Toronto Professional Hockey Club, 1906–97

Charles Albert Liffiton (December 14, 1878 – August 11, 1941) was an early professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

player. Over the span of his career he played for the

Montreal Hockey Club The Montreal Hockey Club of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was a senior-level men's amateur ice hockey club, organized in 1884. They were affiliated with Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (MAAA) and used the MAAA 'winged wheel' logo. The team was t ...

, the professional

Pittsburgh Bankers The Pittsburgh Bankers were one of the earliest professional ice hockey clubs. The club was based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and was a member of the Western Pennsylvania Hockey League, the first league to openly hire hockey players, from 1899–1 ...

of the

Western Pennsylvania Hockey League The Western Pennsylvania Hockey League (WPHL) was an originally amateur and later professional ice hockey league founded in 1896 and existing through 1909. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the league became the pre-eminent ice hockey league in ...

, the Toronto Professionals 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 ...

and the

Portage Lakes Hockey Club The Portage Lakes Hockey Club was one of the first professional ice hockey clubs. Based in Houghton, Michigan, the club played at the Amphidrome from 1904 until 1906. While members of the International Professional Hockey League, the team won th ...

of the

International Professional Hockey League The International Professional Hockey League (IPHL) was the first fully professional ice hockey, professional ice hockey leagues, ice hockey league, operating from 1904 to 1907. It was formed by Jack Gibson (ice hockey born 1880), Jack "Doc" Gi ...

Biography

Charlie Liffiton was the son of a jeweler and grew up in a family of one sister and six brothers. He worked in his father's jewelry and confection store in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, but preferred playing hockey. During the 1899–1900 season of the

Canadian Amateur Hockey League The Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL) was an early men's amateur hockey league founded in 1898, replacing the organization that was formerly the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) before the 1898–99 season. The league existed for ...

Charlie was the second best scorer for his Montreal Hockey Club and the league's eighth leading scorer posting 8 goals in 8 games. However, during the 1901–02 season, he helped the Montreal HC win the CAHL championship and later defeat the

Winnipeg Victorias The Winnipeg Victorias were a former amateur senior-level men's amateur ice hockey team in Winnipeg, Manitoba, organized in 1889. They played in the Manitoba Hockey Association (MHA) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Victorias wo ...

and capture the

Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) 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, an ...

. He was also one of the top ten league scorers for the third season in a row. Liffiton played only one game of the 1902–03 season for Montreal, before traveling to

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

to help the Pittsburgh Bankers win the Western Pennsylvania Hockey League championship. The WPHL was a professional league and by playing there, Charlie became a professional player. Over the next two season, he played for the Bankers and at least one match for 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 ...

. In 1904 the Portgage Lakes Hockey Club of

Houghton, Michigan Houghton (; ) is the largest city and seat of government of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the Keweenaw Peninsula, Houghton is the largest city in the Copper Country region. It is the fifth-largest city in the Uppe ...

lured him away from the Wanderers to play the remainder of the season for $1350. He was reported to be the highest paid player in the International Professional Hockey League that year. Statistics from his hockey career show he was active through the 1906–07 professional exhibition season with the Toronto Professionals.

Family

His younger brother was Ernie Liffiton who also played professional ice hockey. He is an ancestor of

David Liffiton David "Dave" Liffiton (born October 18, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman. He played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers and the Colorado Avalanche. Playing career Liffiton began his junior career w ...

of the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...

and

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...

. Around 1916, Charlie married Lena Margaret Clark. The couple had five children. It was also around 1916, that Charlie began his own business building automobile garages.

Stanley Cup engraving

While Charlie is a Stanley Cup champion, his name is not on the Cup. 1902 is one of the few years when only the team's name was engraved on the Cup, not each player's.

References

"One of the most famous of the Canadian hockey players"
liffiton.net

''New York Times'', February 10, 1901. {{DEFAULTSORT:Liffiton, Charlie 1878 births 1941 deaths Montreal Hockey Club players Montreal Wanderers players Pittsburgh Bankers players Portage Lakes Hockey Club players Ice hockey people from Montreal Stanley Cup champions Canadian ice hockey right wingers