1907 ECAHA season

1907 ECAHA season
League	Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association
Sport	ice hockey
Duration	January 3, 1907 – March 10, 1907
Number of teams	6
1907
Champion	Montreal Wanderers
Top scorer	Ernie Russell (42 goals)

The 1907 ECAHA season was the second season of the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA). Teams played a ten game schedule. The Montreal Wanderers won the league championship going undefeated, with their only loss of the season coming in a Stanley Cup challenge series with Kenora.

League business

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Executive

• Fred McRobie (President)
• Thomas D'Arcy McGee, Ottawa (1st Vice-President)
• Gordon Blair, Quebec (2nd Vice-President)
• Emmett Quinn, Shamrocks (Secretary-Treasurer)

Nationals and Grand Trunk applied for franchises but did not get three-fourths approval.

Rule changes

• Teams could have professionals as well as amateurs
• After a puck strikes a goalie, the rebound could now be played by the defending team without it being called offside
• A player injured in the first half can sit for ten minutes and the other team has to take off a player.

Regular season

Frank McGee of Ottawa retired to pursue his government career. The Wanderers added two professionals, Riley Hern from the Portage Lake-Houghton pros and Hod Stuart from the Pittsburgh pros.

Prior to the season, Ottawa travelled to Winnipeg for a series of exhibition games against Manitoba league teams including the Kenora Thistles, who then came east to play a challenge in Montreal.^[1] The Montreal Victorias hosted the New York St. Nicholas club in an exhibition on December 22, 1906, defeating them 16–3.^[2]

Highlights

A major battle took place for the game between the Senators and Wanderers on January 12. Stick work was the order of the day as Charles Spittal of Ottawa knocked Cecil Blachford in the head, Alf Smith hit Hod Stuart in the head and Harry Smith broke Ernie Johnson's nose. The Wanderers would still win, 4–2.

After the game, a special league meeting was called to hand out discipline, with Victorias and Wanderers wanting Spittal and Alf Smith suspended for the season. The players were not suspended, leading the league president Mr. McRobie to resign, leaving Darcy McGee to take over as president.

On the next visit of the Ottawa team to Montreal, to play the Victorias, the three Ottawa players were arrested by Montreal police. Eventually Alf Smith and Spittal were fined $20 for their actions and Harry Smith was found not guilty.

The scoring championship was close, with Ernie Russell of the Wanderers placing first with 42 goals in 9 games, and Russell Bowie scoring 38 in 10 games.

Final standings

Team	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals For	Goals Against
Montreal Wanderers	10	10	0	0	105	39
Ottawa Hockey Club	10	7	3	0	76	54
Montreal Victorias	10	6	4	0	101	70
Montreal Hockey Club	10	3	7	0	58	83
Quebec Hockey Club	10	2	8	0	62	88
Montreal Shamrocks	10	2	8	0	52	120

Stanley Cup challenges

The 1907 season had two Stanley Cup champions, Montreal Wanderers and Kenora Thistles.

Wanderers vs. New Glasgow at Montreal

The Wanderers played one Stanley Cup challenge before the season, defeating the New Glasgow Cubs in a two-game series 10–3, 7–2, December 27–29, 1906. This was the first series in which professional players played for the Stanley Cup, as the Wanderers and other teams in the ECAHA were starting to mix amateurs with pros in their squads.

Date	Winning Team	Score	Losing Team	Location
December 27, 1906	Montreal Wanderers	10–3	New Glasgow Cubs	Montreal Arena
December 29, 1906	Montreal Wanderers	7–2	New Glasgow Cubs
Montreal wins total goals series 17 goals to 5.

