1904–05 FAHL season

The 1904–05 Federal Amateur Hockey League (FAHL) season lasted from December 31, 1904 until March 3. Teams played an eight game schedule.

League business

Ottawa Hockey Club, who officially joined the FAHL prior to the end of the last season, played its first full season in the league. Montreal Le National left the league and joined the rival Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL). Ottawa had negotiated with the CAHL to return, along with the Wanderers joining, but this was turned down. Ottawa Capitals also left the FAHL.

Regular season

The newly transferred Ottawa Hockey Club would win the league championship – and retain the Stanley Cup – with a record of seven wins and one loss.

Highlights

Ottawa's Frank McGee would score five goals against the Montagnards on February 4.

Final standing

Team	Games Played	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals For	Goals Against
Ottawa Hockey Club	8	7	1	0	60	19
Montreal Wanderers	8	6	2	0	44	27
Brockville	8	4	4	0	34	30
Cornwall HC	8	3	5	0	18	37
Montreal Montagnards	8	0	8	0	19	62

Results

Month	Day	Visitor	Score	Home	Score
Dec.	31	Cornwall	4	Wanderers	6
Jan.	2	Montagnards	3	Brockville	10
	7	Wanderers	3	Ottawa	9
	11	Cornwall	2	Brockville	3
	13	Wanderers	6	Montagnards	1
	21	Montagnards	2	Cornwall	4
	23	Ottawa	3	Brockville	5
	27	Cornwall	3	Montagnards	2
	28	Wanderers	3	Brockville	2
Feb.	1	Brockville	4	Wanderers	8
	1	Ottawa	7	Cornwall	2
	4	Montagnards	4	Ottawa	14
	8	Brockville	0	Ottawa	7
	11	Ottawa	4	Wanderers	2
	13	Brockville	1	Cornwall	2
	17	Brockville	9	Montagnards	2
	18	Wanderers	7	Cornwall	1
	24	Cornwall	0	Ottawa	9
	25	Montagnards	2	Wanderers	9
Mar.	3 (†)	Ottawa	7	Montagnards	3

† Ottawa HC lock down League Championship, retain Stanley Cup.

Goaltending averages

Name	Club	GP	GA	SO	Avg.
Finnie, Dave	Ottawa	8	19	2	2.4
Baker, W.	Wanderers	7	23	0	3.3
Kerr	Brockville	8	30	0	3.8
Lavigne	Montagnards	1	4	0	4.0
Brighton	Wanderers	1	4	0	4.0
Hunter, Jack	Cornwall	8	37	0	4.6
Menard, Henri	Montagnards	7	58	0	8.3

Scoring leaders

Name	Club	GP	G
McGee, Frank	Ottawa	6	17
Marshall, Jack	Wanderers	8	17
Westwick, Harry	Ottawa	8	15
Smith, Alf	Ottawa	8	13
Blachford, Cecil	Wanderers	7	10
Glass, Frank	Wanderers	6	9
Lannon, W.	Brockville	8	7
Shore, Hamby	Ottawa	3	6
Marks, Jack	Brockville	8	6
Mallette, Bob	Cornwall	8	5

Stanley Cup challenges

Ottawa vs. Dawson City

In January 1905, the Dawson City Nuggets travelled 4,000 miles (6,400 km) from the Yukon to Ottawa for a best-of-three Cup challenge series. The Nuggets actually left Dawson City on December 19, 1904 and travelled on a month-long journey by dog sled (Dawson to Whitehorse), ship (Skagway to Vancouver), and train (Whitehorse to Skagway, and Vancouver to Ottawa). Largely because of the long trip, they were no match for the Silver Seven. Ottawa defeating them in the first game, 9–2. Numerous Stanley Cup records were then set in game two, including Frank McGee's 14 goals, which included eight consecutive goals scored in less than nine minutes, and a 23–2 rout, the largest margin of victory for any challenge game or Stanley Cup Final game to date.

Several players playing for Dawson were from the Ottawa area. Jim Johnstone was from Ottawa. Norman Watt was from Aylmer, Quebec. Randy McLennan had played in a Stanley Cup challenge for Queen's University of Kingston, Ontario. Another player has Stanley Cup challenge experience: Lorne Hanna, "formerly of the Yukon", had played for Brandon Wheat Cities in their 1904 challenge of Ottawa.

