Hockey History

Hamilton and the 1931 Allan Cup – Chapter 5

he 1931 Hamilton Tigers had to play the Truro Bearcats in a two-game series to determine who would represent the eastern part of Canada in the Allan Cup. In the west, the Edmonton Superiors and Winnipeg Seniors were getting ready to do battle to meet their eastern counterpart.

The eastern series would start the last week of March, 1931, and the games would be played in Toronto. It would be the battle of the cats.

But after a 6-2 victory for Hamilton in the first game, the Tigers showed their claws to the team from Nova Scotia to take a four-goal lead.

“Without extending themselves to any great degree, Tigers romped through the first game of the eastern Canada Senior hockey finals at Toronto last night with a 6-to-2 triumph,” said the Hamilton Spectator account of March 27.

“The Bengals showed remarkably little effect from the heavy going (train travel over the past few weeks), and they evinced complete superiority over the Nova Scotians.”

Bill Louch scored twice in the first period for Hamilton, with McGowan getting another goal in the first. Jackie Kane scored for Hamilton in the second, and picked up another marker in the third. McGowan also scored his second of the game in the third.

From the Spec report, it appeared the weak link in the Bearcat lineup was its goalie, who was not up to the task. Wright was brought out of retirement for Truro to play net, as the team’s regular goalie had been barred from playing by the CAHA.

“Wright appeared not quite equal to the task of turning aside the drives hurled at his from all angles.”

The Bearcats also offered little offence, and Tiger goalie Hawse Marsh had few problems with their attack.

“The Bearcats had few opportunities to score from close in, but they were dangerous whenever they went in driving for loose pucks and rebounds. The bulk of Truro’s sniping was weak, with few hard drives from outside the defense of from the boards offering the Hamilton goalie difficulties.”

The Hamilton defense was also on their game, as noted:

“The Farrell-McKay duo (Red Ferrell and Gordon McKay) showed strength, blocking in front of the goal with good effect, and turning the attackers harmlessly into the corners with having to resort to crushing measures.”

So Hamilton had one more game to win to represent the eastern side of the country in the final. And the trip back from the Toronto Arena after the second game was a happy one for the Tigers, who beat Truro 5-1 in the second game to win the series 11 goals to three.

“The Bengals thus ascended to the eastern Canada throne by virtue of a total score of 11 to 3 against the Bluenoses, who, despite inferior play by Hamilton on Saturday, were outclassed from the start of the first game to the finish of the last.”

The “inferior play” of the second game was attributed to the poor ice surface in Toronto, with a five-foot wide strip of slushy ice from one end of the rink to the other. Arena workers had tried to make repairs to the ice the morning of the game, and the players were well aware of the hazards of this surface, skating gingerly around the mush.

The Tigers scored three unanswered goals in the first period, thanks to Kane, Louch, and McGowan, and another pair in the second, Kane’s second of the game, and a goal by Roy Litzen, an alternate who came off the bench.

“One of the most pleasing features of the game was the exhibition offered by the youthful Roy Litzen, who was injected into the game at center ice in the final period. Litz not only uncovered some neat checking, but he broke away several times on mighty dangerous rushes.”

The newspaper accounts gave Truro goalie Wright the thumbs-up, and commended him considering the 40-year old had been called out of retirement just before the series began. Hamilton also avoided entanglements with the Bearcats as much as possible, skating around them with ease.

“The wily Bengals refused to be drawn into heavy bumping duels, and they made the Bearcats’ rearguard look rather ridiculous on occasions when they avoided the checks altogether and raced in on the Truro citadel.”

So Hamilton was headed west to play the Winnipeg team, which beat Edmonton for the final showdown.

To be held in Winnipeg, game one of the three-game series was a sellout, with all 6,000 seats bought and paid for. Coached by Jack Hughes, the Winnipeg-area Elmwood Millionaires had already won the 1931 Memorial Cup as National Junior Champs. Coach Hughes would also be behind the bench for the Winnipeg effort in the Allan Cup final.

The winners of the Allan Cup would also earn the right to represent Canada at the 1932 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid.

Next: Hamilton is in the game, but Winnipeg gets a step closer to owning the 1931 Allan Cup.

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