Silas Seth "Si" Griffis (September 22, 1883 – July 9, 1950) 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 ...
athlete of the early 20th century. In
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 ...
, Griffis was a two-time
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 ...
winner, with the 1907
Kenora 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 hock ...
and the 1915
Vancouver Millionaires
The Vancouver Millionaires (later known as the Vancouver Maroons) were a professional ice hockey team that competed in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the Western Canada Hockey League between 1911 and 1926. Based in Vancouver, British Col ...
. He is an inductee of the
Hockey Hall of Fame
, logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg
, logo_upright = 0.5
, image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg
, caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992
, map_type =
, former_name =
, established = 1943
, location = 30 Y ...
.
Born in
Onaga,
Kansas
Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...
, Griffis moved with his family to
Rat Portage,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, where he excelled in many sports, including ice hockey.
Playing career
Notable for his speed, Griffis played both
rover
Rover may refer to:
People
* Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian
* Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer
* Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist
Places
* Rover, Arkansas, US
* Rover, Missouri, US
* ...
and cover-point in the seven-man configuration of the day. When the
Manitoba & Northwestern Hockey Association
The Manitoba & Northwestern Hockey Association was an early senior-level men's amateur ice hockey league, founded in 1903, and played one season, 1903-1904 before joining the Manitoba Hockey Association. It operated in the provinces of Manitoba and ...
formed in 1902, Griffis joined 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 hock ...
, and led them to its first league titles in 1903, after which it issued a challenge for 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 ...
against the powerful
Ottawa Silver Seven
The Ottawa Senators were an ice hockey team based in Ottawa, which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League (NHL) and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934. The c ...
, in which the Thistles lost a best-of-three to Ottawa in two games straight. The team's second league title came in 1905, along with another losing
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 ...
challenge to the Silver Seven. Griffis scored a natural hat trick to lead the Thistles to a victory in the first game of the three game series, and added a goal in the second.
Renamed the
Kenora 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 hock ...
in 1907 — the city had changed its name in 1905 — the team remained a powerhouse, and Griffis (along with fellow future Hall of Famers
Art Ross
Arthur Howe Ross (January 13, 1885 – August 5, 1964) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive from 1905 until 1954. Regarded as one of the best defenders of his era by his peers, he was one of the first to skate with the puck ...
and
Tommy Smith) was a key member of the Thistles' January 1907 Stanley Cup winning team when they defeated 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 a two-game total goal series, the only games in the entire season which the Wanderers lost. While the Thistles defended the Cup against a challenge in March 1907 from the
Brandon Wheat Kings
The Brandon Wheat Kings are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Brandon, Manitoba. They are members of the Western Hockey League (WHL) since joining the league in the 1967–68 season. Previously, they played in the Manitoba Junior Hoc ...
, the Wanderers issued a second challenge for the Cup later that month, which the Thistles lost.
After taking a hiatus of several years from the game—save for an unknown number of games for the Nelson Hockey Club of the
West Kootenay League The West Kootenay League, also referred to as the ''West Kootenay Hockey League'' (WKHL), is a defunct senior men's ice hockey league that operated in eastern British Columbia from 1922–1941, and also during the 1945-46 season. In 1946-47 the leag ...
in 1910—Griffis was signed out of retirement by
Frank Patrick in 1912 as his defence partner for the
Vancouver Millionaires
The Vancouver Millionaires (later known as the Vancouver Maroons) were a professional ice hockey team that competed in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the Western Canada Hockey League between 1911 and 1926. Based in Vancouver, British Col ...
of the
Pacific Coast Hockey Association
The Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) was a professional ice hockey league in western Canada and the western United States, which operated from 1911 to 1924 when it then merged with the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL). The PCHA was cons ...
.
A noted leader, Griffis was named team captain in
1914–15, the year the Millionaires themselves won the Cup. Griffis broke his leg in the last regular season match of that year, and was not able to play in the final series against 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 ...
, but recovered enough to play in two exhibition games for a group of PCHL All-Stars.
