The 1907–08 ECAHA season was the third season of the
Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association
The Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA) was a men's amateur – later professional – ice hockey league in Canada that played four seasons. It was founded on December 11, 1905 with the top clubs from two other leagues: four ...
(ECAHA). Teams played a ten-game schedule. The
Montreal Wanderers
The Montreal Wanderers were an amateur, and later professional, ice hockey team based in Montreal. The team played in the Federal Amateur Hockey League (FAHL), the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA), the National Hockey Association ...
would win the league championship with a record of eight wins, two losses.
League business
Executive
* Dr. George Cameron, Montreal (President)
* Joe Power, Quebec (1st Vice-President)
* Patrick J. Baskerville, Ottawa (2nd Vice-President)
* W. P. Lunny, Shamrocks (Secretary-Treasurer)
The Nationals applied for a franchise but did not get three-fourths approval.
Mr. Baskerville demanded better protection be given visiting teams at Quebec,
as stones had been thrown at the Senators on their last visit.
Rule Changes
* Teams could now openly pay players. Players would have to declare their professional or amateur status. The Victorias would remain strictly amateur.
Hod Stuart Benefit All-Star Game

The first All-Star game in
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...
was played on January 2, 1908, before 3,500 fans at the
Montreal Arena
The Montreal Arena, also known as Westmount Arena, was an indoor arena located in Westmount, Quebec, Canada on the corner of St. Catherine Street and Wood Avenue. It is considered the first arena designed expressly for ice hockey. Opened in 1898, ...
between the
Montreal Wanderers
The Montreal Wanderers were an amateur, and later professional, ice hockey team based in Montreal. The team played in the Federal Amateur Hockey League (FAHL), the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA), the National Hockey Association ...
(defending Stanley Cup champions) and a team of all-star players from the remaining teams in the league. It was held in memory of
Montreal Wanderers
The Montreal Wanderers were an amateur, and later professional, ice hockey team based in Montreal. The team played in the Federal Amateur Hockey League (FAHL), the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA), the National Hockey Association ...
player
Hod Stuart
William Hodgson "Hod" Stuart (February 20, 1879 – June 23, 1907) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman (ice hockey), cover-point (now known as a defenceman) who played nine seasons for several teams in different leagues from 1899 ...
, who had died in a diving accident three months after the Wanderers won the
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup () is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, and the International Ic ...
in 1907. The sale of tickets, from 25 cents to $1, raised $2,000 for Mr. Stuart's widow and two children.
Regular season
Russell Bowie of Victorias led the scoring championship with 31 goals. This was the fifth time in ten seasons that Bowie would lead the scorers.
There was a large amount of player turnover. For the Wanderers,
Hod Stuart
William Hodgson "Hod" Stuart (February 20, 1879 – June 23, 1907) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman (ice hockey), cover-point (now known as a defenceman) who played nine seasons for several teams in different leagues from 1899 ...
of Wanderers had died in the off-season, Lester Patrick had moved west, and new players would include
Art Ross
Arthur Howey Ross (January 13, 1885 – August 5, 1964) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and corporate officer, executive from 1905 until 1954. Regarded as one of the best defenders of his era by his peers, he was one of the first t ...
from Brandon,
Tom Hooper
Thomas George Hooper (born 5 October 1972)''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005''. 5d: 2485. is a British-Australian filmmaker. Known for his work in film and television he has received numerous accolades includ ...
of Kenora and
Ernie Russell
Ernest Russell (October 21, 1883 – February 23, 1963) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was born in Montreal, Quebec, and played for the Montreal HC and Montreal Wanderers in the early 1900s. Russell was the offensive star of ...
formerly of Montreal HC.
Ottawa lost
Harry Smith and
Hamby Shore who moved to Winnipeg and
Billy Gilmour who joined the Victorias. Ottawa added
Cyclone Taylor from Portage Lakes,
Tommy Phillips from Kenora, and
Marty Walsh
Martin Joseph Walsh (born April 10, 1967) is an American politician and trade union official who served as the 58th mayor of Boston from 2014 to 2021 and as the 29th United States Secretary of Labor from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Democr ...
from the Canadian Soo.
