Shorty Green
Encyclopedia
Wilfred Thomas "Shorty" Green (July 17, 1896 – April 19, 1960) was a Canadian
professional ice hockey
forward
who played four seasons in the National Hockey League
(NHL) for the Hamilton Tigers and New York Americans
. As captain of the Tigers in 1925, he led the team on a strike
with the demand that the players be paid an additional C$
200 to participate in the playoffs. The league refused, suspended the team and sold the organization New York interests. As a member of the Americans, Green scored the first goal in Madison Square Garden
history, and after two seasons as a player in New York, coached the team for one before coaching minor league teams for several years. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
in 1962.
in his hometown and was a member of the team that won the Northern Ontario senior championship in 1915. He joined the Canadian military in 1916, serving and playing with the 227th Battalion in the Ontario Hockey Association
senior division in 1916–17. Deployed overseas in 1917, Green fought in the Battle of Passchendaele where he was a victim of a gas attack.
Discharged from the military in December, 1918, Green returned to hockey. He joined the Hamilton Tigers senior team and led them to the 1919 Allan Cup
championship before returning home to play four seasons with the Sudbury Wolves of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association
. He moved back to Hamilton in 1923 and began his professional career. He played on a line with his brother, "Red" Green, and Billy Burch
for the last place Tigers. Green was unanimously voted as team captain prior to the start of the 1924–25 NHL season and his skill and physical style in spite of his small stature made him a fan favourite. The Tigers flourished on the ice, finishing as the top team in the NHL, and qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
When the players learned that team owners were making large profits on the Tigers despite ownership's claims the team was "suffering" financially, Green and Burch led a player's strike against management, demanding a C$
200 bonus each or the players would not participate in the playoffs. Team management refused while NHL president Frank Calder
warned that if the players did not relent, he would suspend the team and award the fourth-place Ottawa Senators
Hamilton's place in the NHL final. The players refused to give in, and as a result, Calder ultimately declared the Montreal Canadiens
league champions after they defeated the Toronto St. Patricks
in the semi-final and fined each player $200. It was the first player's strike in NHL history.
Additionally, the strike led to the demise of Hamilton's entry in the NHL as the team and players were sold and became the New York Americans
for the 1925–26 season. Many of the players received significant raises following the transfer to New York, including Green who saw his salary rise from $3,000 per season to $5,000. On December 19, 1925, he scored the first goal in Madison Square Garden
history before a crowd of 17,000 fans. Late in his second season with the Americans, Green suffered a dislocated kidney during a game and was sent to hospital in critical condition. He recovered, but the injury ended his playing career.
The Americans named Green their head coach for the 1927–28 NHL season, and finished the season outside of the playoffs with a record of 11–27–6. He left the NHL to coach the Duluth Hornets of the American Hockey Association
for three seasons between 1928 and 1931, appearing in three games, and with the Tulsa Oilers in 1931–32.
He coached the Hamilton Tigers' senior team for one season in 1932–33 before returning to Sudbury where he first opened a men's clothing store and in 1937, founded the Sudbury Golf Club with two partners. He ran the club until his death of cancer in 1960. Green was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
in 1962.
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...
professional 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...
forward
Forward (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, a forward is a player position on the ice whose primary responsibility is to score goals. Generally, the forwards try to stay in three different lanes, also known as thirds, of the ice going from goal to goal. It is not mandatory however, to stay in a lane. Staying in a lane aids in...
who played four seasons 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) for the Hamilton Tigers and New York Americans
New York Americans
The New York Americans were a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League and the second to play in the United States. The team never won the Stanley Cup, but reached the semifinals...
. As captain of the Tigers in 1925, he led the team on a strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
with the demand that the players be paid an additional C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
200 to participate in the playoffs. The league refused, suspended the team and sold the organization New York interests. As a member of the Americans, Green scored the first goal in Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
history, and after two seasons as a player in New York, coached the team for one before coaching minor league teams for several years. He was inducted into 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...
in 1962.
Playing career
A native of Sudbury, Ontario, Green played senior hockeySenior ice hockey
Senior hockey refers to amateur or semi-professional ice hockey competition for players too old to play junior ice hockey. The top senior amateur teams in Canadian leagues compete annually for the Allan Cup....
in his hometown and was a member of the team that won the Northern Ontario senior championship in 1915. He joined the Canadian military in 1916, serving and playing with the 227th Battalion in the 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...
senior division in 1916–17. Deployed overseas in 1917, Green fought in the Battle of Passchendaele where he was a victim of a gas attack.
