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Hockey History
The Hamilton Tigers and the 1919 Allan Cup - Part 3 After the Hamilton Tigers eliminated the Toronto Dentals from Allan Cup play in the early part of 1919, the team waited while the Toronto Saint Patricks beat out Kitchener to advance to the next round of the OHA Senior level playoffs. But the start of the Ontario finals was postponed for a few days as George O’Donoghue, manager of St. Pats, asked that his team be given a postponement as several members of is team were nursing injuries. While it was felt in some circles that the Toronto squad was playing games, OHA Secretary Bill Hewitt was confident that St. Pats was indeed suffering and he allowed the rest period. But the rest was all for naught, as the Tigers took a 10-3 decision in the first of the two-game total-goal series March 4, 1919. Both Mickey Roach and Tom McCarthy scored a pair for the Tigers, as did Shorty Green and Leo Reise. Hamilton scored three unanswered goals in the first period, and took another marker in the second, while Toronto finally got on the board with two goals. And while Babe Dye, a Hamilton native, opened up the scoring in
the third for Toronto, the Tigers showed their claws with six goals
during the remainder of the final period. “To remove that Tiger clutch on Saturday night, the natives of Cork (St. Patricks) will have to uncork a considerable gob of hockey ability that they displayed at the Barton Street arena last evening,” said the scribe, adding this interesting observation: “Of course, they might do that, but, personally speaking, we’re so far backwoods in Missouri that we wear out a pair of shoes every time we walk to a ‘pust-offus’.” The game account in the Hamilton Herald was a little more subdued, suggesting the “Toronto Team was only a light lunch for the ferocious Tigers.” The Herald report said Toronto was hampered by the lack of its star player “Moose” Heffernan, but added the game was not one of the Tigers’ best. “While the brand of hockey was not up to that offered in the Tiger-Dental series, the locals played a good, steady game all the way, and at no time were the Hamilton fans in doubt of the result.” The Herald complimented the playing of Tigers goalie Herb Reaume, and also gave a nod to defensemen Joe Matte and Leo Reise. With a seven-goal lead, the Tigers headed to Toronto for the next match, but Toronto was ready for the Bengals with Heffernan back in the lineup. In a 5-1 win for Toronto, the “Irishmen resorted to everything legal and otherwise to snatch away the OHA title,” reported the Herald, but the Tigers won the series with 11 goals over Toronto’s eight goals. “Tigers were trying like Trojans every minute, but they weren’t effective,” said the Herald. “Tigers worked like horses to win, but the heavy, and, in many instances illegal, checking of St. Pats wore them out.” Scoring the lone goal for the Tigers was Green, late in the second period. The Spectator report gave credit to the Toronto team for its victory, adding Hamilton was just not in the game as they had been in the previous match-up: “The men from Erin had more in reserve than the Bengals and played their opponents off their feet. The jungle kings stopped the deluge in time, but they figured to romp with opposition such as furnished them last night. And now it’s up to the yellow and black athletes to get into the camp and stay there until the Allan Cup is landed.” There was to be another series in Eastern Ontario, as the OHA finalists were to play the Quebec league team with the winner representing the east in the Allan Cup. But the Victors Hockey team, which won the Quebec league title, disqualified itself by challenging for the Ross Cup instead. Meanwhile, out west, the Selkirks from Winnipeg were getting read to take the train trip east for the first game with the Tigers, this match to be held in Toronto. As an aside, the Herald made a big issue of the Tigers’ share of the gate in their series with Toronto. According to the paper, a total receipt of the games was $4550.06, but the Tigers franchise received only $759.84. The Toronto club received the same $759.84. After some research, it was discovered the lion’s share of the receipts went to the Toronto arena for ice rental, which received $2279.53, half of the total gate, while the OHA rented the Hamilton arena for $250. “There’s no doubt that Toronto gets first consideration,” said the Herald, and that the other clubs must ‘like it or lump it’.” NEXT – The Tigers and the Selkirks meet on the Ides
of March
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