Montreal Hockey Club
Encyclopedia
The Montreal Hockey Club of Montreal, Quebec
, Canada
was a senior-level men's amateur ice hockey
club, organized in 1884. They were affiliated with Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (MAAA) and used the MAAA 'winged wheel' logo. The team is notable for winning the first Stanley Cup
in 1893, and in a dispute with the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, for refusing it. The club is variously known as 'Montreals', 'Montreal AAA' and 'Winged wheel' in literature.
The team played in several early ice hockey leagues, including the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada from 1886 until 1898, winning its championship seven times. The team competed in purely amateur leagues until 1906. After two seasons of playing with professionals, the club left its league, the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association
to continue playing in amateur competition. It would go on to win the Allan Cup
in 1930, the successor of the Stanley Cup as the trophy given to Canadian amateur hockey champions. In 1932, the club would leave the MAAA association and become the Montreal Royals, eventually becoming a 'semi-professional' team in the Quebec Senior Hockey League
.
, and would play at the Victoria Skating Rink
.
The Club was organized formally as an affiliate of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association on November 28, 1884. The first president of the team was Thomas Fraser and the first team was composed of T. L. Paton
in goal, F. M. Larmonth, point; W. D. Aird, coverpoint; W. C. Hodgson, D. McIntyre, R. F. Smith and F. W Barlow
, forwards. Several of the players were members of the Montreal Lacrosse Club. The team played its first game on January 20, 1885 against McGill University
, winning 2–1.
The club would be a founding member of the Montreal-based Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) in 1886. The team held the Amateur Hockey Association title from 1888 until 1894. After the AHAC disbanded in 1898, the club continued in the Canadian Amateur Hockey League
, winning the league title in 1902.
The Stanley Cup
, as it would later be known, was to be presented to the Montreal Hockey Club on May 15, 1893, as its initial champions. At the time, the Montreal Hockey Club was in a dispute with its parent organization, the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association
(MAAA). The MAAA was split on whether to accept the trophy. The hockey club, was adamant about refusing the trophy, while other arms of the MAAA accepted. Thus, the trophy was accepted by the MAAA, but with none of the hockey officials of the hockey club present.
After accepting the trophy, the hockey club remained adamant about returning the trophy that was presented to them. In the end, the MAAA investigated into why its hockey club wanted to refuse and return the trophy, even though such an action would damage the reputation of the MAAA. It was believed that the people who were in charge of running their team were, in fact, not representative of the team itself, and when the hockey club asked for a loan of $175 in start-up expenses for the 1894 season, it was flatly refused (the first time the MAAA refused anything to the hockey club). Inexplicably, the hockey club reversed its position, and the next few months saw a gradual schism between the MAAA and the club. The inscription on the Cup when it was successfully defended in 1894 only stated "Montreal". The MAAA, at one point, considered the hockey club to have seceded from the organization that bore them. The issue was resolved in later years, after various attempts at reconciliation.
The Club won Stanley Cup challenges in March 1894, March 1902 and February 1903. The 1902 team was known as the "Little Men of Iron" and its players became the core of the very successful Montreal Wanderers
which was a professional club.
The team played two seasons with professional players, in 1907 and 1907–08, in the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association
, and after that no longer competed for the Stanley Cup, which was for professional teams. The club then joined the Inter-provincial Amateur Hockey Union, competing for the Allan Cup
, the championship for senior amateur teams in Canada, and winning it in 1930.
On October 11, 1932, the directors of the MAAA announced the turning over of the hockey club in its entirety to E.S. Hamilton and Ogilvie at a meeting of the Province of Quebec Hockey Association. The club was to be renamed the Royal Hockey Club or Montreal Royals, independent of the association. The junior club operated by the M.A.A.A was also transferred.
Starting in 1908, the Montreal Hockey Club played in the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association and the Inter-provincial Amateur Hockey Union leagues.
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
was a senior-level men's amateur ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
club, organized in 1884. They were affiliated with Montreal Amateur Athletic Association (MAAA) and used the MAAA 'winged wheel' logo. The team is notable for winning the first 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...
in 1893, and in a dispute with the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, for refusing it. The club is variously known as 'Montreals', 'Montreal AAA' and 'Winged wheel' in literature.
The team played in several early ice hockey leagues, including the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada from 1886 until 1898, winning its championship seven times. The team competed in purely amateur leagues until 1906. After two seasons of playing with professionals, the club left its league, the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association
Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association
The Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association was a men's amateur, later professional ice hockey league in Canada that played four seasons. It was founded on December 11, 1905 with six clubs: four from the Canadian Amateur Hockey League and two from the Federal Amateur Hockey League, to bring...
to continue playing in amateur competition. It would go on to win the Allan Cup
Allan Cup
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men’s ice hockey champions of Canada. It has been competed for since 1909. The current champion is the Clarenville Caribous hockey club of Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:...
in 1930, the successor of the Stanley Cup as the trophy given to Canadian amateur hockey champions. In 1932, the club would leave the MAAA association and become the Montreal Royals, eventually becoming a 'semi-professional' team in the Quebec Senior Hockey League
Quebec Senior Hockey League
The Quebec Senior Hockey League was an ice hockey league that operated between 1941 and 1959 in Québec, Canada. From 1941, it operated on an amateur basis, before becoming the semi-professional Quebec Hockey League in 1953...
