1906–07 MPHL season

The 1906–07 Manitoba Professional Hockey League (MPHL) season would see the 1906 MPHL champion Kenora Thistles challenge the Montreal Wanderers in a Stanley Cup challenge in January and win the MPHL championship, only to lose the Cup in a challenge in March.

Regular season

The Winnipeg Hockey Club and Winnipeg Victorias left the league which now accepted professionals openly. The teams organized an amateur league.[1]

Teams played ten games, except for Kenora, which played the Stanley Cup challenge. As a consequence, the standings were adjusted to account for the challenge.

After the Thistles won the Stanley Cup in Montreal, the team played exhibitions in Ottawa and Toronto. In the Ottawa game Billy McGimsie suffered a career-ending shoulder injury. At the time, it was not described as serious, only a "badly bruised and slightly dislocated shoulder".[2] He played in the Thistles' next exhibition in Toronto on January 25.[3] The team signed Fred Whitcroft to replace him. Kenora signed Alf Smith and Rat Westwick of Ottawa, whose season with the ECAHA was already over, for the final game of the season and the playoffs to play in place of future Hall of Famers Art Ross and Joe Hall who were back playing for Brandon.[1]

All games
Team Games Played Wins Losses Ties Pts
Brandon Wheat City
10
5
2
3
13
Portage la Prairie Plains
10
5
3
2
12
Kenora Thistles 64208
Winnipeg Strathconas 101813
Adjusted
Team Games Played Wins Losses Ties Pts
Brandon Wheat City
6
4
2
0
8
Kenora Thistles 64208
Portage la Prairie
6
3
3
0
6
Winnipeg Strathconas 61502

Source: Zwieg, 2012[4]

Playoff

Kenora would play and win the MPHL playoff against Brandon to successfully defend the Cup, winning a best-of-three series 2–0. Hall and Ross played for Brandon in the series, while Smith, Westwick and Whitcroft played for the Thistles. At the time of the series, the acting Stanley Cup trustee William Foran had already declared Smith and Westwick ineligible for the challenge series. After the series was over, the Manitoba League registered their disapproval over Mr. Foran's decision to exclude the players.[5]

Date Winning Team Score Losing Team Location
March 16, 1907Kenora Thistles8–6Brandon Wheat CityWinnipeg Auditorium
March 18, 1907Kenora Thistles4–1Brandon Wheat City
Kenora wins series 2–0
March 16, 1907
Brandon Wheat Kings 6 vs Kenora Thistles 8
Bobby MercerGEddie Geroux
Art LeaderPRoxy Beaudro
Art RossCPSi Griffis
George SmithROHarry Westwick
Joe Hall Capt.CFred Whitecroft
Walter BellamyRWAlf Smith
Jack FraserLWTommy Phillips, Capt.
Art Serviss -RWspareTom Hopper -RO/D
Roy Armstrong -DspareRussell Phillips -RW/LW


March 18, 1907
Brandon Wheat Kings 1 vs Kenora Thistles 4
Bobby MercerGEddie Geroux
Art LeaderPRoxy Beaudro
Art RossCPSi Griffis
George SmithROHarry Westwick
Joe Hall Capt.CFred Whitecroft
Walter BellamyRWAlf Smith
Jack FraserLWTommy Phillips, Capt.
Art Serviss -RWspareTom Hopper -RO/D
Roy Armstrong -DspareRussell Phillips -RW/LW

- Goal scorers in both games are unknown

Stanley Cup challenges

As the Thistles were Manitoba champions for 1906, they were accepted as Stanley Cup challengers. However, the challenge did not take place until January 1907.

Wanderers vs. Kenora at Montreal

The Thistles played the Montreal Wanderers in a Stanley Cup challenge during the season, defeating the Wanderers 4–2 and 8–6 on January 17–21. Aided by future Hockey Hall of Famers Tom Hooper, Tommy Phillips, and Art Ross, the Thistles came away with 4–2 and 8–6 victories for a combined score of 12–8 to win a two-game total goals series. A "ringer", Ross was a member of the Brandon Wheat City team and was signed by Kenora for just the challenge games. Brandon's Joe Hall also signed for the challenge games and returned to Brandon afterward.

Date Winning Team Score Losing Team Location
January 17, 1907Kenora Thistles4–2Montreal WanderersMontreal Arena
January 21, 1907Kenora Thistles8–6Montreal Wanderers
Kenora wins total goals series 12 goals to 8
January 17, 1907
Montreal Wanderers 2 vs Kenora Thistles 4
William "Riley" HernGEddie Geroux
Billy StrachanPArt Ross
Hod StuartCPSi Griffis
Lester Patrick, Capt.2ROTom Hooper
Ernie RussellCBilly McGimsie
Frank "Pud" GlassRWRoxy Beaudro
Ernie "Moose" JohnsonLWTommy Phillips, Capt.4
Jack Marshall1sub
Rod KennedyspareJoe Hall
Bill ChipcasespareRussell Phillips
Referees Meldrun, Russell Bowie
January 21, 1907
Montreal Wanderers 6 vs Kenora Thistles 8
William "Riley" HernGEddie Geroux
Rod KennedyPArt Ross
Hod StuartCPSi Griffis
Lester Patrick, Capt3ROTom Hooper3
Ernie Russell2CBilly McGimsie1
Frank "Pud" GlassRWRoxy Beaudro1
Ernie "Moose" JohnsonLWTommy Phillips, Capt.3
Jack Marshall1sub
Billy StrachanspareJoe Hall
Bill ChipcasespareRussell Phillips
Referees Chittick, Shea

