The 1907 ECAHA season was the second season of the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA). Teams played a ten-game schedule. The Montreal Wanderers lost the Stanley Cup to the Kenora Thistles of the Manitoba Hockey Association mid-season, but went undefeated in the regular season to win the league championship. They proceeded to defeat Kenora in a two-game total goals series to win back the Cup.
League business
Executive Fred McRobie (President) Thomas D'Arcy McGee, Ottawa (1st Vice-President) Gordon Blair, Quebec (2nd Vice-President) Emmett Quinn, Shamrocks (Secretary-Treasurer)
Nationals and Grand Trunk applied for franchises but did not get three-fourths approval.
Rule changes Teams could have professionals as well as amateurs After a puck strikes a goalie, the rebound could now be played by the defending team without it being called offside A player injured in the first half can sit for ten minutes and the other team has to take off a player.
Regular season Frank McGee of Ottawa retired to pursue his government career. The Wanderers added two professionals, Riley Hern from the Portage Lake-Houghton pros and Hod Stuart from the Pittsburgh pros.
Prior to the season, Ottawa travelled to Winnipeg for a series of exhibition games against Manitoba league teams including the Kenora Thistles, who then came east to play a challenge in Montreal. The Montreal Victorias hosted the St. Nicholas Hockey Club from New York in an exhibition on December 22, 1906, defeating them 16–3.
Highlights
A major battle took place for the game between the Senators and Wanderers on January 12. Stick work was the order of the day as Charles Spittal of Ottawa knocked Cecil Blachford in the head, Alf Smith hit Hod Stuart in the head and Harry Smith broke Ernie Johnson's nose. The Wanderers would still win, 4–2.
After the game, a special league meeting was called to hand out discipline, with Victorias and Wanderers wanting Spittal and Alf Smith suspended for the season. The players were not suspended, leading the league president Mr. McRobie to resign, leaving Darcy McGee to take over as president.
On the next visit of the Ottawa team to Montreal, to play the Victorias, the three Ottawa players were arrested by Montreal police. Eventually Alf Smith and Spittal were fined $20 for their actions and Harry Smith was found not guilty.
The scoring championship was close, with Ernie Russell of the Wanderers placing first with 42 goals in 9 games, and Russell Bowie scoring 38 in 10 games.
Final standing
Note GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against Team GP W L T GF GA Montreal Wanderers 10 10 0 0 105 39 Ottawa Hockey Club 10 7 3 0 76 54 Montreal Victorias 10 6 4 0 101 70 Montreal Hockey Club 10 3 7 0 58 83 Quebec Hockey Club 10 2 8 0 62 88 Montreal Shamrocks 10 2 8 0 52 120
Results Month Day Visitor Score Home Score Jan. 2 Wanderers 6 Victorias 5 (OT 10') 5 Montreal HC 5 Shamrocks 3 5 Quebec HC 1 Ottawa HC 6 9 Wanderers 6 Montreal HC 3 12 Ottawa HC 2 Wanderers 4 12 Victorias 10 Quebec HC 1 16 Victorias 16 Shamrocks 3 19 Shamrocks 2 Ottawa HC 6 19 Quebec HC 8 Montreal HC 15 23 Victorias 12 Montreal HC 6 26 Ottawa HC 12 Victorias 10 26 Wanderers 11 Quebec HC 3 30 Shamrocks 5 Montreal HC 3 Feb. 2 Montreal HC 2 Ottawa HC 5 2 Quebec HC 8 Shamrocks 11 6 Wanderers 5 Victorias 2 9 Ottawa HC 5 Quebec HC 4 (OT 2') 9 Montreal HC 3 Wanderers 16 13 Shamrocks 7 Victorias 19 16 Victorias 7 Ottawa HC 16 16 Quebec HC 5 Wanderers 13 19 Shamrocks 5 Wanderers 18 23 Ottawa HC 12 Shamrocks 6 23 Montreal HC 5 Quebec HC 9 27 Montreal HC 8 Victorias 13 Mar. 2† Wanderers 10 Ottawa HC 6 2 Quebec HC 6 Victorias 7 6 Shamrocks 5 Wanderers 16 9 Ottawa HC 6 Montreal HC 8 9 Shamrocks 5 Quebec HC 17
† Wanderers clinch league championship.
