1918–19 Ottawa Senators season
Encyclopedia
The 1918–19 Ottawa Senators
season was the club's 34th season, second in the National Hockey League
(NHL), and they would see much improvement over the previous season. The season was cut short by the Toronto Arenas
suspending operations, leaving the Senators and Montreal Canadiens
to play the first best-of-seven playoff series to determine the NHL championship, won by Montreal.
again. Meanwhile, Dey signed an agreement with Percy Quinn
, who held an option on the Quebec city hockey club to rent The Arena for a new 'Canadian Hockey Association' league. This however was a ruse. However, his ruse worked to his advantage in negotiating with the Ottawa HC. When it became clear that the Aberdeen would not be converted back to hockey, Rosenthal gave up his share of the hockey club. As part of an agreement reached out, Dey and Gorman now became equal partners in the new 'Ottawa Arena Club' which would operate the Ottawa hockey club in the NHL. The Ottawas were now bound to the Arena for the next five years as well. Rosenthal was provided $500 as compensation for his share.
Dey was sued by Percy Quinn for his actions and trial took place in December 1918 and January 1919 in Toronto. Quinn lost his legal case as the option on the Arena was not enough of a contract to prove legal fraud on Dey's part, who continued to offer a place in the Arena to Quinn. By this time, Quinn's proposed league had failed as the players had signed with Dey and Gorman and elsewhere with the NHL.
would die of pneumonia
before the season began on October 14, 1918. He was a victim of the influenza epidemic that spread across North America from 1918 to 1919. Shore was 32 years old.
After a 5–5–0 record in the first half of the season, the Senators would go on to an 7–1–0 record in the second half.
Cy Denneny
and Frank Nighbor
would lead the team with 18 goals and 22 points each, while Clint Benedict
would win a league best 12 games, along with his NHL leading 2.91 GAA.
After the season, the club travelled to Vancouver to play a best-of-three against the Millionaires, winning the exhibition series three games to two.
for the NHL championship. The Canadiens would go on to win the series in five games and represent the NHL in the Stanley Cup series against the Seattle Metropolitans
. The Stanley Cup would not be awarded for this season though, due to the Spanish Flu
epidemic ending the series without a decision.
Source: NHL.com
Ottawa Senators (original)
The Ottawa Senators were an amateur, and later, professional, ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934...
season was the club's 34th season, second in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL), and they would see much improvement over the previous season. The season was cut short by the Toronto Arenas
Toronto Arenas
The Toronto Arenas, Toronto Blueshirts or Torontos was a professional men's ice hockey team that played in the first two seasons of the National Hockey League . It was operated by the owner of the Arena Gardens, the Toronto Arena Company...
suspending operations, leaving the Senators and Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
to play the first best-of-seven playoff series to determine the NHL championship, won by Montreal.
Team business
The club's ownership and arena arrangements changed in the off-season. Prior to the season, Ted Dey, as arena owner, held out the use of The Arena in negotiations with the Ottawa Hockey Club, of which he was one-third partner. Martin Rosenthal and Tommy Gorman, his hockey club partners, tried to use the Aberdeen PavilionAberdeen Pavilion
The Aberdeen Pavilion is an exhibition hall in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Overlooking the Rideau Canal, it is located in Lansdowne Park, Ottawa's historic fairgrounds...
again. Meanwhile, Dey signed an agreement with Percy Quinn
Percy Quinn
John Purcell Quinn was a Canadian athlete, businessman, sports promoter and politician in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He was the owner and president of the Toronto Blueshirts, winners of the Stanley Cup in 1914. He was a member of the world champion Montreal Shamrocks lacrosse team in 1896...
, who held an option on the Quebec city hockey club to rent The Arena for a new 'Canadian Hockey Association' league. This however was a ruse. However, his ruse worked to his advantage in negotiating with the Ottawa HC. When it became clear that the Aberdeen would not be converted back to hockey, Rosenthal gave up his share of the hockey club. As part of an agreement reached out, Dey and Gorman now became equal partners in the new 'Ottawa Arena Club' which would operate the Ottawa hockey club in the NHL. The Ottawas were now bound to the Arena for the next five years as well. Rosenthal was provided $500 as compensation for his share.
Dey was sued by Percy Quinn for his actions and trial took place in December 1918 and January 1919 in Toronto. Quinn lost his legal case as the option on the Arena was not enough of a contract to prove legal fraud on Dey's part, who continued to offer a place in the Arena to Quinn. By this time, Quinn's proposed league had failed as the players had signed with Dey and Gorman and elsewhere with the NHL.
