Samuel George "Goldie" Prodgers
(often misspelled Prodger) (February 18, 1891 – October 25, 1935) was a Canadian
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 h ...
player. During his career he played for the
Waterloo Colts,
Quebec Bulldogs,
Victoria Aristocrats
The Victoria Cougars were a major league professional ice hockey team that played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) from 1911 to 1924 under various names, and (after the PCHA's merger with the Western Canada Hockey League) in the W ...
,
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 ...
,
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
,
Toronto 228th Battalion,
Toronto St. Pats, and
Hamilton Tigers
The Hamilton Tigers were a professional ice hockey team based in Hamilton, Ontario. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1920 to 1925. The Tigers were formed by the sale of the Quebec Bulldogs NHL franchise to Hamilton intere ...
. He won the
Stanley Cup in 1912 with the Bulldogs, and in 1916 with the Canadiens, and retired in 1925.
Playing career
George Prodgers was born in
London, Ontario
London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...
and played amateur hockey for the London Athletic, joining its junior team in 1908, and graduating to their intermediate team for the 1909–10 season. He turned professional for the
Waterloo Colts 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 ...
for the 1910–11 season. When Waterloo folded its team, Prodgers, along with
Eddie Oatman and
Jack McDonald joined the Quebec Bulldogs of the
National Hockey Association
The National Hockey Association (NHA), officially the National Hockey Association of Canada Limited, was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor of today's National Hockey Lea ...
(NHA). The Bulldogs won the NHA championship and the
Stanley Cup, and defeated Moncton in a Stanley Cup challenge series. Prodgers joined the
Victoria Aristocrats
The Victoria Cougars were a major league professional ice hockey team that played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) from 1911 to 1924 under various names, and (after the PCHA's merger with the Western Canada Hockey League) in the W ...
for the 1912–13 season despite being under contract with Quebec. He returned to Quebec for one season, before joining 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 ...
for a season and a season with the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
. While playing for the Canadiens, the Canadiens went to its first Stanley Cup finals, winning the series on a goal by Prodgers.
He enlisted with the
Canadian Expeditionary Force and played for the
Toronto 228th Battalion for the last NHA season (1916–17) before being shipped overseas. He returned to Canada in 1919, but refused to report to Quebec which was assigned his playing rights in the new
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). He was traded between several teams before he settled in with the new
Toronto St. Patricks. After that one season with Toronto, he joined the
Hamilton Tigers
The Hamilton Tigers were a professional ice hockey team based in Hamilton, Ontario. They competed in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1920 to 1925. The Tigers were formed by the sale of the Quebec Bulldogs NHL franchise to Hamilton intere ...
where he had his best offensive seasons, scoring 18 goals in 1920–21. He stayed with the Tigers until the end of the 1924–25 season. The Tigers were suspended at the end of the season after a player's strike and their contracts sold to the
New York Americans
The New York Americans, colloquially known as the Amerks, were a professional ice hockey team based in New York City from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the second to play ...
. Prodgers retired at that point, but after a season away, he joined the London Panthers of the Canadian Professional League, whom he would coach in the following season.
Post-playing career
He died on October 25, 1935 in
London, Ontario
London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...
.
"George Prodgers Dead – Former Hockey Star Victim of Heart Attack"
''The Montreal Gazette'', October 26, 1935.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
Transactions
* Signed as a free agent by Waterloo (OPHL), January 5, 1911.
* Signed as a free agent by Quebec (NHA), November 1911.
* Signed by Victoria (PCHA) after jumping contract with Quebec (NHA), November 18, 1912.
* Traded to Montreal Wanderers (NHA) by Quebec (NHA) for cash, December 4, 1914.
* NHL rights transferred to Quebec by NHL when Quebec franchise returned to NHL, November 25, 1919.
* Suspended by Quebec after refusing to report to training camp, November 27, 1919.
* Traded to Montreal by Quebec for Ed Carpenter, December 21, 1919.
* Traded to Toronto by Montreal for Harry Cameron, January 14, 1920.
* Traded to Montreal by Toronto with Joe Matte for Harry Cameron, November 27, 1920.
* Traded to Hamilton by Montreal with Jack Coughlin, Joe Matte and loan of Billy Coutu
Wilfrid Arthur "Billy" Coutu (March 1, 1892 – February 25, 1977), nicknamed "Wild Beaver", was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played ten seasons in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens, the Hamilton Tigers, ...
for 1920–21 season for Harry Mummery
Harold "Mum" Mummery (August 25, 1889 – December 9, 1945) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. Mummery played professionally from 1911 until 1923, including six seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Arenas, ...
, Jack McDonald and Dave Ritchie David Ritchie or Dave Ritchie may refer to:
* David Ritchie (cricketer) (1892–1974), English cricketer
* David Ritchie (diplomat), Australian diplomat
* David Ritchie (footballer) (born 1971), former English footballer
* David Ritchie (moderator) ...
, November 27, 1920.
Awards
* Played on the OHA-Jr. first All-Star Team (1909)
* Inducted into the London Sports Hall of Fame (November 2009)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prodgers, George
1891 births
1935 deaths
Canadian ice hockey centres
Canadian military personnel of World War I
Hamilton Tigers (ice hockey) players
Ice hockey people from Ontario
London Panthers players
Montreal Canadiens (NHA) players
Montreal Canadiens players
Montreal Wanderers (NHA) players
Quebec Bulldogs (NHA) players
Sportspeople from London, Ontario
Toronto St. Pats players
Toronto 228th Battalion players
Victoria Aristocrats players