Player statistics
Scoring leaders
Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals scored Name Club GP G Ernie Russell Wanderers 9 42 Russell Bowie Victorias 10 38 Blair Russell Victorias 10 25 Harry Smith Ottawa HC 9 21 Grover Sargent Montreal HC 10 20 Chandler Hale Victorias 7 18 Alf Smith Ottawa HC 9 17 Hamby Shore Ottawa HC 10 17 Ernie Johnson Montreal HC 10 15 Charles Constantine Quebec HC 7 15
Goaltending averages
Note: GP = Games played, GA = Goals against, SO = Shutouts, GAA = Goals against average Name Club GP GA SO GAA Riley Hern Wanderers 10 39 3.9 Percy LeSueur Ottawa HC 10 54 5.4 Nathan Frye Victorias 10 70 7.0 Charles Doddridge Quebec HC 4 30 7.5 George White Montreal HC 10 83 8.3 Paddy Moran Quebec HC 6 58 9.7 Neil Currie Shamrocks 10 120 12.0
Stanley Cup challenges The 1907 season had two Stanley Cup champions, Montreal Wanderers and Kenora Thistles.
Wanderers vs. New Glasgow at Montreal
The Wanderers played one Stanley Cup challenge before the season, defeating the New Glasgow Cubs in a two-game series 10–3, 7–2, December 27–29, 1906. This was the first series in which professional players played for the Stanley Cup, as the Wanderers and other teams in the ECAHA were starting to mix amateurs with pros in their squads.
Date Winning Team Score Losing Team Location December 27, 1906 Montreal Wanderers 10–3 New Glasgow Cubs Montreal Arena December 29, 1906 Montreal Wanderers 7–2 New Glasgow CubsMontreal wins total goals series 17 goals to 5.
New Glasgow Cubs 3 Montreal Wanderers 10+ December 27, 1906 Frank Morrison G William "Riley" Hern James Musick P Billy Strachan Evan MacMillan CP Rod Kennedy Jack Marks 2 RO Lester Patrick 3 Jack McDonald 1 C Frank "Pud" Glass 4 Jimmy Williams LW Ernie "Moose" Johnson Bill Lannon RW Ernie Russell 3 Percy MacDonald Spare Cecil Blachford, Capt James Murphy Spare Hod Stuart Referees Howard, Russell Bowie
New Glasgow Cubs 2 Montreal Wanderers 7+ December 29, 1906 Frank Morrison G William "Riley" Hern Jack McDonald 1 P Billy Strachan Percy McDonald CP Rod Kennedy 1 Bill Lannon RO Lester Patrick 3 Jimmy Williams C Frank "Pud" Glass 1 James Murphy 1 LW Ernie "Moose" Johnson 2 James Musick RW Cecil Blachford, Capt Evan MacMillan Spare Hod Stuart Jack Marks Spare Ernie Russell Referees Howard, Russell Bowie
Wanderers vs. Kenora at Montreal
The Wanderers played one Stanley Cup challenge during the season, losing to the Kenora Thistles 2–4, 6–8 on January 17–21. Aided by future Hockey Hall of Famers Joe Hall, Tom Hooper, Tommy Phillips, and Art Ross, the Thistles came away with 4–2 and 8–6 victories for a combined score of 12–8 to win a two-game total goals series. Hall and Ross were borrowed from the Brandon Wheat City team.
For Montreal, these were their first games after their donnybrook with Ottawa on January 12. Centre Cecil Blachford, who had been knocked out in the Ottawa game, did not play. Johnson and Stuart, who had required hospitalization, did play. Ernie Russell substituted for Blachford.
Date Winning Team Score Losing Team Location January 17, 1907 Kenora Thistles 4–2 Montreal WanderersMontreal Arena January 21, 1907 Kenora Thistles 8–6 Montreal WanderersKenora wins total goals series 12 goals to 8
Montreal Wanderers 2 Kenora Thistles 4+ January 17, 1907 William "Riley" Hern G Eddie Giroux Billy Strachan P Art Ross Hod Stuart CP Si Griffis Lester Patrick, Capt. RO Tom Hooper Ernie Russell 2 C Billy McGimsie Frank "Pud" Glass RW Roxy Beaudro Ernie "Moose" Johnson LW Tommy Phillips, Capt. 4 Jack Marshall sub Rod Kennedy spare Joe Hall Bill Chipchase spare Russell Phillips Referees Bob Meldrum, Russell Bowie Source: Ottawa Citizen
Montreal Wanderers 6 Kenora Thistles 8+ January 21, 1907 William "Riley" Hern G Eddie Giroux Rod Kennedy P Art Ross Hod Stuart CP Si Griffis Lester Patrick, Capt 3 RO Tom Hooper 3 Ernie Russell 2 C Billy McGimsie 1 Frank "Pud" Glass RW Roxy Beaudro 1 Ernie "Moose" Johnson LW Tommy Phillips, Capt. 3 Jack Marshall 1 sub Billy Strachan spare Joe Hall Bill Chipchase spare Russell Phillips Referees Chittick, Shea Source: Ottawa Citizen
After the series, the Thistles played an exhibition game in Ottawa on January 23. The Thistles lost 8–3 to Ottawa. Harry Smith scored four goals and Harry Westwick scored three for Ottawa. In this game Billy McGimsie suffered a career-ending shoulder injury.