Discharged from the military in December, 1918, Green returned to hockey. He joined the Hamilton Tigers senior team and led them to the 1919 Allan Cup
1919 Allan Cup
-Final:*Hamilton Tigers 6 Selkirk 1*Selkirk 5 Hamilton Tigers 1Tigers won on goals differential...
championship before returning home to play four seasons with the Sudbury Wolves of the Northern Ontario Hockey Association
Northern Ontario Hockey Association
The Northern Ontario Hockey Association is minor and junior level ice hockey governing body. The NOHA is sanctioned by the Ontario Hockey Federation and Hockey Canada. The major league run by the NOHA is the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League of the Canadian Junior A Hockey League...
. He moved back to Hamilton in 1923 and began his professional career. He played on a line with his brother, "Red" Green, and Billy Burch
Billy Burch
Harry Wilfred Burch was an Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Hamilton Tigers, New York Americans, Chicago Black Hawks, and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League...
for the last place Tigers. Green was unanimously voted as team captain prior to the start of the 1924–25 NHL season and his skill and physical style in spite of his small stature made him a fan favourite. The Tigers flourished on the ice, finishing as the top team in the NHL, and qualifying for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
When the players learned that team owners were making large profits on the Tigers despite ownership's claims the team was "suffering" financially, Green and Burch led a player's strike against management, demanding a C$
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
200 bonus each or the players would not participate in the playoffs. Team management refused while NHL president Frank Calder
Frank Calder
-External links:*...
warned that if the players did not relent, he would suspend the team and award the fourth-place Ottawa Senators
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...
Hamilton's place in the NHL final. The players refused to give in, and as a result, Calder ultimately declared the 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 ...
league champions after they defeated the Toronto St. Patricks
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in the semi-final and fined each player $200. It was the first player's strike in NHL history.
Additionally, the strike led to the demise of Hamilton's entry in the NHL as the team and players were sold and became the New York Americans
New York Americans
The New York Americans were a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League and the second to play in the United States. The team never won the Stanley Cup, but reached the semifinals...
for the 1925–26 season. Many of the players received significant raises following the transfer to New York, including Green who saw his salary rise from $3,000 per season to $5,000. On December 19, 1925, he scored the first goal in Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
history before a crowd of 17,000 fans. Late in his second season with the Americans, Green suffered a dislocated kidney during a game and was sent to hospital in critical condition. He recovered, but the injury ended his playing career.
The Americans named Green their head coach for the 1927–28 NHL season, and finished the season outside of the playoffs with a record of 11–27–6. He left the NHL to coach the Duluth Hornets of the American Hockey Association
American Hockey Association (1926–1942)
The American Hockey Association was a minor professional hockey league that operated between 1926 and 1942. It had previously operated as the Central Hockey League , and before that as part of the United States Amateur Hockey Association. The founding president was Alvin Warren, who also owned the St...
for three seasons between 1928 and 1931, appearing in three games, and with the Tulsa Oilers in 1931–32.
He coached the Hamilton Tigers' senior team for one season in 1932–33 before returning to Sudbury where he first opened a men's clothing store and in 1937, founded the Sudbury Golf Club with two partners. He ran the club until his death of cancer in 1960. Green was inducted into 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...
in 1962.
Playing career
| 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 | ||
| 1923–24 | Hamilton Tigers | 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... |
22 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1924–25 | Hamilton Tigers | NHL | 28 | 18 | 9 | 27 | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1925–26 | New York Americans New York Americans The New York Americans were a professional ice hockey team based in New York, New York from 1925 to 1942. They were the third expansion team in the history of the National Hockey League and the second to play in the United States. The team never won the Stanley Cup, but reached the semifinals... |
NHL | 32 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1926–27 | New York Americans | NHL | 21 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 103 | 33 | 20 | 53 | 151 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Coaching career
| Season | Team | League | G | W | L | T | Pts | Division rank | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927–28 | New York Americans | NHL | 44 | 11 | 27 | 6 | 28 | 5th Canadian | Out of playoffs |
| 1928–29 | Duluth Hornets | AHA | 40 | 15 | 21 | 4 | 34 | ||
| 1929–30 | Duluth Hornets | AHA | 48 | 18 | 13 | 17 | 53 | ||
| 1930–31 | Duluth Hornets | AHA | 48 | 28 | 19 | 1 | 57 | ||
| 1931–32 | Tulsa Oilers | AHA | 48 | 16 | 28 | 4 | 36 | ||
| 1932–33 | Hamilton Tigers | OHA Sr. | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 30 | ||
| NHL totals | 44 | 11 | 27 | 6 | .318 points percentage | ||||