Changing the Game

by Stephen Laroche

  As the season progressed, Burch became the top offensive performer for the Amerks. He had the winner against Pittsburgh on December 26 and both goals in a tie with the Boston Bruins on January 7, 1926.

  Billy Burch

  Red Green

  Fans in Hamilton cheered the arrival of Red Green and his brother, Shorty. The duo helped carry the club to regular-season glory during the 1924–25 campaign. Red Green led the NHL with 15 assists that year, but the labour disruption quelled any chance the team had at Stanley Cup glory. Still, he was not about to rest on his laurels once they relocated to New York.

  After going scoreless in the first two outings for the Amerks, Green scored once and added two assists in a 6–2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on December 8, 1925. Two weeks later, his third tally of the year gave his team a big win over the Boston Bruins, and on January 15, 1926, he had a two-goal outing in a loss to Toronto. The Canadiens were victims of another mini-outburst on February 24 when he scored twice, and he made another important game-winner against Ottawa on March 2.

  Red Green

  Shorty Green

  Wilfred “Shorty” Green was a hero off the ice before he made his mark as a player. Deployed overseas with the Canadian military, he survived a gas attack at the Battle of Passchendaele and returned to his homeland to embark on a senior hockey career. He turned pro with the Hamilton Tigers in 1923–24 and served as their captain the following year, when they had their greatest success at the rink.

  Although he was a big part of the players’ strike in Hamilton, his salary actually increased dramatically from $3,000 to $5,000 when he was transferred to New York. His second goal of the year was the first ever scored in a hockey game at Madison Square Garden, when the largely forgotten Herb Rheaume let the puck in at 11:55 of the first period. On December 30, he scored an overtime winner against the Toronto St. Pats. He was also responsible for the difference-maker in a 1–0 triumph over the Habs on February 27, 1926.

  Green’s best night of the year, though, came during his last game, on March 17, when he scored three goals in a 5–3 win over the Montreal Maroons, who went on to take the Stanley Cup that season. His brief NHL career ended the following year when he suffered a dislocated kidney.

  RenE Boileau

  In order to grab some headlines in the early days of NHL hockey in New York, stories occasionally bent the truth in an effort to get fans out to Madison Square Garden. The first of these tall tales was about Rainy Drinkwater, who was then called the first-ever Native Canadian player in the NHL.

  The reality is that Drinkwater was really Rene Boileau, who had been playing senior hockey in his native Montreal — not on the Cauhnawaga Reserve as the Americans claimed in their shameless press release. Besides which, most hockey historians recognize Paul Jacobs, who had played for Toronto a few years earlier, as the first Native player in the NHL.

  Although many were upset by this, Boileau took it in stride and was happy to play a part in the charade. The Montreal Gazette saw right through the fiction, but still paid attention to his debut. Boileau appeared in seven games with the Amerks in all, but could not make an impact on the scoresheet. Over the next few years, he was relegated to the minors and eventually returned to Quebec to play senior hockey again. His son Marc later played in the NHL and also coached the Pittsburgh Penguins.

  Jake Forbes

  Forbes began his NHL career with Toronto, but after the club suspended him for the 1921–22 season for not agreeing on a contract, he was sold to Hamilton. He had to endure two very rough campaigns in goal before the team managed to get things rolling in 1924–25. He led the league with 19 wins that year and had the second-best goals-against average of 1.96, but the team’s player strike put a damper on those totals.

  After he paid his fine and apologized for his role in the labour disruption, Forbes was transferred to the New York Americans, where he was their top man in the crease. He appeared in every game of the 1925–26 season, but even though he had most of the same supporting cast in front, his numbers were not as good. He was the goalie of record in the Amerks’ first game and victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on December 2, 1925, and he thrilled the Madison Square Garden crowd at their home opener 13 days later.

  As the season neared a close, Forbes proved unbeatable against the Montreal Canadiens on February 27, 1926, recording the first shutout in franchise history. He repeated the feat on March 9, when they took on the Boston Bruins.

