Francis Arthur Clarence Finnigan (July 9, 1901 – December 25, 1991), nicknamed "The Shawville Express", was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
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 ...
professional
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
who played in the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL) from 1923 to 1937. During this time, he played for the
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...
,
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
, and
St. Louis Eagles
The St. Louis Eagles were a professional ice hockey team that played in the National Hockey League (NHL). Based in St. Louis, the Eagles played for only one year, the 1934–35 NHL season.
The team was founded in 1883 as the Ottawa Senators, a s ...
, and was nicknamed the "Shawville Express." His younger brother
Eddie Finnigan also played in the NHL. His daughter
Joan Finnigan became a published writer. He was the last surviving member of the 1927
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 ...
champion Senators.
Personal life
Frank Finnigan was born in 1901 in
Clarendon, Quebec
Clarendon is a municipality in the Outaouais region, part of the Pontiac Regional County Municipality, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the north shore of the Ottawa River across from Horton Township in Ontario.
Its settlements include Clarendo ...
, but grew up in
Shawville, Quebec
Shawville is a town located in the Pontiac Regional County Municipality in the administrative region of Outaouais in western Quebec, Canada.
History
At the end of the 1860s, a group of citizens from Clarendon Centre, under the leadership of Jam ...
, a primarily anglophone town in the province of
Quebec
Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, located northwest of
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
along the
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River (french: Rivière des Outaouais, Algonquin: ''Kichi-Sìbì/Kitchissippi'') is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word 'to trade', as it was the major trade route of Eastern ...
. He retained a home in Shawville after becoming a professional hockey player. He married Maye Horner (1901–1992) and the couple had four children, Joan (1925–2007), Frank Jr., Norma and Ross. Finnigan suffered a heart attack on December 18, 1991, and he died on Christmas Day in 1991 in Shawville Hospital.
He was survived by his wife and children and several grandchildren.
Playing career
Finnigan learned at an early age that there was money to be made in hockey. He received his first fee for playing hockey when he was 13, playing for Quyon against Fitzroy Harbour, for which he received $10.
Finnigan first played senior-level hockey for the
University of Ottawa
The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottawa ...
in the
Ottawa City Hockey League
The Ottawa City Hockey League (OCHL) was an amateur ice hockey league with junior, intermediate and senior level men's teams in Ottawa, Canada. Founded in 1890 by the local Ottawa Hockey Association (Ottawa HA), the OCHL was created to organize p ...
(OCHL) in nearby
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
in 1921–22. According to Finnigan, he was paid to play for the University and did not have to submit any assignments.
As he had to take the train from Shawville to Ottawa, he picked up the nickname "Shawville Express." He played two more seasons for teams in the OCHL, with Ottawa Collegiate and Ottawa Montagnards before joining the Ottawa Senators in the 1923–24 season.
Finnigan was an integral member of the 1927
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 ...
champion Senators team, playing on a line with
Hec Kilrea
Hector Joseph "Hurricane" Kilrea (June 11, 1907 — September 6, 1969) was a Canadian ice hockey forward (ice hockey), forward. He played for the Ottawa Senators (original), Ottawa Senators, Detroit Falcons (hockey), Detroit Falcons, Toronto Mapl ...
and
Frank Nighbor
Julius Francis Joseph "Pembroke Peach" Nighbor (January 26, 1893 – April 13, 1966) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played primarily for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey Association (NHA) and National Hockey Leagu ...
.
He later served as the Senators captain from 1930–1933, and scored a high of 21 goals in the
1929–30 season. When the Senators suspended operations for the
1931–32 NHL season
The 1931–32 NHL season was the 15th season of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Quakers suspended operations, leaving eight teams to play 48 games each. In the Stanley Cup Finals, the Toronto Maple Leafs sw ...
, Finnigan played for the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
, winning the Stanley Cup for a second time, returning to the Senators the following season. Finnigan scored the final Senators goal in the final season that the NHL Senators played in Ottawa. He scored an unassisted goal at the 1 minute, 7 second mark of the second period on March 15, 1934. The following season, he moved with the other Senators players to play for the transferred franchise in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
known as the
St. Louis Eagles
The St. Louis Eagles were a professional ice hockey team that played in the National Hockey League (NHL). Based in St. Louis, the Eagles played for only one year, the 1934–35 NHL season.
The team was founded in 1883 as the Ottawa Senators, a s ...
in the 1934-35 season. He was sold by the Eagles to the Maple Leafs before the season's end in February 1935 and he finished his career with several seasons with the Maple Leafs as a "defensive specialist."