.
History
Prior to the Club's formal organization, a group of hockey enthusiasts from the 'Montreal Football Club' would play as the 'Montreal Hockey Club', as far back as 1877. The group was captained by James Creighton before he moved to OttawaOttawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, and would play at the Victoria Skating Rink
Victoria Skating Rink
The Victoria Skating Rink was an indoor skating rink located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, which opened in 1862. The building was used during winter seasons for pleasure skating, ice hockey and skating sports on a natural ice rink. In summer months, the building was used for various other events,...
.
The Club was organized formally as an affiliate of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association on November 28, 1884. The first president of the team was Thomas Fraser and the first team was composed of T. L. Paton
Tom Paton (ice hockey)
Tom L. Paton born 1854 - died February 10, 1909 was a Canadian ice hockey player of the pre-NHL era of the sport. He played the position of Goaltender for the Montreal HC and was a member of the first Stanley cup winning team in 1893....
in goal, F. M. Larmonth, point; W. D. Aird, coverpoint; W. C. Hodgson, D. McIntyre, R. F. Smith and F. W Barlow
Billy Barlow
William "Billy" McKenzie Barlow was a Canadian amateur ice hockey player in the late 19th century. He played for the Montreal Hockey Club, champions of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada from 1888 to 1897, and first winners of the Stanley Cup in 1893...
, forwards. Several of the players were members of the Montreal Lacrosse Club. The team played its first game on January 20, 1885 against McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, winning 2–1.
The club would be a founding member of the Montreal-based Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) in 1886. The team held the Amateur Hockey Association title from 1888 until 1894. After the AHAC disbanded in 1898, the club continued in the Canadian Amateur Hockey League
Canadian Amateur Hockey League
The Canadian Amateur Hockey League was an early men's amateur hockey league founded in 1898, replacing the organization that was formerly the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada before the 1898–99 season. The league existed for seven seasons, folding in 1905 and was itself replaced by the Eastern...
, winning the league title in 1902.
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...
, as it would later be known, was to be presented to the Montreal Hockey Club on May 15, 1893, as its initial champions. At the time, the Montreal Hockey Club was in a dispute with its parent organization, the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association
Montreal AAA
Montreal Amateur Athletic Association is Canada's oldest athletic association, located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was renamed as the Club Sportif MAA or just MAA in 1999 after a brush with bankruptcy, but is still widely known as the MAAA...
(MAAA). The MAAA was split on whether to accept the trophy. The hockey club, was adamant about refusing the trophy, while other arms of the MAAA accepted. Thus, the trophy was accepted by the MAAA, but with none of the hockey officials of the hockey club present.
Montreal Wanderers
The Montreal Wanderers were a Canadian amateur, and later becoming a professional men's ice hockey team. The team played in the Federal Amateur Hockey League , the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association , the National Hockey Association and briefly the National Hockey League . The Wanderers are...
which was a professional club.
The team played two seasons with professional players, in 1907 and 1907–08, in the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association
Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association
The Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association was a men's amateur, later professional ice hockey league in Canada that played four seasons. It was founded on December 11, 1905 with six clubs: four from the Canadian Amateur Hockey League and two from the Federal Amateur Hockey League, to bring...
, and after that no longer competed for the Stanley Cup, which was for professional teams. The club then joined the Inter-provincial Amateur Hockey Union, competing for the Allan Cup
Allan Cup
The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the national senior amateur men’s ice hockey champions of Canada. It has been competed for since 1909. The current champion is the Clarenville Caribous hockey club of Newfoundland and Labrador.-History:...
, the championship for senior amateur teams in Canada, and winning it in 1930.
On October 11, 1932, the directors of the MAAA announced the turning over of the hockey club in its entirety to E.S. Hamilton and Ogilvie at a meeting of the Province of Quebec Hockey Association. The club was to be renamed the Royal Hockey Club or Montreal Royals, independent of the association. The junior club operated by the M.A.A.A was also transferred.