  Jake Forbes

  EXPANSION YEAR RECORD: 19–16–1

  (39 points — third in NHL)

  COACH: Odie Cleghorn

  FIRST GAME: November 26, 1925 —

  2–1 win vs. Boston Bruins

  FIRST GOAL: December 2, 1925 by Lionel Conacher

  PITTSBURGH

  PIRATES

  By the time the Pirates joined the NHL for the 1925–26 season, fans in the Steel City were more than familiar with hockey, as their association with the game stretched back to at least 1895. The city’s first indoor artificial ice rink hosted its first hockey game in 1899 and the Duquesne Gardens hosted several clubs over the years.

  In the early 1920s, the Pittsburgh Yellowjackets of the U.S. Amateur Hockey Association had tremendous success with imported players from Canada like Roy Worters and Lionel Conacher. By 1925, the owners of the Yellowjackets had financial problems, and they sold to an attorney named James F. Callahan who had partnered with prominent bootlegger and New York Americans owner William Dwyer. Despite the conflict of interest, the NHL approved a spot for an expansion club based out of Pittsburgh on November 7, 1925. In their first season, the Pirates, looking sharp in their black and gold uniforms, primarily comprised established players from the Yellowjackets.

  The club hired veteran Odie Cleghorn as a player-coach and, in so doing, gained the ability to intimidate opponents. Just 19 days after the franchise was granted, the Pirates took to the ice for the first time on the road and defeated the second-year Boston Bruins 2–1. On November 28, they unexpectedly made hockey history when they faced the Canadiens in what became the final appearance for Montreal goaltender Georges Vezina, who left the game because of a high fever. He passed away less than a year later from tuberculosis.

  After two wins on the road, the Pirates hosted the Americans for their first home game on December 2 and lost a close one in overtime. Their record after just 10 games was a respectable 5–4–1, but then they briefly spiralled into a five-game losing streak before winning four of the five that followed. Toward the end of the season, their record improved and they won seven of their last 10, including three shutouts by Worters.

  Even though the NHL was now up to seven teams, only three qualified for the playoffs. The Pirates squeaked into third place by a single point over the Bruins and met the Montreal Maroons in a two-game, total-goals series. After losing the opening game 3–1 on March 20, they needed a big win three days later, but mustered only a 3–3 tie.

  The next four seasons in Pittsburgh were a mixed bag and they made it to the postseason only one more time. Boxer Benny Leonard, who was a Dwyer protégé, became part of the ownership group, but fan support waned and many key players were sold or traded. In 1929–30, they played one last season and finished at the bottom of the standings with a pitiful five wins.

  Frustrated with mounting losses, Callahan persuaded the NHL to allow the team to relocate to Philadelphia. The Quakers were a flop on the ice and had one of the worst records in league history with a mere four victories. Although the team never returned to the ice after that, Callahan did hold on to his franchise, hoping to build a new home for them back in Pittsburgh. They were officially put to rest on May 7, 1936, but eventually, in 1967, both Pennsylvania cities the team played in got expansion clubs.

  Hib Milks

  Milks was a familiar face to fans in Pittsburgh before the Pirates arrived in the NHL thanks to his two seasons with the Yellowjackets. The smooth and effective forward was the team’s top offensive performer in their i
naugural year.

  In his fifth NHL career game, Hib scored his first goal on December 9, 1925, and it made all the difference in a 6–3 win over Toronto. The St. Pats brought out the best in him later on in his rookie campaign when he put four pucks past John Ross Roach on March 4, 1926.

  Hib Milks

  Harold Darragh

  A strong skater who played a clean but aggressive game, Darragh was a senior hockey teammate of Hib Milks in Ottawa, and the pair went to play for the USAHA’s Pittsburgh Yellowjackets in 1924–25. His outstanding play ensured he was brought on board by the Pirates for their first NHL season.

  Darragh did not wait long to demonstrate his skills to fans and scored the franchise’s first game-winner when he blasted the biscuit past Doc Stewart of the Boston Bruins on November 26, 1925. Against the Montreal Maroons on January 27, 1926, he scored an overtime goal just 48 seconds into the extra period. The extra-time heroics returned on March 12 in the second-last game of the year when he victimized Stewart once more. The Bruins protested, however, claiming Pittsburgh’s goalposts were not properly fastened at the time.