Retirement
In 1937, Finnigan retired from the NHL. He returned to Ottawa and played ice hockey for various amateur teams, including the
Ottawa RCAF Flyers
The Ottawa RCAF Flyers were a Canadian senior ice hockey team from the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) base in Ottawa. The team was made up of active and former RCAF members and Canadian Army personnel. The team won the gold medal in the 1948 ...
while he was in the Air Force.
After retiring from professional hockey, Finnigan went into private business in the Ottawa area. He managed the Olde Colonial Hotel at the corner of O'Connor and Queen Streets in Ottawa. Finnigan sold his shares of the hotel and became head of sales for Brading's Brewery. It was while working at Brading's that Finnigan developed
alcoholism
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...
and lost his job. He found a job in the federal government through
Frank Ahearn
Thomas Franklin "Frank" Ahearn (May 10, 1886 – November 7, 1962) was a Canadian businessman and politician. Ahearn is best known as an owner of the original Ottawa Senators National Hockey League (NHL) hockey club and a Canadian Member of Par ...
, former owner of the Senators, and later Member of Parliament in Ottawa. During World War II, Finnigan joined the Canadian Air Force, and was a member for seven years. Finnigan then owned and managed the Merrickville Hotel in
Merrickville, Ontario. Finnigan moved to Shawville and bought the Clarendon Hotel. Finnigan eventually overcame his problems with alcohol and sold the hotel and retired, remaining in the Shawville area.
The 'Bring Back The Senators' campaign
When the NHL planned to expand in 1989, the consortium to obtain a franchise for Ottawa signed Finnigan to be part of the 'Bring Back The Senators' campaign team. Finnigan along with his son Frank Jr., made public appearances on behalf of the campaign. Finnigan was also part of the presentation team to the NHL expansion committee in December 1990. The group was successful and the new Ottawa Senators team began play in the
1992–93 NHL season
The 1992–93 NHL season was the 76th regular season of the National Hockey League. Each player wore a patch on their jersey throughout the season to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Stanley Cup. The league expanded to 24 teams with the a ...
.
Finnigan died before the new team played its first game in 1992, for which he was scheduled to drop the puck for the ceremonial face-off. Instead, on opening night the honour went to his son, Frank Jr. to drop the puck. On that night, the team honoured him by retiring his #8 jersey, making him one of three players in NHL history to have his uniform retired by a team for which he never actually played. Finnigan's number was retired 55 years after he finished his NHL career - the longest wait for a player to have his number retired.
The street in front of the main entrance to the Ottawa Senators' arena,
Canadian Tire Centre
Canadian Tire Centre (french: links=no, Centre Canadian Tire) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, located in the western suburb of Stittsville. It opened in January 1996 as the Palladium and was also known as Corel Cen ...
, is named Frank Finnigan Way in his honour. A banner honouring his retired number hangs from the rafters with
Daniel Alfredsson
Daniel Alfredsson (; born 11 December 1972) is a Swedish-Canadian former 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 ...
's number 11,
Chris Phillips
Chris Phillips (born March 9, 1978) is a Canadian businessman and former professional ice hockey player. Phillips was a member of the Ottawa Senators for his entire career, which began with the 1997–98 season and ended with the 2015–16 seaso ...
’ number 4 and
Chris Neil
Chris Neil (born June 18, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey right winger. Neil was originally drafted in the sixth round, 161st overall, in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators, and played his entire NHL career with ...
’s number 25.
At the time of his death, Finnigan was the last surviving member of the Senators
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 ...
-winning team from the
1926–27 season, the final season of the original Ottawa Senators (1919–1927) dynasty and one of only a handful of players still alive from the NHL Senators' days. He was also the oldest living NHL player and appeared at various NHL functions.
Career statistics
Awards
1927 Stanley Cup Champion
1932 Stanley Cup Champion
* Played in NHL All-Star Game (1934).
This was the NHL's first all-star game, held as a benefit for Toronto player
Ace Bailey
Irvine Wallace "Ace" Bailey (July 3, 1903 – April 7, 1992) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs for eight seasons, from 1926– 1933. His playing career ended with a fight he encountered during ...
. The first official
NHL All-Star Game
The National Hockey League All-Star Game (french: Match des Étoiles de la Ligue Nationale de Hockey, links=no) is an exhibition ice hockey game that is traditionally held during the regular season of the National Hockey League (NHL), with many o ...
was held in 1947.
References
*
External links
*
*
Legends Of Hockey pageSports Encyclopedia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Finnigan, Frank
1901 births
1991 deaths
Anglophone Quebec people
Canadian ice hockey right wingers
Canadian people of Irish descent
Ice hockey people from Quebec
National Hockey League players with retired numbers
Ottawa Senators (1917) players
Ottawa Senators (original) players
People from Outaouais
St. Louis Eagles players
Stanley Cup champions
Toronto Maple Leafs players
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States