December 27, 1906

New Glasgow Cubs	3	at	Montreal Wanderers	10
Frank Morrison		G	William "Riley" Hern
James Musick		P	Billy Strachan
Evan MacMillian		CP	Rod Kennedy
Jack Marks	2	RO	Lester Patrick	2
Jack McDonald	1	C	Frank "Pud" Glass	4
Jimmy Williams		LW	Ernie "Moose' Johnson
Bill Lannon		RW	Ernie Russell	3
Percy MacDonald		Spare	Cecil Blachford, Capt
James Murphy		Spare	Hod Stuart
Referees Howard, Russell Bowie

December 29, 1907

New Glasgow Cubs	2	at	Montreal Wanderers	7
Frank Morrison		G	William "Riley" Hern
Jack McDonald	1	P	Billy Strachan
Percy McDonald		CP	Rod Kennedy	1
Bill Lannon		RO	Lester Patrick	3
Jimmy Williams		C	Frank "Pud" Glass	1
James Murphy	1	LW	Ernie "Moose" Johnson	2
James Musick		RW	Cecil Blachford, Capt
Evan MacMillan		Spare	Hod Stuart
Jack Marks		Spare	Ernie Russell
Referees Howard, Russell Bowie

Wanderers vs. Kenora at Montreal

The Wanderers played one Stanley Cup challenge during the season, losing to the Kenora Thistles 2–4, 6–8 on January 17–21. Aided by future Hockey Hall of Famers Joe Hall, Tom Hooper, Tommy Phillips, and Art Ross, the Thistles came away with 4–2 and 8–6 victories for a combined score of 12–8 to win a two-game total goals series. Hall and Ross were borrowed from the Brandon Wheat City team.

For Montreal, these were their first games after their donnybrook with Ottawa on January 12. Centre Cecil Blachford, who had been knocked out in the Ottawa game, did not play. Johnson and Stuart, who had required hospitalization, did play. Ernie Russell substituted for Blachford.

Date	Winning Team	Score	Losing Team	Location
January 17, 1907	Kenora Thistles	4–2	Montreal Wanderers	Montreal Arena
January 21, 1907	Kenora Thistles	8–6	Montreal Wanderers
Kenora wins total goals series 12 goals to 8

January 17, 1907

Montreal Wanderers	2	vs	Kenora Thistles	4
William "Riley" Hern		G	Eddie Geroux
Billy Strachan		P	Art Ross
Hod Stuart		CP	Si Griffis
Lester Patrick, Capt.	2	RO	Tom Hooper
Ernie Russell		C	Billy McGimsie
Frank "Pud" Glass		RW	Roxy Beaudro
Ernie "Moose" Johnson		LW	Tommy Phillips, Capt.	4
Jack Marshall	1	sub
Rod Kennedy		spare	Joe Hall
Bill Chipcase		spare	Russell Phillips
Referees Meldrun, Russell Bowie

January 21, 1907

Montreal Wanderers	6	vs	Kenora Thistles	8
William "Riley" Hern		G	Eddie Geroux
Rod Kennedy		P	Art Ross
Hod Stuart		CP	Si Griffis
Lester Patrick, Capt	3	RO	Tom Hooper	3
Ernie Russell	2	C	Billy McGimsie	1
Frank "Pud" Glass		RW	Roxy Beaudro	1
Ernie "Moose" Johnson		LW	Tommy Phillips, Capt.	3
Jack Marshall	1	sub
Billy Strachan		spare	Joe Hall
Bill Chipcase		spare	Russell Phillips
Referees Chittick, Shea

After the series, the Thistles played an exhibition game in Ottawa on January 23. The Thistles lost 8–3 to Ottawa. Harry Smith scored four goals and Harry Westwick scored three for Ottawa.^[3] In this game Billy McGimsie suffered a career-ending shoulder injury.

Wanderers vs. Kenora at Winnipeg

After returning home, Kenora had played the balance of the MPHL season and playoffs. After losing McGimsie, Si Griffis and Tom Hooper also went down to injury. Kenora signed three players to bolster its team: Alf Smith and Rat Westwick of Ottawa, and Fred Whitcroft of Peterborough to finish the season. (All three were future Hall of Fame inductees.) By the time of the MPHL playoff, Stanley Cup trustee Bill Foran notified Kenora that Smith and Westwick were ineligible for the challenge.