  Lionel Conacher

  Known to fans as the “Big Train,” Conacher was a force to be reckoned with no matter what sport he played. A multi-talented athlete who didn’t take up hockey until his teenage years, Conacher won championships with the Toronto Argonauts and the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball club. After amateur hockey success that included a Memorial Cup victory with the Toronto Canoe Club, he headed south to play for the Pittsburgh Yellowjackets.

  Despite a love of football, Conacher finally succumbed to the lure of turning pro before the 1925–26 season and remained in Pittsburgh with the new Pirates hockey club. He made history in the team’s first game against the Boston Bruins on November 26, 1925, by scoring the franchise’s first goal on Doc Stewart. He also scored the opening goal in the last game of the year, against the Ottawa Senators on March 15, 1926, and it was all his team needed to roll to a 2–0 victory.

  Lionel Conacher

  Baldy Cotton

  Cotton is often remembered by old-time hockey fans as one of Toronto’s most popular performers in the early 1930s, but his NHL career began with the Pirates in the 1925–26 season. As a young man, he moved to Pittsburgh to attend Duquesne University and starred for the Yellowjackets while in school.

  Thanks to his name recognition with local fans, Cotton was signed by the Pirates on September 26, 1925. According to newspaper reports, he made his debut on the road against the Canadiens on November 28. His first career point was a significant one as he earned an assist on Odie Cleghorn’s winning goal against Boston on December 11. He finally bulged the twine himself on January 26, 1926, flying the puck past John Ross Roach of the St. Pats. Later in his rookie season he also scored game-winners against the Habs and Maroons.

  Odie Cleghorn

  Cleghorn, one of hockey’s most feared and reviled players during the sport’s formative years, had the distinction of being a playing coach for the Pirates in their first NHL season in 1925–26. He also had the daunting task of helping hockey succeed in a relatively new market just warming up to the sport.

  While his expertise behind the bench led the team to a playoff spot, he played in just 17 games but did manage to score the winner in a 5–3 victory over Boston on December 11, 1925. It was a contest filled with all sorts of excitement and the Bruins had Odie’s brother, Sprague, in the lineup that night. He also served as the team’s captain on the ice.

  The face of the franchise in the Pirates’ first four seasons, Cleghorn was pressed into duty for only five games after the team’s inaugural season, but he did come up with an innovation that changed the game forever. He was the first coach to use set rotating-lines during games instead of letting the players leave the ice only when they required rest. It is surprising that he has not been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame and unfortunate that he may never receive the recognition he deserves.

  Odie Cleghorn

  Roy Worters

  A diminutive dynamo who kept the puck out of the net for two seasons with the Pittsburgh Yellowjackets, Worters was part of the crew that formed the first Pirates roster and gave the new club credibility in the crease.

  From the first game on, he was one of the team’s biggest stars and he played every game except one during the 1925–26 campaign. He ranked among the league’s top goaltenders in all stats and his 1.90 goals-against average is a record for an expansion club that may never be broken. In net for the team’s opening victory against Boston on November 26, 1925, Worters followed it up with a shutout against the Montreal Canadiens two days later. The Ottawa Senators were his most frequent victim; he blanked them on three occasions before heading into a playoff clash with the Montreal Maroons.

  Roy Worters

  EXPANSION YEAR RECORD: 19–22–3

  (41 points — third in American Division)

  COACH: Pete Muldoon

  FIRST GAME: November 17, 1926 —

  4–1 win vs. Toronto St. Pats

  FIRST GOAL: November 17, 1926 by George Hay

  CHICAGO

  BLACKHAWKS

  The Chicago Blackhawks joined the NHL at an opportune time for the young league, as it was still dealing with the threat of a rival league taking over cities they considered prime future locations.

  Coffee magnate Major Frederic McLaughlin, an associate of Tex Rickard and a former military man, outbid James E. Norris for the rights to an NHL franchise in the Windy City. He stocked his team with top players from the WHL’s Portland Rosebuds and dubbed his team the “Blackhawks” after the 86th Infantry Division he fought with in World War I. The name also, indirectly, had a local connection because of Chief Black Hawk of the Sauk nation. McLaughlin had no real knowledge of hockey, but he was passionate about the game.