Regular season
Senators player Hamby ShoreHamby Shore
Samuel Hamilton Shore was a Canadian professional hockey player who played several seasons for the Ottawa Senators, notably during the "Silver Seven" era when the club was champion from 1903 until 1906...
would die of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
before the season began on October 14, 1918. He was a victim of the influenza epidemic that spread across North America from 1918 to 1919. Shore was 32 years old.
After a 5–5–0 record in the first half of the season, the Senators would go on to an 7–1–0 record in the second half.
Cy Denneny
Cy Denneny
Cyril Joseph Denneny was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League and the Toronto Blueshirts of the National Hockey Association. His brother Corbett Denneny also played in the NHL.-Early life:Cy Denneny was born...
and Frank Nighbor
Frank Nighbor
Julius Francis "Pembroke Peach" Nighbor was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League and National Hockey Association and Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL, Toronto Blueshirts of the NHA and Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific...
would lead the team with 18 goals and 22 points each, while Clint Benedict
Clint Benedict
Clinton Stevenson "Praying Bennie" Benedict was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Maroons. He played on four Stanley Cup-winning squads. He was the first goaltender in the National Hockey League to wear a face mask...
would win a league best 12 games, along with his NHL leading 2.91 GAA.
After the season, the club travelled to Vancouver to play a best-of-three against the Millionaires, winning the exhibition series three games to two.
Playoffs
The Senators played off against the Montreal CanadiensMontreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
for the NHL championship. The Canadiens would go on to win the series in five games and represent the NHL in the Stanley Cup series against the Seattle Metropolitans
Seattle Metropolitans
The Seattle Metropolitans were a professional ice hockey team based in Seattle, Washington which played in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association from 1915 to 1924. They won the Stanley Cup in 1917, becoming the first American team to do so...
. The Stanley Cup would not be awarded for this season though, due to the Spanish Flu
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
epidemic ending the series without a decision.
Schedule and results
| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record | Pts |
| First half | ||||||
| 1 | December 21 | Ottawa Senators | 5–2 | Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
1–0–0 | 2 |
| 2 | December 26 | Toronto Arenas Toronto Arenas The Toronto Arenas, Toronto Blueshirts or Torontos was a professional men's ice hockey team that played in the first two seasons of the National Hockey League . It was operated by the owner of the Arena Gardens, the Toronto Arena Company... |
2–5 | Ottawa Senators | 2–0–0 | 4 |
| 3 | December 31 | Ottawa Senators | 2–4 | Toronto Arenas Toronto Arenas The Toronto Arenas, Toronto Blueshirts or Torontos was a professional men's ice hockey team that played in the first two seasons of the National Hockey League . It was operated by the owner of the Arena Gardens, the Toronto Arena Company... |
2–1–0 | 4 |
| 4 | January 2 | Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
2–7 | Ottawa Senators | 3–1–0 | 6 |
| 5 | January 4 | Ottawa Senators | 2–5 | Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
3–2–0 | 6 |
| 6 | January 9 | Toronto Arenas Toronto Arenas The Toronto Arenas, Toronto Blueshirts or Torontos was a professional men's ice hockey team that played in the first two seasons of the National Hockey League . It was operated by the owner of the Arena Gardens, the Toronto Arena Company... |
2–4 | Ottawa Senators | 4–2–0 | 8 |
| 7 | January 14 | Ottawa Senators | 2–5 | Toronto Arenas Toronto Arenas The Toronto Arenas, Toronto Blueshirts or Torontos was a professional men's ice hockey team that played in the first two seasons of the National Hockey League . It was operated by the owner of the Arena Gardens, the Toronto Arena Company... |
4–3–0 | 8 |
| 8 | January 16 | Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
10–6 | Ottawa Senators | 4–4–0 | 8 |
| 9 | January 18 | Ottawa Senators | 3–5 | Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
4–5–0 | 8 |
| 10 | January 23 | Toronto Arenas Toronto Arenas The Toronto Arenas, Toronto Blueshirts or Torontos was a professional men's ice hockey team that played in the first two seasons of the National Hockey League . It was operated by the owner of the Arena Gardens, the Toronto Arena Company... |
2–3 | Ottawa Senators | 5–5–0 | 10 |
| Second half | ||||||
| 11 | January 25 | Ottawa Senators | 1–0 | Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
1–0–0 | 2 |
| 12 | January 28 | Ottawa Senators | 2–1 | Toronto Arenas Toronto Arenas The Toronto Arenas, Toronto Blueshirts or Torontos was a professional men's ice hockey team that played in the first two seasons of the National Hockey League . It was operated by the owner of the Arena Gardens, the Toronto Arena Company... |
2–0–0 | 4 |
| 13 | January 30 | Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
2–3 | Ottawa Senators | 3–0–0 | 6 |
