1906–07 MPHL season

Ice hockey league season of play 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.Zweig 2012 295 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".Ottawa Journal January 24, 1907 2 Ottawas Won From Thistles He played in the Thistles' next exhibition in Toronto on January 25.Ottawa Journal January 26, 1907 2 Cup Holders Won 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.Zweig 2012 295 + 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 6 4 2 0 8 Winnipeg Strathconas 10 1 8 1 3 + Adjusted Team Games Played Wins Losses Ties Pts Brandon Wheat City 6 4 2 0 8 Kenora Thistles 6 4 2 0 8 Portage la Prairie 6 3 3 0 6 Winnipeg Strathconas 6 1 5 0 2 Source: Zwieg, 2012Zweig 2012 294 Playoff thumb|Winnipeg Auditorium, 1900|alt=Exterior of wooden building with peaked roof and arched windows 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.The Protest From Kenora The Globe 9 March 19, 1907 Date Winning Team Score Losing Team LocationMarch 16, 1907Kenora Thistles8–6Brandon Wheat City Winnipeg AuditoriumMarch 18, 1907Kenora Thistles4–1Brandon Wheat CityKenora wins series 2–0 + March 16, 1907 Brandon Wheat City 6 vs Kenora Thistles 8Bobby Mercer G Eddie Geroux Art Leader P Roxy Beaudro Art Ross CP Si Griffis George Smith RO Harry Westwick Joe Hall Capt. C Fred Whitecroft Walter Bellamy RW Alf Smith Jack Fraser LW Tommy Phillips, Capt. Art Serviss -RW spare Tom Hopper -RO/D Roy Armstrong -D spare Russell Phillips -RW/LW + March 18, 1907 Brandon Wheat City 1 vs Kenora Thistles 4Bobby Mercer G Eddie Geroux Art Leader P Roxy Beaudro Art Ross CP Si Griffis George Smith RO Harry Westwick Joe Hall Capt. C Fred Whitecroft Walter Bellamy RW Alf Smith Jack Fraser LW Tommy Phillips, Capt. Art Serviss -RW spare Tom Hopper -RO/D Roy Armstrong -D spare Russell 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 LocationJanuary 17, 1907Kenora Thistles4–2Montreal WanderersMontreal ArenaJanuary 21, 1907Kenora Thistles8–6Montreal WanderersKenora wins total goals series 12 goals to 8 + January 17, 1907 Montreal Wanderers 2 vs Kenora Thistles 4William "Riley" Hern G Eddie Geroux Billy Strachan P Art Ross Hod Stuart CP Si Griffis Lester Patrick, Capt. 2 RO Tom Hooper Ernie Russell C Billy McGimsie Frank "Pud" Glass RW Roxy Beaudro Ernie "Moose" Johnson LW Tommy Phillips, Capt. 4 Jack Marshall 1 sub Rod Kennedy spare Joe HallBill Chipcase spare Russell Phillips Referees Meldrun, Russell Bowie + January 21, 1907 Montreal Wanderers 6 vs Kenora Thistles 8William "Riley" Hern G Eddie Geroux Rod Kennedy P Art Ross Hod Stuart CP Si Griffis Lester Patrick, Capt 3 RO Tom Hooper 3 Ernie Russell 2 C Billy McGimsie 1 Frank "Pud" Glass RW Roxy Beaudro 1 Ernie "Moose" Johnson LW Tommy Phillips, Capt. 3 Jack Marshall 1 sub Billy Strachan spare Joe HallBill Chipcase spare Russell 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.”The Globe March 25, 1907 Never Too Late to Mend 9 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.The Globe March 26, 1907 The News of Sport 9 Date Winning Team Score Losing Team LocationMarch 23, 1907Montreal Wanderers7–2Kenora Thistles Winnipeg AuditoriumMarch 25, 1907Kenora Thistles6–5Montreal WanderersMontreal wins total goals series 12 goals to 8 + March 23, 1907 Montreal Wanderers 7 at Kenora Thistles 2William "Riley" Hern G Eddie Geroux Lester Patrick, Capt. P Tom Hooper Hod Stuart CP Si Griffis Frank "Pud" Glass 2 RO Harry "Rat" Westwick Ernie Russell 4 C Fred Whitecroft Cecil Blachford RW Alf Smith 1 Ernie "Moose" Johnson 1 LW Tommy Phillips, Capt. 1 Bill Chipcase spare Roxy BeaudroT. Erskine & Rod Kennedy spare Russell PhillipsReferee- W. MacFarlane Referee W. Kean + March 25, 1907 Montreal Wanderers 5 at Kenora Thistles 6William "Riley" Hern G Eddie Geroux Lester Patrick, Capt. 1 P Roxy Beaudro 1 Hod Stuart CP Si Griffis 1 Frank "Pud" Glass 1 RO Harry "Rat" Westwick Ernie Russell 1 C Fred Whitecroft 2 Cecil Blachford RW Alf Smith 1 Ernie "Moose' Johnson 2 LW Tommy Phillips, Capt. 1 T. Erskine & Rod Kennedy spare Russell PhillipsBill Chipcase spare Tom Hooper Referee- W. MacFarlane Referee W. Kean Kenora Thistles - January–March 1907 Stanley Cup champions *Tom Hooper(also played Rover) Art Ross(Point)†† Silas Griffis(Cover point) Joe Hall(Cover point did not play)†† *Billy McGimsie Harry Westwick(rover)†&, Fred Whitcroft(rover)†&. *Roxy Beaudro (also played point) Tom Phillips(Captain) Russell Phillips Alf Smith(right wing)†& *Eddie Giroux 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. Kenora engraved their name inside the bowl of the Stanley Cup. 1907 Thistles of Kenora[Podnieks] . See also 1907 ECAHA season List of Stanley Cup champions References Bibliography Coleman, Charles L. The Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1, 1893–1926 inc. 1966 NHL Podnieks, Andrew: Lord Stanley Cup, Fenn Publishing Company, 2004 Zweig Eric 2012 Stanley Cup: 120 years of hockey supremacy Firefly Books 978-1-77085-104-7 Notes 1905–06 1907–08 MHA seasons 1906–07 Category:Manitoba Hockey Association seasons Man