  McLaughlin’s wife, ballroom dancer Irene Castle, designed the club’s black and white jersey and logo.

  The initial logo created some confusion over the team’s official name, and for nearly 60 years, until the original charter was discovered and the error was corrected, most references to the team were to “Black Hawks” instead of “Blackhawks.”

  Veteran coach Pete Muldoon, who was born Linton Muldoon Tracy, was brought in to serve as the team’s first coach. The roster was laden with tremendous talent like Dick Irvin, Babe Dye, George Hay, Mickey McKay and aging netminder Hugh Lehman. As a group, they had a great deal of experience at the pro level and were serious contenders.

  For most of the NHL’s first decade, there loomed the threat of another loop being started by constant thorn-in-the-side Eddie Livingstone. Those fears became a reality in 1926. The Chicago Cardinals of the American Hockey Association were ready to start play around the same time as the Black Hawks — and share the Coliseum. McLaughlin had actually allowed this to happen, as he had no idea who Livingstone was. The move certainly did not endear him to some of the other owners.

  Nevertheless, the Black Hawks held their season opener against the Toronto St. Patricks on November 17, 1926, and rolled to a 4–1 victory for more than 7,000 fans. The crowd was noticeably smaller for a win over Boston three days later, but the contest did feature the first NHL goal by Hall of Famer Eddie Shore, who had come to the Bruins from out west.

  The Cardinals made their debut soon after but played to progressively smaller houses. Sensing an opportunity to cause some damage, NHL president Frank Calder asserted that Cards players Teddy Graham and Cy Wentworth belonged to his league and that the American Hockey Association had voided their working agreement with the NHL, effectively branding them outlaws. It was a bold power play, but it discredited Livingstone in the eyes of AHA owners. Livingstone was forced to dramatically cut ticket prices to draw fans.

  McLaughlin responded by cutting prices as well, but he packed the house better, thanks to the growing perception that the NHL was better than the AHA. Although he had a five-year lease, Livingstone decided to sell the Cardinals to local interests at the end of the yea
r.

  At the end of the first season, Muldoon handed in his resignation to McLaughlin, fed up with the owner’s insistence on controlling too many aspects of the team. Some hockey historians swear by Jim Coleman’s colourful story of the Curse of Muldoon. The myth of a disgruntled coach telling the owner that his team would never win a championship during his lifetime made for a fun tale, but it was simply a fabrication that gave the Chicago team an excuse for never being at the top of the league during the regular season.

  Chicago finished third in the American Division, and they made it to the playoffs but lost a total-goals series to Boston by a 10–5 margin. Although the team led the NHL in goals scored during the regular season, they also had the worst defensive record to go along with it, so it was no surprise they folded during the playoffs. Still, their first year was somewhat of a success.

  After that modest success, the Black Hawks experienced some early growing pains as the team sought to establish themselves in the 10-team NHL. The arrival of goaltender Charlie Gardiner in their second season moved the process along. In 1933–34, fans in Chicago enjoyed their first Stanley Cup championship, but tragically, Gardiner passed away mere weeks after the victory. Four years later, they won another Cup in a most improbable fashion when they squeaked into the playoffs with a losing record and defeated the heavily favoured Toronto Maple Leafs with a lineup that included a for-the-time unprecedented number of American-born players.

  In the first years of the Original Six era, Chicago had more than its fair share of struggles even with some great talents like Bill Mosienko, Bill Gadsby and the Bentley brothers, Max and Doug. By the late 1950s, many players regarded the Windy City as a sort of hockey purgatory. But the team was building into a contender with some fresh faces, including Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull, Pierre Pilote, Moose Vasko, Ken Wharram and Glenn Hall, who led the charge to a Stanley Cup in 1960–61. For the rest of the decade, they were one of the league’s premier clubs and finally won a regular-season title in 1966–67 to end the supposed Curse of Muldoon.