1914 Stanley Cup Finals
Encyclopedia
The 1914 Stanley Cup Finals was a series between the Victoria Aristocrats, champions of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association
(PCHA), and the Toronto Hockey Club
, champions of the National Hockey Association
(NHA). The Torontos defeated the Aristocrats in three games to win the best-of-five series. It was the first officially sanctioned series for the Stanley Cup
between the two leagues, starting the "World's Series" era where the NHL champion played off against a PCHA or Western league champion for the Stanley Cup.
After dispatching the Canadiens, the Blue Shirts faced off against the Victoria Aristocrats of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association
. A controversy erupted when a letter arrived from the Stanley Cup trustees on March 17, stating that the trustees would not let the Stanley Cup travel west, as they did not consider Victoria a proper challenger because they had not formally notified the trustees. However, on March 18, Trustee William Foran stated that it was a misunderstanding. PCHA president Frank Patrick had not filed a challenge, because he had expected Emmett Quinn of the NHA to make all of the arrangements in his role as hockey commissioner, whereas the trustees thought they were being deliberately ignored. In any case, all arrangements had been ironed out and the series was accepted.
Several days later, trustee William Foran wrote to NHA president Emmett Quinn that the trustees are "perfectly satisfied to allow the representatives of the three pro leagues (NHA, PCHA and Maritime) to make all arrangements each season as to the series of matches to be played for the Cup."
Scotty Davidson, Toronto's captain, sat out the second game due to the flu. The second game was seven-man hockey, played under PCHA rules, which also meant dividing up the ice into three zones, with the centre zone open to "off-side" passing. Toronto led 3–2 after the first period. Lester Patrick
scored twice and Tommy Dunderdale
scored in the second to give Victoria a 5–3 lead after two periods. Minnie McGiffin and Frank Foyston
scored in the third to tie the score, sending it to overtime. McGiffin scored the winning goal after 15 minutes of overtime.
Davidson returned for the third game as a substitute for Cully Wilson. The Victoria forwards back-checked well and reduced the shooting opportunities of Toronto. The game had a lot of rough play, and "the man with the puck was generally sent sprawling before he had a chance to shoot," according to The Globe. The Victoria forwards played a good game bringing many shots against Toronto's Harry Holmes
in net. Victoria's Patrick injured his wrist in the second period and could not shoot after that. Davidson and Genge started a fight at 15 minutes of the third period, clearing the benches. Foyston scored for Toronto in the second period, and Cameron scored in the third to score the winning goal. Victoria's Dubby Kerr scored with seven minutes to go, but Victoria was not able to get an equalizer.
All games played at Arena Gardens.
Total attendance for the series was 14,260, out of 22,500 capacity at the Arena. At the time, professional hockey was less of a draw than Ontario Hockey Association
(OHA) senior hockey. Two games between local OHA senior teams had drawn over 14,000. The Torontos players and staff received $297 each as their share of the gate receipts.
Pacific Coast Hockey Association
The Pacific Coast Hockey Association was a professional men's 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...
(PCHA), and the Toronto Hockey Club
Toronto Blueshirts
The Toronto Hockey Club, known as the Torontos and the Toronto Blue Shirts were a professional National Hockey Association team that played in Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
, champions of the National Hockey Association
National Hockey Association
The National Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor organization to today's National Hockey League...
(NHA). The Torontos defeated the Aristocrats in three games to win the best-of-five series. It was the first officially sanctioned series for the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
between the two leagues, starting the "World's Series" era where the NHL champion played off against a PCHA or Western league champion for the Stanley Cup.
Paths to the Final
Nearing the end of the season, the NHA made arrangements for the NHA champion to receive a challenge from the Sydney Millionaires, Maritime champions, ordered by the Stanley Cup trustees. As arranged by the NHA, the series would have taken place on March 9 through 11. After that, the winner would face off in a series with the PCHA champions in Toronto. The tie in the NHA standings meant that the March 9–11 dates were spent on the Toronto - Montreal series, while the Toronto-Victoria series went ahead as scheduled, and the challenge of Sydney was not played.After dispatching the Canadiens, the Blue Shirts faced off against the Victoria Aristocrats of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association
Pacific Coast Hockey Association
The Pacific Coast Hockey Association was a professional men's 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...