| 14 | February 6 | Toronto Arenas Toronto Arenas The Toronto Arenas, Toronto Blueshirts or Torontos was a professional men's ice hockey team that played in the first two seasons of the National Hockey League . It was operated by the owner of the Arena Gardens, the Toronto Arena Company... |
1–3 | Ottawa Senators | 4–0–0 | 8 |
| 15 | February 8 | Ottawa Senators | 3–4 | Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
4–1–0 | 18 |
| 16 | February 13 | Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
0–7 | Ottawa Senators | 5–1–0 | 10 |
| 17 | February 18 | Ottawa Senators | 4–3 | Toronto Arenas Toronto Arenas The Toronto Arenas, Toronto Blueshirts or Torontos was a professional men's ice hockey team that played in the first two seasons of the National Hockey League . It was operated by the owner of the Arena Gardens, the Toronto Arena Company... |
6–1–0 | 12 |
| 18 | February 20 | Toronto Arenas Toronto Arenas The Toronto Arenas, Toronto Blueshirts or Torontos was a professional men's ice hockey team that played in the first two seasons of the National Hockey League . It was operated by the owner of the Arena Gardens, the Toronto Arena Company... |
3–9 | Ottawa Senators | 7–1–0 | 14 |
Playoffs
Montreal Canadiens 4, Ottawa Senators 1| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | Record |
| 1 | February 23 | Ottawa Senators | 4–8 | Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
0–1 |
| 2 | February 27 | Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
5–3 | Ottawa Senators | 0–2 |
| 3 | March 2 | Ottawa Senators | 3–6 | Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
0–3 |
| 4 | March 3 | Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
3–6 | Ottawa Senators | 1–3 |
| 5 | March 6 | Ottawa Senators | 2–4 | Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
1–4 |
Scoring leaders
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cy Denneny Cy Denneny Cyril Joseph Denneny was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League and the Toronto Blueshirts of the National Hockey Association. His brother Corbett Denneny also played in the NHL.-Early life:Cy Denneny was born... |
18 | 18 | 4 | 22 | 43 |
| Frank Nighbor Frank Nighbor Julius Francis "Pembroke Peach" Nighbor was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League and National Hockey Association and Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL, Toronto Blueshirts of the NHA and Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific... |
18 | 18 | 4 | 22 | 27 |
| Jack Darragh Jack Darragh John Proctor "Jack" Darragh was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Ottawa Senators in the National Hockey League and its predecessor the National Hockey Association.-Playing career:Darragh played his entire professional career with the Ottawa Senators... |
14 | 12 | 1 | 13 | 27 |
| Sprague Cleghorn Sprague Cleghorn Henry William Sprague "Peg" Cleghorn, , was a Canadian professional hockey player from Westmount who played for the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Renfrew Creamery Kings and Toronto St. Patricks in the National Hockey Association and National Hockey League... |
18 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 27 |
| Eddie Gerard Eddie Gerard Edward George Gerard was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and coach. Born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada he played professionally for 10 seasons for the hometown Ottawa Senators and was member of several Stanley Cup-winning teams before retiring as a player in 1923... |
18 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 17 |
Goaltending
| Player | GP | Min | W | L | T | GA | SO | GAA |
| Sprague Cleghorn Sprague Cleghorn Henry William Sprague "Peg" Cleghorn, , was a Canadian professional hockey player from Westmount who played for the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, Ottawa Senators, Renfrew Creamery Kings and Toronto St. Patricks in the National Hockey Association and National Hockey League... |
1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Clint Benedict Clint Benedict Clinton Stevenson "Praying Bennie" Benedict was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Maroons. He played on four Stanley Cup-winning squads. He was the first goaltender in the National Hockey League to wear a face mask... |
18 | 1113 | 12 | 6 | 0 | 54 | 2 | 2.91 |
Roster
- Benedict, Clint (G)
- Boucher, Georges (D)
- Broadbent, PunchPunch BroadbentHarold Lawton "Punch" Broadbent was an ice hockey player for the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Maroons and the New York Americans, and generally regarded as one of the first true power forwards in National Hockey League history.-Personal life:Born in Ottawa, Ontario...
(R) - Cameron, Harry (D)
- Cleghorn, Sprague (D)
- Darragh, Jack (R)
- Denneny, Cy (L)
- Gerard, Eddie (L)
- Lowrey, EdEddie LowreyEdwin James "Ed" Lowrey, was a Canadian professional ice hockey centre. Lowrey played for Ottawa Senators, Toronto Ontarios, Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Blueshirts, Hamilton Tigers and the Regina Capitals...
(C) - Nighbor, Frank (C)
- Ronan, SkeneSkene RonanErskine Rockliffe Ronan was a Canadian professional hockey player who played 10 professional seasons. Ronan played the majority of his professional career in the National Hockey Association and played one season in its successor league, the National Hockey League in 1918–19 as a member of the...
(D)
Source: NHL.com