After Patrick's retirement as a fulltime player and with
Lloyd Cook
Lloyd Tramblyn "Farmer" Cook (March 21, 1890 – October 9, 1964) was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. He played for the Vancouver Millionaires/Maroons and Spokane Canaries of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and for the Boston ...
as his new defence partner, Griffis played four more seasons for Vancouver, although injuries started seriously affecting his playing time by 1918; nonetheless, he played effectively in the Millionaires' PCHA playoff win and its run as a finalist for the Stanley Cup that same year. Signed in 1919 on an emergency basis at age 35, he played only two games for Vancouver in 1919, as well as in its playoff loss that season to the
Seattle Metropolitans
The Seattle Metropolitans were a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle, Washington, which played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) from 1915 to 1924. During their nine seasons, the Metropolitans were the PCHA's most successful ...
. Being noted by observers as "having little left,"
it was Griffis' last professional action, after which he retired.
Retirement
Griffis was an accomplished rower as well, being a medalist in the 1905
Royal Canadian Henley Regatta
The Royal Canadian Henley Regatta started in 1880 as the first championship for the newly formed Canadian Amateur Rowing Association.
History
It changed venues often until 1903, when it was decided to hold it at St. Catharines Port Dalhousie's M ...
.
In later life, Griffis excelled as both a competitive golfer and bowler. He was elected to the
Hockey Hall of Fame
, logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg
, logo_upright = 0.5
, image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg
, caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992
, map_type =
, former_name =
, established = 1943
, location = 30 Y ...
in July 1950. He died in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, that same month. He is also a 1987 inductee to the
Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame
The Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, established in 1978 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, is dedicated to the people of Northwestern Ontario who have achieved greatness in sport. It is located on 219 South May Street in Downtown Fort W ...
.
Playing style
Si Griffis, standing at 6 feet and one inch, was one of the tallest players of his era but he was nonetheless also one of its fastest skaters.
During the
1912–13 PCHA season – on January 15, 1913 – league executive
Frank Patrick organized a speed skating contest between four players considered to be the fastest in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association: Si Griffis,
Ken Mallen
William Kenneth Russell Mallen (October 4, 1884 – April 23, 1930) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He won two Stanley Cups in his career, in 1910 with the Ottawa Senators, and in 1915 with the Vancouver Millionaires. Mallen playe ...
,
Fred "Cyclone" Taylor and
Ernie "Moose" Johnson. Before the contest Griffis was confident regarding his chances of winning it all, due to his quick first steps, but in the final heat he was nonetheless beaten by Ken Mallen of the
New Westminster Royals by a slim margin.
In the semi-finals Griffis had finished in front of Moose Johnson, whereas Mallen in turn had defeated Cyclone Taylor.
Due to his strong skating, which he used to his advantage both as a
rover
Rover may refer to:
People
* Constance Rover (1910–2005), English historian
* Jolanda de Rover (born 1963), Dutch swimmer
* Rover Thomas (c. 1920–1998), Indigenous Australian artist
Places
* Rover, Arkansas, US
* Rover, Missouri, US
* ...
and as a defenceman (cover-point), Griffis was a pioneering player in the art of carrying the puck up the ice from defence, instead of shooting or passing it up the ice to the forwards which had been the main practice during previous generations of players. Mike Jay, profiling Griffis in the December 30, 1913 issue of the
Vancouver Daily World
''The Vancouver Daily World'' (also known as ''The Vancouver World'' or simply ''The World'') was a newspaper once published in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was founded in 1888 by John McLagan, the editor of the paper. In 1901, when John McLag ...
, also praised him for his
endurance
Endurance (also related to sufferance, resilience, constitution, fortitude, and hardiness) is the ability of an organism to exert itself and remain active for a long period of time, as well as its ability to resist, withstand, recover from a ...
and recalled a game against the Montreal Wanderers in 1907 where Griffis had played through the contest with a broken nose, and where he was so badly cut up and used up that he could not remember anything from the game even six years afterwards.
"Thumb Nail Sketches of Prominent Players"
''Vancouver Daily World''. Dec. 30, 1913 (pg. 19) Retrieved 2021-09-02.
Career statistics
* 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.
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Griffis, Silas
1883 births
1950 deaths
American men's ice hockey defensemen
Burials at Mountain View Cemetery (Vancouver)
Hockey Hall of Fame inductees
Ice hockey people from Kansas
Ice hockey people from Ontario
Kenora Thistles players
Sportspeople from Kenora
People from Pottawatomie County, Kansas
Stanley Cup champions
Vancouver Millionaires players