. A controversy erupted when a letter arrived from the Stanley Cup trustees on March 17, stating that the trustees would not let the Stanley Cup travel west, as they did not consider Victoria a proper challenger because they had not formally notified the trustees. However, on March 18, Trustee William Foran stated that it was a misunderstanding. PCHA president Frank Patrick had not filed a challenge, because he had expected Emmett Quinn of the NHA to make all of the arrangements in his role as hockey commissioner, whereas the trustees thought they were being deliberately ignored. In any case, all arrangements had been ironed out and the series was accepted.
Several days later, trustee William Foran wrote to NHA president Emmett Quinn that the trustees are "perfectly satisfied to allow the representatives of the three pro leagues (NHA, PCHA and Maritime) to make all arrangements each season as to the series of matches to be played for the Cup."
The series
The first game, the first Stanley Cup game in Toronto, was played under NHA rules. Toronto won 5–2 as the "Coast Champions Did Not Show Expected Form" according to the Toronto Globe. Victoria had too much individual play and not enough "team play and combination work."Scotty Davidson, Toronto's captain, sat out the second game due to the flu. The second game was seven-man hockey, played under PCHA rules, which also meant dividing up the ice into three zones, with the centre zone open to "off-side" passing. Toronto led 3–2 after the first period. Lester Patrick
Lester Patrick
Curtis Lester "The Silver Fox" Patrick born in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada, was a professional ice hockey player and coach associated with the Victoria Aristocrats/Cougars of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association , and the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League...
scored twice and Tommy Dunderdale
Tommy Dunderdale
Thomas Dunderdale was a professional ice hockey forward. Born in Australia, he moved to Canada at the age of 17, in 1904. He played in Winnipeg for three seasons, from 1906 to 1910. In 1910, he joined the Montreal Shamrocks of the National Hockey Association , before moving on to the Quebec...
scored in the second to give Victoria a 5–3 lead after two periods. Minnie McGiffin and Frank Foyston
Frank Foyston
Frank Corbett "The Flash" Foyston was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward.Born in Minesing, Ontario, Foyston played for the Toronto Blueshirts of the NHA, the Seattle Metropolitans in the PCHA, the Victoria Cougars in the WCHL/WHL and Detroit Cougars in the NHL.He won the Stanley Cup with...
scored in the third to tie the score, sending it to overtime. McGiffin scored the winning goal after 15 minutes of overtime.
Davidson returned for the third game as a substitute for Cully Wilson. The Victoria forwards back-checked well and reduced the shooting opportunities of Toronto. The game had a lot of rough play, and "the man with the puck was generally sent sprawling before he had a chance to shoot," according to The Globe. The Victoria forwards played a good game bringing many shots against Toronto's Harry Holmes
Hap Holmes
Harry George "Hap" Holmes was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. As a professional, Holmes won the Stanley Cup four times, with four different teams. He tied the record of his 1914 Stanley Cup winning Toronto Blueshirts teammate Jack Marshall, who also has won Cups with four different...
in net. Victoria's Patrick injured his wrist in the second period and could not shoot after that. Davidson and Genge started a fight at 15 minutes of the third period, clearing the benches. Foyston scored for Toronto in the second period, and Cameron scored in the third to score the winning goal. Victoria's Dubby Kerr scored with seven minutes to go, but Victoria was not able to get an equalizer.
| Date | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Rules | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 14 | Toronto | 5–2 | Victoria Aristocrats | NHA | |
| March 17 | Toronto | 6–5 | Victoria Aristocrats | PCHA | 15:00, OT |
| March 19 | Toronto | 2–1 | Victoria Aristocrats | NHA | |
| Toronto wins best-of-five series 3 games to 0 | |||||
All games played at Arena Gardens.
Total attendance for the series was 14,260, out of 22,500 capacity at the Arena. At the time, professional hockey was less of a draw than Ontario Hockey Association
Ontario Hockey Association
The Ontario Hockey Association is the governing body for the majority of Junior and Senior level ice hockey teams in the Province of Ontario. The OHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation along with the Northern Ontario Hockey Association. Other Ontario sanctioning bodies along with the...
(OHA) senior hockey. Two games between local OHA senior teams had drawn over 14,000. The Torontos players and staff received $297 each as their share of the gate receipts.