Date	Winning Team	Score	Losing Team	Location
January 13, 1905	Ottawa Senators	9–2	Dawson City Nuggets	Dey's Arena
January 16, 1905	Ottawa Senators	23–2	Dawson City Nuggets
Ottawa wins best-of-three series 2 games to 0

Game One Dawson at Ottawa, January 13, 1905 Ottawa 9 P Dawson 2 Dave Finnie G Albert Forrest Arthur "Bones" Allen P Jim Johnstone Arthur Moore CP Lorne Hanna Harry Westwick 2 RO Randy McLennan 1 Frank McGee 1 C Hector Smith Alf Smith 4 RW George Kennedy 1 Frank White 2 LW Norman Watt Referee – Harlow Stiles, Cornwall A. ^ Coleman lists spelling as Lorne Hanna, other spellings include Hannay (Reddick's spelling) and Hanney(in The Globe article) B. ^ Coleman lists E. Butterworth as referee. However, Boyle is recorded as complaining about Stiles missing off-side calls. Source: Coleman, pg. 112

According to The Globe: The score was 9 to 2 but Ottawa might have increased its proportions had they set to work to run up a score on the men who had travelled 4,000 miles from the far north in quest of the trophy. During the first twenty minutes of play, the challenging team made a remarkably fine showing against the champions, but after that they gradually faded away and were never seriously in the running, indicating that the chief fault with the team is that they are not in condition to stand the test of a hard battle after their long trip of 23 days from the north. While defeated to-night, it is undoubtably the fact that the team will be a different proportion in the second game on Monday.

Sources:

• Fischler(1990), pg. 261

Game Two Dawson at Ottawa, January 16, 1905 Ottawa 23 P Dawson 2 Dave Finnie G Albert Forrest Harvey Pulford P Jim Johnstone Arthur Moore CP Lorne Hanna Harry Westwick 5 RO Dave Fairburn Frank McGee 14 C Hector Smith 2 Alf Smith 3 RW George Kennedy Frank White 1 LW Norman Watt Referee – E. Butterworth, Ottawa Source: Coleman, pg. 112

After the second game, The Globe reported: The visiting team was outclassed to-night quite as decisively as the score indicates. In fact had it not been for the fact of Forrest's presence in the Dawson goal the score against them might have been a great deal larger. Ottawa simply skated away from them at the whistle, and continued to pile up the goals with a merciless monotonous regularity which was farcical in the extreme.

Sources:

• Fischler(1990), pg. 261

After the series, Ottawa held a banquet for Dawson City at the Ottawa Amateur Athletic Association (OAAA) clubhouse. After the banquet the Stanley Cup was drop kicked into the frozen Rideau Canal. It was retrieved the next day.

Ottawa vs. Rat Portage

In March 1905, the Rat Portage Thistles issued another challenge to the Senators. McGee did not play in the first game and the Thistles crushed Ottawa, 9–3. However, he returned to lead the Senators to 4–2 and 5–4 victories in games two and three, respectively. McGee returned in game two, with his good forearm wrapped in a cast, and only a light bandage on his broken wrist, to decoy the Thistles. Alf Smith scored three goals in game two on slow ice, which the Thistles claimed was salted to slow down the Thistles. There was hard ice in game three, and the lead exchanged hands several times. The Thistles led 2–1 at halftime and 3–2 midway through the second half. Ottawa took a 4–3 lead, before Tommy Phillips scored his third of the game to tie the score. However, McGee came through with the winning score late in the game to win it for Ottawa.

Date	Winning Team	Score	Losing Team	Location
March 7, 1905	Rat Portage Thistles	9–3	Ottawa	Dey's Arena
March 9, 1905	Ottawa	4–2	Rat Portage Thistles
March 11, 1905	Ottawa	5–4	Rat Portage Thistles
Ottawa wins best-of-three series two games to one.

Ottawa Hockey Club 1905 Stanley Cup champions

Roster

  Centres

• Frank McGee
• Harry Westwick(Rover)

  Wingers

• Angus “Bones” Allan
• Hamilton “Billy” Gilmour
• Horace Gaul
• McDonald&
• Hamilton Hamby Shore
• Alf Smith(playing-Coach)
• Frank White

  Defencemen

• Harvey Pulford (Point-Captain)
• Arthur Moore(coverpoint),
• Rod Kennedy(coverpoint)

  Goaltenders

• Billy Hague

&-first name unknown. McDonald is also missing from the team picture.

  Coaching and administrative staff

• G.P. Murphy (President)&, Robert Shillington (Manager)
• Patrick Baskerville (Treasurer), Thomas D'Arcy McGee (Secretary)
• Halder Kirby (Club Doctor), David Barred (Team Dentist)
• Llewellyn Bates, John Proctor "J.P." Dickson, Martin Rosenthal, Charles Sparks (Directors)
• Pete Green (Trainer), Mac MacGilton (Ass't Trainer)

Stanley Cup engraving

Weldy Young, a former member of the Ottawa team in the 1890s, and the captain of the Dawson City team, engraved his name on the Cup with a pen knife. He had missed playing for Dawson as he was working in the federal election, although he did arrive in Ottawa during the series.

See also

• Federal Amateur Hockey League
• List of Stanley Cup champions
• List of pre-NHL seasons
• List of ice hockey leagues
• 1905 CAHL season

References and notes

Preceded by Ottawa Hockey Club 1904	Ottawa Hockey Club Stanley Cup Champions 1905	Succeeded by Ottawa Hockey Club January, 1906
Preceded by 1904 FAHL season	FAHL seasons 1904–05	Succeeded by 1905–06 FAHL season