Montreal Shamrocks
The Montreal Shamrocks were an amateur, later professional, and then amateur again men's ice hockey club in existence from 1886 to 1924, based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They were spun off from the Montreal Shamrocks lacrosse club. Starting off ...
signed up
Didier Pitre
Joseph George Didier "Cannonball" Pitre (September 1, 1883 – July 29, 1934) was a Canadians, Canadian professional ice hockey player. Nicknamed "Cannonball," he was renowned for having one of the hardest shots during his playing career. One of t ...
and
Jack Laviolette from the International League.
Quebec Bulldogs
The Quebec Bulldogs () were an ice hockey team based in Quebec City. The team was officially known as the Quebec Hockey Club (), and later as the Quebec Athletic Club (). One of the first organized ice hockey clubs, the club debuted in 1878 with ...
had three Power brothers in the lineup: Joe, Charles aka 'Chubby' and James aka 'Rocket'.
Montreal Victorias
The Victoria Hockey Club of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was an early men's amateur ice hockey club. Its date of origin is ascribed to either 1874, 1877 or 1881, making it either the first or second organized ice hockey club after McGill University. ...
signed
Frank Patrick of McGill and Billy Gilmour.
On January 28, the Wanderers played
Renfrew Creamery Kings of the
Federal League
The Federal League of Base Ball Clubs, known simply as the Federal League, was an American professional baseball league that played its first season as a minor league in 1913 and operated as a "third major league", in competition with the e ...
in
Brockville, Ontario
Brockville is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the Thousand Islands region. Although it is the seat of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, it is politically Independent city, independent of the county. It is included with Leeds and ...
, for a bet of , (The Wanderers' expenses were provided). Wanderers played without three of their players from winning the Stanley Cup (Blatchford, Glass and Smail) and lost 11–5 to Renfrew.
Highlights
Ottawa opened their new
Arena
An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...
, hosting the Wanderers on January 11, 1908, overloading capacity with 7,100 attending. Ottawa defeated the Wanderers 12–2. Ottawa and Wanderers were tied for first going into their rematch on February 29, when the Ottawa manager J. P. Dickson resigned in a dispute over which train to take to Montreal. At the time, two trains were available for the trip, and the two would race, with betting taking place on the winner. In the actual game, the two defence stars Art Ross and Cyclone Taylor would lead end-to-end rushes, and the game would be tied until Taylor was injured, and Bruce Stuart and Walter Smaill would score for the Wanderers to win 4–2.
On January 18, Quebec would defeat Montreal 18–5, with Chubby Power scoring six.
Russell Bowie would score five in a game three times, Marty Walsh would have the biggest game, scoring seven, and six in another. Tom Phillips would score five twice, Herb Jordan would score six and five, and Jack Marshall would score five twice.
Final standing
Note GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against
Results
Player statistics
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals scored
Goaltending averages
Note: GP = Games played, GA = Goals against, SO = Shutouts, GAA =
Goals against average
Goals against average (GAA), also known as average goals against (AGA), is a statistic used in field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and water polo that is the mean of goals allowed per game by a goaltender or goalkeeper (depending on spo ...
Stanley Cup challenges
Wanderers played in three challenges, during the season against Ottawa Victorias and after the season, against Winnipeg and Toronto. All games were played at the
Montreal Arena
The Montreal Arena, also known as Westmount Arena, was an indoor arena located in Westmount, Quebec, Canada on the corner of St. Catherine Street and Wood Avenue. It is considered the first arena designed expressly for ice hockey. Opened in 1898, ...
.