Season-by-season record
| Year | League | GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | PIM | Finish | Playoffs |
| 1885 | independent | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | Won Montreal Winter Carnival |
| 1886 | independent | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | Won Burlington Winter Carnival |
| 1887 1887 AHAC season The 1887 AHAC season was the inaugural season of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada. Play was in challenges. The Montreal Crystals won the final challenge of the season to win the Canadian championship and first league championship.-League Business:... |
AHAC | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 8 | 5 | -- | -- | Won Montreal Winter Carnival |
| 1888 1888 AHAC season The 1888 AHAC season was the second season of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada. Play was in a series format. The Montreal Hockey Club would win a playoff against the Montreal Victorias to win the Canadian championship for the first time.... |
AHAC | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 23 | 9 | -- | -- | AHAC champions |
| 1888–89 | AHAC | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 21 | 7 | -- | -- | AHAC champions |
| 1890 1890 AHAC season The 1890 AHAC season was the fourth season of the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada. Play was in challenges. The Montreal Hockey Club would win the final challenge of the season to win the Canadian championship for the third season in a row.... |
AHAC | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 33 | 17 | -- | -- | AHAC champions |
| 1891 1891 AHAC season The 1891 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season saw the Montreal Hockey Club win the league and Canadian championship for the fourth straight season. Ontario launched the Ontario Hockey Association as the popularity of the sport spread west... |
AHAC | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 18 | 4 | -- | -- | AHAC champions |
| 1892 1892 AHAC season The 1892 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted until March 7. The championship changed hands twice during the season. Ottawa defeated the Montreal Hockey Club in January and held the championship until March, defending it six times before Montreal won it in the final challenge of the... |
AHAC | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 21 | -- | -- | AHAC co-champions Lost to Ottawa in first challenge of season; defeated Ottawa (1–0) in final challenge to regain championship |
| 1893 1893 AHAC season The 1893 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted from January 7 until March 17. The Montreal Hockey Club was the league and Canadian champion for the sixth season in a row and was awarded the Stanley Cup. They were the first winners of the Cup and did not have to challenge for... |
AHAC | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 14 | 38 | 18 | -- | 1st | AHAC champions Awarded Stanley Cup |
| 1894 1894 AHAC season The 1894 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted from January 5 until March 10. Montreal HC would win the league and Canadian championship for the seventh season in a row.-Executive:* President - W. Jack, Victorias... |
AHAC | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 25 | 15 | -- | 1st (four-way tie) | AHAC champions Won Stanley Cup Defeated Victorias (3–2), Ottawa(3–1) in playoff. |
| 1895 1895 AHAC Season The 1895 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted from January 3 until March 8. Each team played 8 games, and Montreal Victorias were first with a 6–2–0 record. After a required Stanley Cup challenge played between the 1894 winners, Montreal HC and Queen's, champion of the Ontario Hockey... |
AHAC | 8 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 33 | 22 | -- | 2nd | defeated Queen's University 5-1 in Stanley Cup Challenge game. Following the game the Stanely Cup was the awarded to Montreal Victorias as 1895 AHAC Regular Season Champions. Montreal HC has never been recognized as a Stanley Cup champion in 1895. |
| 1896 1896 AHAC season The 1896 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted from January 3 until March 7. Each team played 8 games, and Montreal Victorias were first with a 7–1 record. During the season, on February 14 the Victorias hosted a Stanley Cup challenge match with the Winnipeg Victorias club. Winnipeg... |
AHAC | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 24 | 33 | -- | 4th | -- |
| 1897 1897 AHAC season The 1897 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted from January 9 until March 6. Each team played 8 games, and Montreal Victorias were again first with a 7–1 record, retaining the Stanley Cup. The club won the Stanley Cup back from the Winnipeg Victorias prior to the season. This was their... |
AHAC | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 31 | 26 | -- | 3rd | -- |
| 1898 1898 AHAC season The 1898 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted from January 8 until March 5. Each team played 8 games, and Montreal Victorias were again first with a 8–0 record, to retain the Stanley Cup. This was their fourth-straight league championship.... |
AHAC | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 34 | 21 | -- | 2nd | -- |
| 1899 1899 CAHL season The inaugural 1899 Canadian Amateur Hockey League season lasted from January 7 until March 4. Teams played an eight game schedule The Montreal Shamrocks were the league champion with a record of seven wins and one loss.-Highlights:... |
CAHL Canadian Amateur Hockey League The Canadian Amateur Hockey League was an early men's amateur hockey league founded in 1898, replacing the organization that was formerly the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada before the 1898–99 season. The league existed for seven seasons, folding in 1905 and was itself replaced by the Eastern... |
