Russell Bowie
Encyclopedia
Russell G. "Russ, Dubbie" Bowie (August 24, 1880 – April 8, 1959) was a Canadian
ice hockey
player generally regarded as one of the best players of the pre-NHL
era of the sport. When the Hockey Hall of Fame
was founded in 1945, Bowie was one of the original twelve inductees.
of the AHAC, CAHL
and ECAHA
from the 1896
to 1908
seasons. He was a five-time scoring champion and scored an unprecedented 234 goals in 80 recorded league games. Bowie played for the Vics' final Stanley Cup
champion club in 1898. An accomplished stickhandler who credited his skill to employing an unusually short stick, he was cited in many all-star lists as one of the very best forwards of hockey's first half-century.
On February 20, 1901, Bowie of the Montreal Victorias scored seven goals in a game and was well positioned to dominate the CAHL, and two weeks later, he scored 6 goals against the Montreal Shamrocks
. He finished the season with 24 goals, 14 more than his nearest rival. Over his career, Mr. Bowie would average almost three goals per game, a mark only matched by Frank McGee in major senior play.
Bowie never accepted money to play hockey, famously refusing all importuning and turning down large offers, and was quoted as saying, "I am an amateur, was an amateur, and will die an amateur." He weathered a scandal in 1907 where it was alleged that he had taken pay from the professional Montreal Wanderers
club, but the allegations were proven baseless—although the Wanderers did send him a grand piano in anticipation of Bowie's acceptance of their offer, an inducement he refused to receive. He did play against professionals in the ECAHA and IPHL
.
Bowie retired from major play in 1909 - along with Harvey Pulford
, Harry Westwick
and Alf Smith
, one of the final players who had played in the 19th century - when the professional National Hockey Association
formed and the Victorias faded from major hockey prominence. He played in ten games for the Vics in the next two seasons in lower level amateur competition, but his retirement was punctuated by an injury in 1910, when he broke his collarbone. He became a referee in retirement, officiating for the NHA thereafter.
He was one of the original inductees of the Hockey Hall of Fame
when it was formed in 1945.
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...
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...
player generally regarded as one of the best players of the pre-NHL
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...
era of the sport. When the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The 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...
was founded in 1945, Bowie was one of the original twelve inductees.
Playing career
Bowie played centre and rover for numerous amateur Montreal teams in the 1890s as a teenager, and for the Montreal VictoriasMontreal Victorias
The Victoria Hockey Club of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was an early men's amateur ice hockey club. Its date of origin is ascribed to either 1874, 1877 or 1881, making it either the first or second organized ice hockey club after McGill University. The club played at its own rink, the Victoria Skating...
of the AHAC, 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...
and ECAHA
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...
from the 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...
to 1908
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....
seasons. He was a five-time scoring champion and scored an unprecedented 234 goals in 80 recorded league games. Bowie played for the Vics' final 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...
champion club in 1898. An accomplished stickhandler who credited his skill to employing an unusually short stick, he was cited in many all-star lists as one of the very best forwards of hockey's first half-century.
On February 20, 1901, Bowie of the Montreal Victorias scored seven goals in a game and was well positioned to dominate the CAHL, and two weeks later, he scored 6 goals against the Montreal Shamrocks
Montreal Shamrocks
The Montreal Shamrocks were an amateur, later professional, men's ice hockey club in existence from 1886, merging with the Montreal Crystals club in 1896. They won the Stanley Cup ice hockey championship in 1899 and 1900...
. He finished the season with 24 goals, 14 more than his nearest rival. Over his career, Mr. Bowie would average almost three goals per game, a mark only matched by Frank McGee in major senior play.
Bowie never accepted money to play hockey, famously refusing all importuning and turning down large offers, and was quoted as saying, "I am an amateur, was an amateur, and will die an amateur." He weathered a scandal in 1907 where it was alleged that he had taken pay from the professional Montreal Wanderers
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...
club, but the allegations were proven baseless—although the Wanderers did send him a grand piano in anticipation of Bowie's acceptance of their offer, an inducement he refused to receive. He did play against professionals in the ECAHA and IPHL
International Professional Hockey League
The International Professional Hockey League was the first fully professional ice hockey league, operating from 1904 to 1907. It was formed by Jack 'Doc' Gibson, a dentist who played hockey throughout Ontario before settling in Houghton, Michigan. The IPHL was a five team circuit which included...
.
Bowie retired from major play in 1909 - along with Harvey Pulford
Harvey Pulford
Ernest Harvey Pulford was a Canadian all-around athlete at the turn of the 20th century, winning national championships in ice hockey, lacrosse, football, boxing, paddling and rowing. He won four Stanley Cups with the Ottawa Hockey Club and championships or tournaments in every sport in which he...
, Harry Westwick
Rat Westwick
Harry "Rat" Westwick was a Canadian athlete in ice hockey and lacrosse. Westwick, nicknamed the Rat by a journalist, is most noted for his play with the Ottawa Hockey Club, nicknamed the Silver Seven during his day which won and defended the Stanley Cup from 1903 until 1906...
and Alf Smith
Alf Smith
Alfred Edward Smith was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Ottawa Senators, and Kenora Thistles. He had two brothers who played senior-level hockey Harry Smith and Tommy Smith...
, one of the final players who had played in the 19th century - when the professional 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...
formed and the Victorias faded from major hockey prominence. He played in ten games for the Vics in the next two seasons in lower level amateur competition, but his retirement was punctuated by an injury in 1910, when he broke his collarbone. He became a referee in retirement, officiating for the NHA thereafter.
He was one of the original inductees of the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The 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...
when it was formed in 1945.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... | A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... | Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... | PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1898–99 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:... |
Montreal Victorias Montreal Victorias The Victoria Hockey Club of Montreal, Quebec, Canada was an early men's amateur ice hockey club. Its date of origin is ascribed to either 1874, 1877 or 1881, making it either the first or second organized ice hockey club after McGill University. The club played at its own rink, the Victoria Skating... |
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... |
7 | 11 | 0 | 11 | — | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | — | ||
| 1899–00 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:... |
Montreal Victorias | CAHL | 7 | 15 | 0 | 15 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1900–01 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... |
Montreal Victorias | CAHL | 7 | 24 | 0 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1901–02 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:... |
Montreal Victorias | CAHL | 7 | 13 | 0 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1902–03 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:... |
Montreal Victorias | CAHL | 7 | 22 | 0 | 22 | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ||
| 1903–04 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.... |
Montreal Victorias | CAHL | 8 | 27 | 0 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1904–05 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... |
Montreal Victorias | CAHL | 8 | 27 | 0 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1905–06 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... |
Montreal Victorias | ECAHA 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... |
9 | 30 | 0 | 30 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1906–07 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... |
Montreal Victorias | ECAHA | 10 | 39 | 0 | 39 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1907–08 | Montreal Victorias | ECAHA | 10 | 31 | 0 | 31 | 19 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1908–09 | Montreal Victorias | 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:... |
5 | 21 | 0 | 21 | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1909–10 | Montreal Victorias | IPAHU | 3 | 6 | 0 | 6 | — | 2 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 8 | ||
| CAHL totals | 51 | 139 | 0 | 139 | — | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||||
| ECAHA totals | 29 | 100 | 0 | 100 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||