Kenora dressed Smith and Westwick for the challenge anyway and Montreal filed a protest with Foran. Foran ruled that both players were ineligible. The series was supposed to start on March 20 in Kenora, but did not. One report was that the ice in the rink was too poor to play on and the rink was closed.^[4] The clubs went ahead and started the series on March 23 in Winnipeg instead, with Smith and Westwick playing. Mr. Foran was notified by the press (inaccurately) that Montreal had dropped its protest and that the clubs intended to play anyway. Mr. Foran threatened to take the Cup back to Ottawa:

If the two clubs ignore the instructions of the cup trustees by mutually agreeing to play against Westwick and Smith when both were positively informed these men were ineligible to participate in the present cup matches, the series will be treated as void, and the cup will be taken charge of by the trustees. It will remain in their possession till the various hockey leagues can educate themselves up to a standard where decent sport will be the order of the day.”^[5]

The teams went ahead and played the series. However, Mr. Foran changed his mind after the Wanderers won the Cup, stating that the Wanderers could keep the Cup, because they had not rescinded their protest.^[6]

After the series, the Wanderers returned to Montreal with the Stanley Cup. The Cup was stolen from Montreal photographer Jimmy Rice's home and held for ransom. No ransom was paid, and the Cup was returned to Rice. It was used as a geranium planter until the fall.^[7]

Date	Winning Team	Score	Losing Team	Location
March 23, 1907	Montreal Wanderers	7–2	Kenora Thistles	Winnipeg Auditorium
March 25, 1907	Kenora Thistles	6–5	Montreal Wanderers
Montreal wins total goals series 12 goals to 8

March 23, 1907

Montreal Wanderers	7	at	Kenora Thistles	2
William "Riley" Hern		G	Eddie Geroux
Lester Patrick, Capt.		P	Tom Hooper
Hod Stuart		CP	Si Griffis
Frank "Pud" Glass	2	RO	Harry "Rat" Westwick
Ernie Russell	4	C	Fred Whitecroft
Cecil Blachford		RW	Alf Smith	1
Ernie "Moose" Johnson	1	LW	Tommy Phillips, Capt.	1
Bill Chipcase		spare	Roxy Beaudro
T Eskrine & Rod Kennedy		spare	Russell Phillips
Referee- W. MacFarlane
Referee W. Kean

March 25, 1907

Montreal Wanderers	5	at	Kenora Thistles	6
William "Riley" Hern		G	Eddie Geroux
Lester Patrick, Capt.	1	P	Roxy Beaudro	1
Hod Stuart		CP	Si Griffis	1
Frank "Pud" Glass	1	RO	Harry "Rat" Westwick
Ernie Russell	1	C	Fred Whitecroft	2
Cecil Blachford		RW	Alf Smith	1
Ernie "Moose' Johnson	2	LW	Tommy Phillips, Capt.	1
T Eskrine & Rod Kennedy		spare	Russell Phillips
Bill Chipcase		spare	Tom Hooper
Referee- W. MacFarlane
Referee W. Kean

Schedule and results

Month	Day	Visitor	Score	Home	Score
Jan.	2	Wanderers	6	Victorias	5 (10' overtime)
	5	Montreal	5	Shamrocks	3
	5	Quebec	1	Ottawa	6
	9	Wanderers	6	Montreal	3
	12	Ottawa	2	Wanderers	4
	12	Victorias	10	Quebec	1
	16	Victorias	16	Shamrocks	3
	19	Shamrocks	2	Ottawa	6
	19	Quebec	8	Montreal	15
	23	Victorias	12	Montreal	6
	26	Ottawa	12	Victorias	10
	26	Wanderers	11	Quebec	3
	30	Shamrocks	5	Montreal	3
Feb.	2	Montreal	2	Ottawa	5
	2	Quebec	8	Shamrocks	11
	6	Wanderers	5	Victorias	2
	9	Ottawa	5	Quebec	4 (2' overtime)
	9	Montreal	3	Wanderers	16
	13	Shamrocks	7	Victorias	19
	16	Victorias	7	Ottawa	16
	16	Quebec	5	Wanderers	13
	19	Shamrocks	5	Wanderers	18
	23	Ottawa	12	Shamrocks	6
	23	Montreal	5	Quebec	9
	27	Montreal	8	Victorias	13
Mar.	2	Wanderers	10	Ottawa	6
	2	Quebec	6	Victorias	7
	6	Shamrocks	5	Wanderers	16
	9	Ottawa	6	Montreal	8
	9	Shamrocks	5	Quebec	17