8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 30 | 29 | -- | 4th | -- |
| 1900 1900 CAHL season The 1900 Canadian Amateur Hockey League season lasted from January 6 until March 10. Teams played an eight game schedule. Again, the Montreal Shamrocks were the league champion with a record of seven wins and one loss.-Executive:... |
CAHL | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 34 | 36 | -- | 2nd | -- |
| 1901 1901 CAHL season The 1901 Canadian Amateur Hockey League season lasted from January 5 until March 5. Teams played an eight game schedule. The Ottawa Hockey Club was the league champion with a record of seven wins, no losses and a draw. The Montreal Shamrocks lost a Stanley Cup challenge during the season, so... |
CAHL | 8 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 28 | 37 | -- | 4th | -- |
| 1902 1902 CAHL season The 1902 Canadian Amateur Hockey League season lasted from January 5 until March 1. Teams played an eight game schedule. The Montreal HC were the league champion with a record of six wins and two losses.-Executive:... |
CAHL | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 39 | 15 | -- | 1st | Defeated Winnipeg Victorias Winnipeg Victorias The Winnipeg Victorias were a former amateur senior-level men's amateur ice hockey team in Winnipeg, Manitoba, organized in 1889. They played in the Manitoba Hockey Association in the late 19th and early 20th centuries... 2–1 in best-of-three challenge. Won Stanley Cup |
| 1903 1903 CAHL season The 1903 Canadian Amateur Hockey League season lasted from January 3 until February 28. Teams played an eight game schedule. Ottawa and Montreal Victorias tied for the league championship with records of six wins and two losses.-Executive:... |
CAHL | 8 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 34 | 19 | -- | 3rd | Defeated Winnipeg Victorias in best-of-three challenge 8–1, 2–2(abandoned), 2–4, 4–1 to win Stanley Cup Challenge. Lost Stanley Cup by placing third. |
| 1904 1904 CAHL season The 1904 Canadian Amateur Hockey League season lasted from January 2 until February 24. Teams played an eight game schedule. This was a tumultuous year as Ottawa resigned in February and defaulted four games.... |
CAHL | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 34 | 49 | -- | 3rd | -- |
| 1905 1905 CAHL season The 1905 Canadian Amateur Hockey League season lasted from January 2 until March 11. Teams played a ten game schedule. This year saw the addition of two teams, Montreal Westmount and Montreal Nationals. Montreal Nationals had previously been in the FAHL. Montreal Victorias won the league... |
CAHL | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 54 | 42 | -- | 3rd | -- |
| 1906 1906 ECAHA season The inaugural 1906 Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association season lasted from January 3 until March 10. Teams played a ten game schedule. Ottawa HC and Montreal Wanderers would tie for the league championship with a record of 9–1, while the Montreal Shamrocks would not win a single game... |
ECAHA | 10 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 49 | 63 | -- | 5th | -- |
| 1907 1907 ECAHA season The 1907 Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association season lasted from January 3 until March 10. Teams played a ten game schedule. The Montreal Wanderers won the league championship going undefeated, with their only loss of the season coming in a Stanley Cup challenge series with... |
ECAHA | 10 | 3 | 7 | -- | 6 | 58 | 83 | -- | 4th | |
| 1907–08 1907–08 ECAHA season The 1907–08 Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association season lasted from December 29, 1907 until March 7, 1908. Teams played a ten game schedule. The Montreal Wanderers would win the league championship with a record of eight wins, two losses.... |
ECAHA | 10 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 53 | 205 | -- | 6th | -- |
| 1908–09 | IPAHU Inter-Provincial Amateur Hockey Union The Interprovincial Amateur Hockey Union was the premier amateur ice hockey league in Canada after the split between the amateur and professional ice hockey teams of the Eastern Canadian Amateur Hockey Association in 1908.-History:... |
6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 | -- | -- | -- | 3rd | |
| 1909–10 | IPAHU | 6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | -- | -- | -- | 4th |
Starting in 1908, the Montreal Hockey Club played in the Quebec Amateur Hockey Association and the Inter-provincial Amateur Hockey Union leagues.
Notable players
- James E. Norris (1898), later went on to be very successful in the grain, sports, entertainment and transportation industries, and founder of the Detroit Red WingsDetroit Red WingsThe Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
of the NHL, and adapted the MAAA logo for the Red Wings. - Dickie BoonDickie BoonRichard Robinson "Dickie" Boon was a Canadian ice hockey forward and manager. He played for the Montreal Hockey Club of the Canadian Amateur Hockey League and the Montreal Wanderers of the Federal Amateur Hockey League in the early 1900s...
(1902), founded the Montreal WanderersMontreal WanderersThe Montreal Wanderers were a Canadian amateur, and later becoming a professional men's ice hockey team. The team played in the Federal Amateur Hockey League , the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association , the National Hockey Association and briefly the National Hockey League . The Wanderers are...
, inducted into Hockey Hall of FameHockey Hall of FameThe Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
in 1952.
See also
- List of Stanley Cup champions
- Montreal Junior Hockey ClubMontreal Junior Hockey ClubThe Montreal Junior Hockey Club were a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League . The team is based out of the Verdun Auditorium, in Verdun, Quebec. The St. John's Fog Devils franchise relocated at the conclusion of the 2007–08 QMJHL season...