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Hockey History
Hamilton Tigers toast of England in exhibition play In April of 1935, members of the Hamilton Tigers won the British Empire Trophy in a series of games in England, and became the recipients of the first hockey trophy to leave England. With a 5-1 record the Tigers easily outpaced the Wembley Lions and the Wembley Canadians under the guidance of coach George Redding. In parlance of the day, the Hamilton Spectator reported May 13, 1935, on the team’s triumphant return: “Proud bearers of the first ice hockey trophy that ever left England, Hamilton’s senior OHA warriors arrive home from the Old Country yesterday to conclude the first overseas tour ever made by a Hamilton team.” The first game was played April 19 with a 2-1 victory over the Wembley Canadians.
“Turning in a splendid exhibition, Hamilton Tigers opened their British tour by defeating the Wembley Canadians by 2 to 1,” it was noted in the Spectator. “The senior OHA ‘A’ finalists combined splendidly to produce the victory, with Jack Howard, star defenseman and Norvie Fitzgerald, dynamic right-winger, being the outstanding players.” Although Hamilton won the first contest, it was noted that the opposition was always in the game. While Spec columnist Ivan Miller noted that Howard’s play would perk the interest of Maple Leaf boss Conn Smythe, Howard did go to Toronto in the NHL, but only for a very short stint in the 1936-37 season. “Smythe has been soft on Howard for the past two seasons,” said Miller, “and he figures a little more experience, together with smart coaching, will fit Howard for a place beside ‘Red’ Horner, and a defensive combination that may eventually become the best in the NHL.” But Howard didn’t make it in the NHL, playing the rest of his career with the St. Louis Flyers and the Pittsburg Hornets of the AHL before retiring in 1945. Miller was correct in noting that the Tigers would be dominate in the British series: “Tigers, incidentally, looked smart against the English team, even though they won by the margin of an odd goal only, and it begins to look as though they will confound their severest critics by making the trip a success.” The Tigers won their second game, and once again by a one-goal margin. Spec Sports Editor Walter McMullen said the team should be in better shape for the remainder of the matches after the boat trip across the Atlantic. “It may have been that nine days on the ocean put the boys off their bearings a little,” noted McMullen April 22, 1935, “but they should have recovered from any effects of that voyage by now, and the remaining games should give some idea of just what to expect from England in the Olympic carnival next winter.” After a 7-7 tie between the Tigers and the Brits at Streatham April 24, the Hamilton club was declared winners after a special three-game series where they picked up 7-1 and 8-4 victories to take a 5-1 record in the trip. Aside from the team not having enough time to devote as tourists while in England, coach Redding said he was impressed with the caliber of hockey of the opposing squads. “Of
course, most of the hockey players over there are Canadians,” he
said when back home in Hamilton, “and they play good hockey,
except that they do not go in for heavy body-checking. There is
little rough stuff of any kind for that matter and while you would
say the hockey is first-class, it is not rugged like our game.”
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