Brandon Wheat City vs. Kenora Thistles at Winnipeg After returning home, Kenora had played the balance of the MPHL season. Montreal Wanderers won the ECAHA regular-season champions and challenged to regain the Stanley Cup. Challenge was excepted. However Brandon and Kenora finished tied for first in the Manitoba League. So a best of three game series was upset to see who the Manitoba League Champion and who defended the cup again the Montreal Wanderers. After losing McGimsie, Si Griffis and Tom Hooper also went down to injury. Kenora signed three players to bolster its team: Alf Smith and Rat Westwick of Ottawa, and Fred Whitcroft of Peterborough to finish the season. (All three were future Hall of Fame inductees.) By the time of the MPHL playoff, Stanley Cup trustee William Foran notified Kenora that Smith and Westwick were ineligible for the challenge.
Playoff Kenora would play and win the MPHL playoff against Brandon to successfully defend the Cup, winning a best-of-three series 2–0. Hall and Ross played for Brandon in the series, while Smith, Westwick and Whitcroft played for the Thistles. At the time of the series, the acting Stanley Cup trustee William Foran had already declared Smith and Westwick ineligible for the challenge series. After the series was over, the Manitoba League registered their disapproval over Mr. Foran's decision to exclude the players.
Date Winning Team Score Losing Team Location March 16, 1907 Kenora Thistles 8–6 Brandon Wheat City Winnipeg Auditorium March 18, 1907 Kenora Thistles 4–1 Brandon Wheat CityKenora wins series 2–0
Brandon Wheat City 6 Kenora Thistles 8+ March 16, 1907 Bobby Mercer G Eddie Geroux Art Leader P Roxy Beaudro Art Ross CP Si Griffis George Smith RO Harry Westwick Joe Hall Capt. C Fred Whitcroft Walter Bellamy RW Alf Smith Jack Fraser LW Tommy Phillips, Capt. Art Serviss -RW spare Tom Hopper -R0/D Roy Amrstrong -D spare Russell Phillips -RW/LW
Brandon Wheat City 1 Kenora Thistles 4+ March 18, 1907 Bobby Mercer G Eddie Geroux Art Leader P Roxy Beaudro Art Ross CP Si Griffis George Smith RO Harry Westwick Joe Hall Capt. C Fred Whitecorft Walter Bellamy RW Alf Smith Jack Fraser LW Tommy Phillips, Capt. Art Serviss -RW spare Tom Hopper -R0/D Roy Armstrong -D spare Russell Phillips -RW/LW - Goal scorers in both games are unknown.
Montreal Wanderers vs. Kenora Thistles at Winnipeg
Kenora dressed Smith and Westwick for the challenge anyway and Montreal filed a protest with Foran. Foran ruled that both players were ineligible. The series was supposed to start on March 20 in Kenora but did not. One report was that the ice in the rink was too poor to play on and the rink was closed. The clubs went ahead and started the series on March 23 in Winnipeg instead, with Smith and Westwick playing. Foran was notified by the press (inaccurately) that Montreal had dropped its protest and that the clubs intended to play anyway. Foran threatened to take the Cup back to Ottawa:
If the two clubs ignore the instructions of the cup trustees by mutually agreeing to play against Westwick and Smith when both were positively informed these men were ineligible to participate in the present cup matches, the series will be treated as void, and the cup will be taken charge of by the trustees. It will remain in their possession till the various hockey leagues can educate themselves up to a standard where decent sport will be the order of the day.”
The teams went ahead and played the series. However, Foran changed his mind after the Wanderers won the Cup, stating that the Wanderers could keep the Cup, because they had not rescinded their protest.