The 1904–05

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 ...

(FAHL) season lasted from December 31, 1904, until March 3. Teams played an eight-game schedule.

League business

The

Ottawa Hockey Club Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core of the Ottawa–Gatinea ...

, who officially joined the FAHL prior to the end of the last season, played its first full season in the league.

Montreal Le National The Montreal Nationals (Le National de Montreal) were an amateur, later professional, and then amateur again men's senior-level ice hockey team. They are notable in that they were the first team to represent French Canada and were the first ice h ...

left the league and joined the rival

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 ...

(CAHL). Ottawa had negotiated with the CAHL to return, along with the Wanderers joining, but this was turned down. The Ottawa Capitals also left the FAHL.

Pre-season

The Wanderers played an exhibition series in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in December 1904. One game, versus the

New York Athletic Club The New York Athletic Club is a Gentlemen's club, private social club and athletic club in New York (state), New York state. Founded in 1868, the club has approximately 8,600 members and two facilities: the City House, located at 180 Central Pa ...

, was noted for its rough play by the Wanderers.

Regular season

The newly transferred Ottawa Hockey Club won the league championship – and retained 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 ...

– with a record of seven wins and one loss.

Highlights

Ottawa's Frank McGee scored five goals against the Montagnards on February 4.

Final standing

Note GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against

Results

† Ottawa HC lock down League Championship, retain

Player Statistics

Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals scored

Goaltender 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

Ottawa vs. Dawson City

The Klondike Hockey Club, in a letter dated August 24, 1904, from team president Weldy Young, a former Ottawa player, issued a challenge to the Ottawa Hockey Club. The Dawson City team had won no championships and was not a member of any recognized senior league, yet Stanley Cup trustees P.D. Ross and John Sweetland approved the challenge. Author Paul Kitchen has speculated that the series was approved because Young knew both Ross and federal government minister

Clifford Sifton Sir Clifford Sifton, (March 10, 1861 – April 17, 1929), was a Canadian lawyer and a long-time Liberal Party of Canada, Liberal politician. He was best known for being Minister of the Interior (Canada), Minister of the Interior in 1896 to 190 ...

. In January 1905, the Dawson City Nuggets travelled 4,000 miles (6,400 km) from the

Yukon Yukon () is a Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada, bordering British Columbia to the south, the Northwest Territories to the east, the Beaufort Sea to the north, and the U.S. state of Alaska to the west. It is Canada’s we ...

to Ottawa for a best-of-three Cup challenge series. The Nuggets actually left Dawson City on December 19, 1904, and travelled on a month-long journey by dog sled (Dawson to Whitehorse), ship (Skagway to Vancouver), and train (Whitehorse to Skagway, and Vancouver to Ottawa). The team was no match for the Silver Seven. Ottawa defeated them in the first game, 9–2. Numerous Stanley Cup records were then set in game two, including Frank McGee's 14 goals, which included eight consecutive goals scored in less than nine minutes, and a 23–2 rout, the largest margin of victory for any challenge game or Stanley Cup Finals game to date. Several players playing for Dawson were from the Ottawa area. Jim Johnstone was from Ottawa. Norman Watt was from

Aylmer, Quebec Aylmer is a List of former municipalities in Quebec, former city in Quebec, Canada. It is located on the north shore of the Ottawa River and along Quebec Route 148, Route 148. In January 2002, it amalgamated into the city of Gatineau, which is ...

. Randy McLennan had played in a Stanley Cup challenge for Queen's University of

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...

. Another player has Stanley Cup challenge experience: Lorne Hanna, "formerly of the Yukon", had played for Brandon Wheat City in their 1904 challenge of Ottawa. Sources: * ''The Globe'', January 14, 1905 * Fischler Source: Coleman, pg. 112 Dawson Klondikers in Ottawa jan 17 1905

After the second game, ''The Globe'' reported:

The visiting team was outclassed to-night quite as decisively as the score indicates. In fact had it not been for the fact of Forrest's presence in the Dawson goal the score against them might have been a great deal larger. Ottawa simply skated away from them at the whistle and continued to pile up the goals with a merciless monotonous regularity which was farcical in the extreme.