Player statistics

Goalkeeper averages

Note: GP = Games played, GA = goals against, SO = Shutouts, GAA = Goals against average

Name	Club	GP	GA	SO	GAA
Riley Hern	Wanderers	10	39		3.9
Percy LeSueur	Ottawa	10	54		5.4
Nathan Frye	Victorias	10	70		7.0
Charles Doddridge	Quebec	4	30		7.5
White	Montreal	10	83		8.3
Paddy Moran	Quebec	6	58		9.7
Currie	Shamrocks	10	120		12.0

Leading scorers

Name	Club	GP	G
Russell, Ernie	Wanderers	9	42
Bowie, Russell	Victorias	10	38
Russell, Blair	Victorias	10	25
Smith, Harry	Ottawa	9	21
Sargent, Grover	Montreal	10	20
Hale, Chandler	Victorias	7	18
Smith, Alf	Ottawa	9	17
Shore, Hamby	Ottawa	10	17
Johnson, Ernie	Montreal	10	15
Charles Francis Constantine	Quebec	7	15

Kenora Thistles January 1907 Stanley Cup champions

Roster

Stanley Cup engraving

Kenora engraved their name inside the bowl of the Stanley Cup. 1907 Thistles of Kenora^[8] .

Montreal Wanderers March 1907 Stanley Cup champions

Roster

Stanley Cup engraving

• Wanderers engraved 20 members' names inside the bowl of the Stanley Cup. This is first time that winning members were engraved on the Stanley Cup officially.
• Team picture included 9 players in uniform, 15 men in suites. Not all members are known.
• †-On the team picture, but missing from the Stanley Cup.
• After the season, the Stanley Cup was stolen from Montreal photographer Jimmy Rice's home after a team picture. When no one would pay a ransom for it, the Cup was left on Rice's doorstep, and his wife used it as a window-sill geranium planter until the fall.
• †† Who was MR. Chipcase?. He was William "Bill" Chipcase. W was stamped upside down looking like a M. Chipcase was first player who name was spelled wrong on the Stanley Cup. Chipcase and Eskrine were spares who did not play for Montreal in 1907. William Chipcase's name was included on the Stanley Cup, but not T. Eskrine. Chipchase did play for the Stanley Cup winning Wanderers in 1910.
• Two names, that of S. Van Sickle and H. L. Linall were ratched onto the Cup that season.^[9]

.

See also

• 1906–07 MPHL season
• Eastern Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
• List of pre-NHL seasons
• List of ice hockey leagues
• List of Stanley Cup champions

References

• Coleman, Charles L. (1966). The Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1, 1893–1926 inc. NHL. 
• Podnieks, Andrew: Lord Stanley Cup, Fenn Publishing Company, 2004
• Shea, Kevin; Wilson, John Jason (2006). Lord Stanley: The Man Behind the Cup. Fenn Publishing Company, Ltd. ISBN 1-55168-281-8. 
• Adams, Trevor J.: Long Shots, Nimbus Publishing, 2012

Preceded by Montreal Wanderers March 1906	Kenora Thistles Stanley Cup Champions January 1907	Succeeded by Montreal Wanderers March 1907
Preceded by Kenora Thistles January 1907	Montreal Wanderers Stanley Cup Champions March 1907	Succeeded by Montreal Wanderers 1908
Preceded by 1906 ECAHA season	ECAHA seasons 1907	Succeeded by 1907–08 ECAHA season