Wanderers vs. Kenora at Winnipeg

Kenora went ahead and used Alf Smith and Rat Westwick of Ottawa for the challenge, against the wishes of Stanley Cup trustee Mr. Foran. The series was supposed to start on March 21 in Kenora, but Montreal protested the use of Smith and Westwick, and also wanted to play the series in Winnipeg. Foran ruled that both players were ineligible. The clubs went ahead and started the series on March 23 in Winnipeg. Mr. Foran was notified by the press (inaccurately) that Montreal had dropped its protest and that the clubs intended to play anyway. Mr. Foran threatened to take the Cup back to Ottawa:

If the two clubs ignore the instructions of the cup trustees by mutually agreeing to play against Westwick and Smith when both were positively informed these men were ineligible to participate in the present cup matches, the series will be treated as void, and the cup will be taken charge of by the trustees. It will remain in their possession till the various hockey leagues can educate themselves up to a standard where decent sport will be the order of the day.”[6]

The teams went ahead and played the series. However, Mr. Foran changed his mind after the Wanderers won the Cup, stating that the Wanderers could keep the Cup, because they had not rescinded their protest.[7]

Date Winning Team Score Losing Team Location
March 23, 1907Montreal Wanderers7–2Kenora ThistlesWinnipeg Auditorium
March 25, 1907Kenora Thistles6–5Montreal Wanderers
Montreal wins total goals series 12 goals to 8
March 23, 1907
Montreal Wanderers 7 at Kenora Thistles 2
William "Riley" HernGEddie Geroux
Lester Patrick, Capt.PTom Hooper
Hod StuartCPSi Griffis
Frank "Pud" Glass2ROHarry "Rat" Westwick
Ernie Russell4CFred Whitecroft
Cecil BlachfordRWAlf Smith1
Ernie "Moose" Johnson1LWTommy Phillips, Capt.1
Bill ChipcasespareRoxy Beaudro
T Eskrine & Rod KennedyspareRussell Phillips
Referee- W. MacFarlane
Referee W. Kean
March 25, 1907
Montreal Wanderers 5 at Kenora Thistles 6
William "Riley" HernGEddie Geroux
Lester Patrick, Capt.1PRoxy Beaudro1
Hod StuartCPSi Griffis1
Frank "Pud" Glass1ROHarry "Rat" Westwick
Ernie Russell1CFred Whitecroft2
Cecil BlachfordRWAlf Smith1
Ernie "Moose' Johnson2LWTommy Phillips, Capt.1
T Eskrine & Rod KennedyspareRussell Phillips
Bill ChipcasespareTom Hooper
Referee- W. MacFarlane
Referee W. Kean

Kenora Thistles - January–March 1907 Stanley Cup champions

Players

  Centres
  Wingers
  Defencemen

Coaching and administrative staff

  • Fred Hudson (Manager), James Link (Coach/Trainer)
  • J.F McGillvary@ (Secretary/Treasurer), Lowrey Johnson (President)&
  • † Not part of team when Kenora won the Stanley Cup in January 1907. However, Harry Westwick, Fred Whitcroft, and Alf Smith joined the team in March 1907 to play against the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2 playoff games.
  • †† Left the team after winning the Stanley Cup, Art Ross, and Joe Hall were not part of the team, when Kenora defeated Brandon in 2 game playoff for Manitoba League Title/Stanley Cup.

@unknown first name.

  • &-Missing from the team picture.

Stanley Cup engraving

Kenora engraved their name inside the bowl of the Stanley Cup. 1907 Thistles of Kenora[8] .

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See also

References
Bibliography
  • Coleman, Charles L. (1966), The Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1, 1893–1926 inc., NHL
  • Podnieks, Andrew: Lord Stanley Cup, Fenn Publishing Company, 2004
  • Zweig, Eric (2012). Stanley Cup: 120 years of hockey supremacy. Firefly Books. ISBN 978-1-77085-104-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Notes
  1. Zweig 2012, p. 295.
  2. "Ottawas Won From Thistles". Ottawa Journal. January 24, 1907. p. 2.
  3. "Cup Holders Won". Ottawa Journal. January 26, 1907. p. 2.
  4. Zweig 2012, p. 294.
  5. "The Protest From Kenora", The Globe, p. 9, March 19, 1907
  6. "Never Too Late to Mend", The Globe, p. 9, March 25, 1907
  7. "The News of Sport", The Globe, p. 9, March 26, 1907
  8. [Podnieks]
Preceded by
1905–06		 MHA seasons
1906–07		 Succeeded by
1907–08
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