1903 Stanley Cup championship
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The 1903 Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL) season was the fifth season of the league. Teams played an eight game schedule. Ottawa and Montreal Victorias tied for the league championship with records of six wins and two losses. Ottawa defeated the Victorias in a two-game playoff to win the season and their first
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
championship, the first of "Silver Seven" era.


League business


Executive

* Harry Trihey, Shamrocks (President) * P. M. Butler, Ottawa (1st Vice-President) * A. D. Scott, Quebec ( 2nd Vice-President) * Fred McRobie, Montreal (Secretary-Treasurer) It was decided that league champions would not play for the
Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup (french: La Coupe Stanley) is the championship trophy awarded annually to the National Hockey League (NHL) playoff champion. It is the oldest existing trophy to be awarded to a professional sports franchise in North America, an ...
until after the season. If a challenge was ordered by the Cup trustees, Montreal would default the Cup. A challenge was ordered by the trustees and Montreal eventually agreed to play Winnipeg in January during regular season play. This season saw the loss of several players to hockey leagues in the U.S., including
Charlie Liffiton Charles Albert Liffiton (December 14, 1878 – August 11, 1941) was an early professional ice hockey player. Over the span of his career he played for the Montreal Hockey Club, the professional Pittsburgh Bankers of the Western Pennsylvania Hocke ...
, Hod Stuart,
Bruce Stuart Charles Bruce Stuart (November 30, 1881 – October 28, 1961) was a Canadian amateur and professional ice hockey forward who played for the Quebec Bulldogs, Ottawa Senators, Montreal Wanderers, Portage Lakes Hockey Club, Pittsburgh Victorias ...
, Eddie Hogan and George McCarron.


Season


Highlights

This season saw several impressive rookies including Frank McGee and
Art Moore Arthur Augustus Cutler Moore (August 25, 1880 – January 7, 1935) was an elite amateur ice hockey defenceman for the Ottawa Hockey Club during the era that it was known as the ''Silver Seven'' from 1903 to 1906. The club won the Stanley Cup in Ma ...
for Ottawa. The season would be a two team race between Montreal Victorias and Ottawa, splitting their matches between each other. The season ended in a tie, which necessitated a playoff, won by Ottawa to win their first Stanley Cup. At the other end of the standing, Shamrocks did not win any games.


Final standing


Playoffs

Ottawa HC The Ottawa Senators were an ice hockey team based in Ottawa, which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League (NHL) and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934. The c ...
and Montreal Victorias played a two-game total-goals series.


Stanley Cup challenges


Winnipeg vs. Montreal

Another Montreal HC vs. Winnipeg Victorias best-of-three challenge series was held in early 1903. In game one, defending champion Montreal defeated Winnipeg, 8–1. Game two was the first Stanley Cup challenge match to be replayed. Both teams skated to a 2–2 tie before the game had to be suspended at 27:00 of overtime because of a midnight curfew. It was then decided to discard the result and replay the game two days later. In the rescheduled contest, the Victorias won, 4–2, to even the series. However, Montreal won the decisive game three, 4–1, to retain the Cup. * Spare - Winnipeg Victorias - Dan Bain - C * Spares - Montreal AAA - Cecil Blachford - RW, Tom Hodges - D, Charles Liffton - RW, George Smith - RW * Spare - Winnipeg Victorias - Dan Bain - C * Spares - Montreal AAA - Billy Bellingham - D, Jimmy Gardner - RW, Charles Liffton - RW, George Smith - RW * Spare - Winnipeg Victorias - Dan Bain - C * Spares - Montreal AAA - Billy Bellingham - D, Jimmy Gardner - RW, Charles Liffton - RW, George Smith - RW * Spare - Winnipeg Victorias - Dan Bain - C * Spares - Montreal AAA - Cecil Blachford - D, Jimmy Gardner - RW, Tom Hodges - D, Charles Liffton - RW,


Rat Portage vs. Ottawa HC

Ottawa defeated the Rat Portage Thistles 6–2, 4–2 (10–4) in a two-game, total goals series in Ottawa, March 12–14, 1903. As the new CAHL and Cup champions, the Ottawas accepted a challenge from the
Rat Portage Thistles The Kenora Thistles, officially the Thistles Hockey Club, were a Canadian ice hockey team based in Kenora, Ontario. Founded in 1894, they were originally known as the Rat Portage Thistles. The team competed for the Stanley Cup, the ice hockey ...
of the
Manitoba & Northwestern Hockey Association The Manitoba & Northwestern Hockey Association was an early senior-level men's amateur ice hockey league, founded in 1903, and played one season, 1903-1904 before joining the Manitoba Hockey Association. It operated in the provinces of Manitoba and ...
(MNWHA). Entering the best-of-three challenge series, the Thistles were younger and quicker than Ottawa; only one player on the Thistles was over the age of 20. Any chance that those factors could have helped the team was negated by soft ice conditions. Ottawa swept the series with scores of 6–2 and 4–2. For their win, the Ottawa players would each receive a silver nugget. From that point on the team would also be known as the ''Silver Seven.''


Schedule and results

† Postponed and not played.


Player statistics


Goaltending averages

Note: GP = Games played, GA = Goals against, SO = Shutouts, GAA = Goals against average


Scoring leaders

Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals scored


Stanley Cup engravings


1903 Montreal Hockey Club


1903 Ottawa Hockey Club


References


Notes


Bibliography

* *


See also

* List of Stanley Cup champions {{DEFAULTSORT:CAHL seasons
1903 Events January * January 1 – Edward VII is proclaimed Emperor of India. * January 19 – The first west–east transatlantic radio broadcast is made from the United States to England (the first east–west broadcast having been ...
1902–03 in Canadian ice hockey by league