Sources: * ''The Globe'', January 17, 1905 * Fischler After the series, Ottawa held a banquet for Dawson City at the Ottawa Amateur Athletic Association (OAAA) clubhouse. There is a Stanley Cup legend that after the banquet, the Stanley Cup was

drop kick A drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player intentionally dropping the ball onto the ground and then kicking it either (different sports have different definitions) 'as it rises from the first bounce' ( rugby ...

ed into the frozen

Rideau Canal The Rideau Canal is a 202-kilometre long canal that links the Ottawa River at Ottawa with the Cataraqui River and Lake Ontario at Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Its 46 Lock (water navigation), locks raise boats from the Ottawa River 83 metres (272 ...

nearby and retrieved the next day. However,

Bill Westwick William George Westwick (August 2, 1908June 19, 1990) was a Canadian sports journalist. He wrote for the ''Ottawa Journal'' from 1926 to 1973, was mentored by Basil O'Meara, then served as the paper's sports editor from 1942 until retirement. ...

, ''Ottawa Journal'' sports editor and the son of Silver Seven player

Rat Westwick Harry "Rat" Westwick (April 23, 1876 – April 3, 1957) was a Canadian athlete in ice hockey and lacrosse. Westwick – nicknamed the ''Rat'' for his small size – is most noted for his play with the Ottawa Hockey Club, nicknamed the ''Silver ...

, and NHL commissioner

Frank Calder Frank Sellick Calder (November 17, 1877 – February 4, 1943) was a British-born Canadian ice hockey executive, journalist, and athlete. Calder was the first president of the National Hockey League (NHL), from 1917 until his death in 1943. He ...

both deny it ever happened.

Ottawa vs. Rat Portage Thistles

In March 1905, the

Rat Portage Thistles The Kenora Thistles, officially the Thistles Hockey Club, were a Canadian ice hockey team based in Kenora, Ontario. Founded in 1894, they were originally known as the Rat Portage Thistles. The team competed for the Stanley Cup, the ice hockey ...

issued another challenge to the Ottawas. McGee did not play in the first game and the Thistles crushed Ottawa, 9–3. However, he returned to lead Ottawa to 4–2 and 5–4 victories in games two and three, respectively. McGee returned in game two, with his good forearm wrapped in a cast, and only a light bandage on his broken wrist, to decoy the Thistles. Alf Smith scored three goals in game two on slow ice, which the Thistles claimed was salted to slow down the Thistles. There was hard ice in game three, and the lead exchanged hands several times. The Thistles led 2–1 at halftime and 3–2 midway through the second half. Ottawa took a 4–3 lead, before

Tommy Phillips Thomas Neil Phillips (May 22, 1883 – November 30, 1923) was a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger. Like other players of his era, Phillips played for several different teams and leagues. Most notable for his time with the Kenora Th ...

scored his third of the game to tie the score. However, McGee came through with the winning score late in the game to win it for Ottawa. * Spare - Rat Portage - Roxy Beaudro -LW/D * Spare - Ottawa - Arthur "Bones" Allen -D, Billy Bawlf -F Bill Gilmore -LW, Fred White -F * Spare - Rat Portage - Roxy Beaudro - LW/D * Spare - Ottawa - Arthur "Bones" Allen -D, Billy Bawlf -F, Hamby Shore -RW, Fred White -F * Spare - Rat Portage - Roxy Beaudro - LW/D * Spare - Ottawa - Arthur "Bones" Allen - D, Billy Bawft - F, Hamby Shore - RW, Fred White - F

Stanley Cup engravings

non-players= *G.P. Murphy (President)&, Robert T. "Bob" Shillington (manager) * Patrick Baskerville (treasurer), Thomas D'Arcy McGee (secretary) *

Halder Kirby Halder Smith Kirby (October 3, 1863 – July 12, 1924) was a Canadian ice hockey player, doctor and druggist. He was a co-founder of the Ottawa Hockey Club, later to become the Ottawa Senators. He played with the team from 1883 until 1894. His bro ...

(club doctor), David Barred (team dentist) *Llewellyn Bates, John Proctor "J.P." Dickson, Martin Rosenthal, Charles Sparks (directors) * Pete Green (trainer), Mac MacGilton (ass't trainer) engraving-notes= * Patrick "Paddy" Moran name was dotted P. MORAN under the Ottawa vs Dawson engraving on the bowl of the Stanley Cup. The engraving was most likely added during one of the

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 ...

' Stanley Cup wins in 1912 or 1913. * Tommy Smith name was scratched T SMITH next to 1905 Ottawa vs Kenora. Tommy Smith won the Stanley Cup in 1906 with Ottawa, 1913 with Quebec. The name was likely added in 1913 * Weldy Young, a former member of the Ottawa team in the 1890s, and the captain of the Dawson City team, engraved his name on the Cup with a penknife. He had missed playing for Dawson as he was working in the federal election, although he did arrive in Ottawa during the series.

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:1904-05 FAHL season Federal Amateur Hockey League seasons FAHL