February 27, 1906 | Ottawa | 16–7 | Queen's University | Dey's Arena |
February 28, 1906 | Ottawa | 12–7 | Queen's University | |
Ottawa wins best-of-three series 2 games to 0 |
Smiths Falls vs. Ottawa[]
Date | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
March 6, 1906 | Ottawa | 6–5 | Smiths Falls | Dey's Arena |
March 8, 1906 | Ottawa | 8–2 | Smiths Falls | |
Ottawa wins best-of-three series 2 games to 0 |
ECAHA Playoff[]
As the season produced a tie for the season championship, the defending champion Ottawas and Wanderers played a two-game playoff, with the winner being awarded the Stanley Cup. The series took place on March 14 in Montreal and March 17 in Ottawa. The Wanderers would win the series 9–1, 3–9 (12–10) in dramatic fashion..
- Game one
Ottawa was installed as 2–1 betting favourites, but the Wanderers upset the bookies. In the first game in Montreal, the Wanderers dominated Ottawa, as Ernie Russell got four goals, Frank Glass got three and Moose Johnson would get two for a 9–1 victory.
- Game two
After the first game, the Ottawas would replace their goalie Billy Hague with the Smiths Falls goalie Percy LeSueur in to play his first game for the club. Despite being down by eight goals, interest in Ottawa for the return match was high. Rush seats on sale the day of the game produced a throng that caused the ticket seller's glass to break. The venue, Dey's Arena, was modified to hold more spectators, including setting up temporary bleachers, removing the grandstand which had been used as a press box, and the installation of a press box attached to the rafters. Over 5,400 would attend the game and the top $2 tickets were being sold for $10. Betting interest was high, including one $12,000 bet.
After twelve minutes, the first goal was scored by the Wanderers' Moose Johnson to increase the goal lead to nine. Ottawa's Frank McGee, Harry Smith, and McGee again scored before half-time, cutting the deficit to 10–4. Harry Smith would score to open the second half, followed by Rat Westwick. Then Westwick scored again to make it 10-7 before Harry Smith scored three straight goals to make the score 9–1, evening the series with ten minutes to play to tie the series, causing a five-minute standing ovation. With seven minutes to play Smith was sent off for the rest of the game and Lester Patrick would score with ninety seconds to play to put the Wanderers back in the lead. Patrick would ice the game with a goal with a few seconds to play. The Silver Seven reign was over.
The Toronto Globe called it the "greatest game of hockey ever played on Canadian ice, or any other." The Sporting News would later dub it the "Greatest Hockey Game in History." Moose Johnson would end up with the Governor-General's top hat. It had been knocked of the Earl Grey's head, and a fan had snatched it up, giving it to Johnson later in the dressing room.
Date | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
March 14, 1906 | Montreal Wanderers | 9–1 | Ottawa | Montreal Arena |
March 17, 1906 | Ottawa | 9–3 | Montreal Wanderers | Dey's Arena |
Montreal wins total goals series 12 goals to 10 |
Because of the need for the play-off, no challenges were made against western teams until the following winter. Ottawa had won Stanley Cup challenges that season, which meant that the 1906 season would have two Stanley Cup holders: Ottawa until March, and Montreal Wanderers for the balance of the year.
Ottawa Hockey Club January 1906 Stanley Cup champions[]
Roster
- Centers
- Tommy Smith(center)
- Frank McGee(rover)
- Wingers
- Hamilton Billy Gilmour
- Harry Smith
- Harry Westwick(also played Rover)
- Jack Ebbs
- Coo Dion
- Alf Smith(playing-Coach)
- Defensemen
- Harvey Pulford(point-Captain),
- Arthur Moore(coverpoint),
- Rod Kennedy(coverpoint)
- Goaltenders
- Non-players
- G.P. Murphy(President), Robert T. "Bob" Shillington(Manager)
- Patrick Basketville(Treasurer), Thomas D'Arcy McGee(Secretary)
- Halder Kirby(Club Doctor), David Barred(Team Denist)
- Llewellyn Bates, J.P. Dickson, Martin Rosenthal, Charles Sparks(Directors)
- Pete Green(Trainer), Mac MacGilton (Ass't Trainer)
No team picture including all executive has been found for 1906 Ottawa.
Stanley Cup Engraving
Between 1903 and 1906 Ottawa engraved each of 10 Stanley Cup series they won, and teams they played outside the bowl. The first 8 series were listed separately, but both of the 1906 series are listed together in same space.
.
Montreal Wanderers March 1906 Stanley Cup champions[]
Roster
- Forwards
- Frank "Pud" Glass (Rover)
- Lester Patrick (rover)
- Josh Arnold
- Ernie Moose Johnson
- Ernie Russell
- Defensemen
- Cecil Blachford(point-rover-Captain)
- Billy Strachan(point)
- Rod Kennedy(coverpoint)
- Goaltenders
- Henri "Doc" Menard
- Non-players
- James Strachan (President), Clarence MacKerrow (Hon. President), Dickie Boon (Manager),
- George Guile (Vice President), George Hodges (Hon. Vice President),
- Robert Stephanson (Sectretary/Treasurer), Tom Hodges (Hon. Secretary/Treasurer),
- Bob Ahern, Willam Jennings (Directors),
(Team picture includes 9 players, and 9 non-players, plus a mascot. mascot name is not known)
Stanley Cup Engraving
Wanderers engraved their name on top outside of the bowl. They included both challenges series, plus date and scores that goes all way around the Stanley Cup.
.
Game Ads[]
References[]
- Coleman, Charles L. (1966). The Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1, 1893–1926 inc.. NHL.
- Podnieks, Andrew (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Fenn Publishing Company.
- Whitehead, Eric (1980). The Patricks: Hockey's Royal Family. Toronto, Ontario: Doubleday Canada. ISBN 0385156626.
Preceded by Ottawa Hockey Club 1905 |
Ottawa Hockey Club Stanley Cup Champions January 1906 |
Succeeded by Montreal Wanderers March 1906 |
Preceded by Ottawa Hockey Club January, 1906 |
Montreal Wanderers Stanley Cup Champions 1906 |
Succeeded by Kenora Thistles January 1907 |
Preceded by 1905 (CAHL) |
ECAHA seasons 1906 |
Succeeded by 1907 ECAHA season |
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