Wanderers vs. Ottawa
During the season, Wanderers would play a challenge against the
Ottawa Victorias of the
Federal Amateur Hockey League
The Federal Amateur Hockey League (FAHL) was a Canadians, Canadian men's Senior ice hockey, senior-level ice hockey league that played six seasons, from 1904 to 1909. The league was formed initially to provide a league for teams not accepted by th ...
. On January 9–13, the Wanderers would win 9–3, 13–1 (22–4). Eddie Roberts broke his collarbone in the first game and was replaced by Gerard. Only 500 attended the second game.
[Coleman, p. 161]
Wanderers vs. Winnipeg
Wanderers defeated Winnipeg Maple Leafs in a two-game series 11–5, 9–3 (20–8) March 10–12.
[Coleman, p. 162]
Wanderers vs. Toronto
The Wanderers then took on
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
of the
Ontario Professional Hockey League
The Ontario Professional Hockey League (OPHL), sometimes referred to as the Trolley League, and also known as the Canadian Hockey League in its time, was a professional ice hockey league in Canada. It was a fully professional league and consisted ...
in a challenge. The Wanderers defeated Toronto 6–4 on March 14 on two late goals by
Ernie Johnson and
Bruce Stuart.
* Bruce Ridpath was Playing-Manager-Coach-Captain of 1908 Toronto Professionals
Source: Coleman
[Coleman, p. 163]
Stanley Cup engraving
The 1908 Stanley Cup was presented by the trophy's trustee
William Foran
William Michael Foran (February 4, 1871 – November 30, 1945) was an ice hockey executive, Stanley Cup trustee and government official. For over 50 years, he was secretary of the Board of Civil Service Examiners and its follow-up organization ...
. The Wanderers never did engrave their names on the Cup for their championship season.
The following Wanderers players and staff were members of the winning team.
† Jimmy Gardner and Harry Smith were not members of Montreal Wanderers during their January, and March 1908 Stanley Cup defenses. However they played in Dec 1908 when the Wanderers defeated Edmonton.
†† unknown first name.
‡ Tom Hooper left the Wanderers after the challenge game of January 13.
₳ Team picture included 4 players who did not play for Montreal 1908, but did win cups with the Wanderers – Hod Stuart 1906–07, Rod Kennedy 1906–07, Lester Patrick 1906–07, Jack Marshal 1907. 4 Players who won the Stanley Cup with the Wanderers in 1908 are missing from the team picture – Larry Gilmour ₳, Tom Hooper ₳, Jimmy" Gardner ₳, Harry Smith ₳.
non-players =
*
James Strachan (President),
Clarence McKerrow (hon. president)
*
Dickie Boon (manager), George Guile (secretary/treasurer)
* Tom Hodges (hon. secretary/treasurer), William Jennings (vice-president)
* Robert "Bob" Stephanson (Vice President), Robert "Bob" Ahern (hon. vice-president)
* George Hodges, Bert Strachan, Filbert Strachan, H. Watson†† (directors)
* Walter Dorion (club doctor), Paul Lefebvre (trainer)
engraving-notes =
* After engraving 20 member names in the bowl of Stanley Cup in 1907, Wanderers did not even bother including their team name on the Stanley Cup in 1908. It was not until the trophy was redesigned in 1948 that the words "1908 Montreal Wanderers" was put onto its then-new collar.
See also
*
Eastern Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
*
List of pre-NHL seasons
Prior to the first season of the National Hockey League (NHL), which began on December 19, 1917, there had been numerous seasons of ice hockey played by various amateur and professional leagues, often concurrently, dating back to the 1880s. Thes ...
*
List of ice hockey leagues
This is a list of ice hockey sports league, leagues, both professional ice hockey, professional and amateur sports, amateur, from around the world; parentheses denote year of establishment and, where applicable, year of disestablishment.
North A ...
References
;Bibliography
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ecaha Seasons
Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association seasons
ECHA
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA; ) is an agency of the European Union working for the safe use of chemicals. It manages the technical and administrative aspects of the implementation of the European Union regulation called Registration, ...