The1925–26 NHL seasonwas theninthseasonof theNational Hockey League(NHL). The NHL dropped theHamilton Tigersand added two new teams, theNew York Americansand thePittsburgh Pirates,to bring the total number of teams to seven. TheOttawa Senatorswere the regular-season champion, but lost in the NHL playoff final to theMontreal Maroons.The Maroons then defeated the defendingStanley CupchampionVictoria Cougarsof the newly renamedWestern Hockey Leaguethree games to one in a best-of-five series to win their first Stanley Cup.
| 1925–26 NHL season | |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Duration | November 26, 1925 – March 27, 1926 |
| Number of games | 36 |
| Number of teams | 7 |
| Regular season | |
| Season champions | Ottawa Senators |
| SeasonMVP | Nels Stewart(Maroons) |
| Top scorer | Nels Stewart (Maroons) |
| O'Brien Cup | |
| Champions | Montreal Maroons |
| Runners-up | Ottawa Senators |
League business
editA special meeting was held on September 22, 1925, to discuss expansion to New York City. The NHL approved the dropping of theHamilton Tigersfranchise and the adding of theNew York Americansclub, which would sign the Hamilton players after many had paid a reinstatement fee for their players strike the year before.[1]The New York franchise was granted to Colonel J. S. Hammond and T. J. Duggan, although the ownership was held secretly by"Big Bill" Dwyer,an infamous bootlegger from New York City, to play in New York'sMadison Square Garden.Former Ottawa executiveTommy Gorman,joined the Americans' organization.
At the annual meeting on November 7, 1925, the league added another new expansion franchise, in Pittsburgh, the thirdUnited States-based team in the NHL. The Ottawa Senators objected to the adding of the team, but were outvoted.[1]The Pittsburgh team, known as the Pirates, was formed because former Toronto NHA ownerEddie Livingstonehad been again threatening to form a rival league and mentioned Pittsburgh as one of the possible franchise locations. League presidentFrank Calderand the governors quickly agreed to grant thePittsburgh Yellow Jacketsorganization an NHL franchise, known as thePittsburgh Pirates,like the baseball club.Odie Cleghornleft the Canadiens to sign on as playing-coach with Pittsburgh.[1]
Alex Currie,a formerOttawa Senatorsplayer in the old NHA, was hired to coach the team.
The league imposed a salary cap of $35,000 per team in an effort to curb player's salaries. The Pittsburgh Pirates'Lionel Conacherwas paid $7,500 for the season, the Montreal Maroons'Dunc Munrowas also paid $7,500, theNew York Americans'Billy Burchwas paid $6,500, the Americans'Joe Simpson,and theToronto Maple Leafs'Hap Daywere paid $6,000.[2]
Rule changes
edit- Only two players on defence within the blue line at a time.
- A faceoff for 'ragging the puck' unless playing short-handed.
- Only team captains would be allowed to talk to referees.
- Timekeepers would signal the end of a period with a gong instead of the referee's whistle.
- Goalkeeper pads were limited to 12 inches (300 mm) wide.
- 14-player roster limits. Only 12 to be dressed for any one game.
- Team salary cap of $35,000.
Arena changes
edit- The expansionNew York Americansmoved into thethird building named Madison Square Garden.
- The expansionPittsburgh Piratesmoved intoDuquesne Garden.
Regular season
editThe Hamilton Tigers had spent their first five seasons in the NHL in last place until last season where they went from worst to first. The success enjoyed by the Tigers players was not carried over to New York, though, as the Americans finished fifth overall with a record of 12–20–4.
Eddie Gerardimproved the Montreal Maroons by signingNels StewartandBabe Siebertand signing former OlympianDunc Munrofor defence. The Maroons were on their way to glory. Nels Stewart not only set a record for goals by a first-year player, but became the first rookie to win the scoring title. Stewart also won the Hart Trophy as league MVP. Stewart's record of 34 goals remains an NHL record for rookies until 1970–71.[2]
From the1910–11 seasonGeorges Vezinahad been the Montreal Canadiens goaltender, and had led them to the Cup in 1916 and 1924. In the first game of this season, he collapsed on the ice as the second period got underway. It was found he had tuberculosis, and he died in March 1926.[2]The Canadiens finished last in the standings and missed the playoffs.
Ottawa's coach Curry was quite successful, as he took a team that had gone from fourth overall to first with an impressive record of 24–8–4, and the expansionPittsburgh Pirates,with a strong cast of ex-amateurs led by futureHall of FamersRoy WortersandLionel Conacher,finished third. The Pirates introduced "on-the-fly" player substitution to the NHL, a practice already in use in the Western League.[2]
Highlights
edit- First game atMadison Square GardenDecember 15, 1925
The first regular-season game at Madison Square Garden between theMontreal Canadiensand the expansionNew York Americanswas a big event. Opening ceremonies included performances by theGovernor General's Body Guard Bandof Toronto and the United States Military Band from West Point, displays of 'fancy skating', a miniature game between the team's mascots and the opening faceoff was made by New York MayorJohn F. HylanandTex Rickard.The attendance was 19,000 and the ticket prices ranged from $1.50 to $11.50. Gate receipts were donated to the Neurological Society of New York. Montreal won the game, officiated byCooper Smeaton3–1, and were awarded the newPrince of Wales Trophy.[4](The Trophy would subsequently be given as an award to the NHL playoff champions.)
One innovation brought in by the new Rangers was the painting of the ice white. After a half-inch of ice was frozen, it was painted white, and another inch of ice was frozen on top.[5]
Final standings
edit| Teams | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | PIM | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa Senators | 36 | 24 | 8 | 4 | 77 | 42 | 341 | 52 |
| Montreal Maroons | 36 | 20 | 11 | 5 | 91 | 73 | 554 | 45 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 36 | 19 | 16 | 1 | 82 | 70 | 264 | 39 |
| Boston Bruins | 36 | 17 | 15 | 4 | 92 | 85 | 279 | 38 |
| New York Americans | 36 | 12 | 20 | 4 | 68 | 89 | 361 | 28 |
| Toronto St. Patricks | 36 | 12 | 21 | 3 | 92 | 114 | 325 | 27 |
| Montreal Canadiens | 36 | 11 | 24 | 1 | 79 | 108 | 458 | 23 |
[6]
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against, PIM = Penalties in minutes
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.
Playoffs
editThis is the last season that saw challengers from outside of the NHL compete for the Stanley Cup. At the beginning of the season, theWestern Canada Hockey Leaguerenamed itself theWestern Hockey Leaguebecause one of its teams, theRegina Capitals,had moved to the States to play inPortland, Oregon.They were renamed thePortland Rosebuds.
Once again, theVictoria Cougarsfinished third in their league but once again won their league championship and the right to play for the Stanley Cup. The previous season, the Cougars beat theMontreal Canadiensfor the Stanley Cup with that being the only time in NHL history in which a non-NHL team won the Cup. After the 1926 playoffs, the Western Hockey League folded leaving the Stanley Cup entirely to the NHL. The Cup was never again contested by a non-NHL team. This was also the only season in NHL history where the number of playoff berths was less than half of the number of teams in the league and is the most recent season in which none of theOriginal Sixqualified for the playoffs (as of 2023).
NHL championship
editThe second seedMontreal Maroonsbeat the third seedPittsburgh Piratesand then went on to beat first placeOttawa Senatorstwo goals to one in a two-gametotal goalsseries, thus capturing theO'Brien Cup,Prince of Wales Trophyand the right to play the Victoria Cougars for the Stanley Cup.
| March 20 | Montreal Maroons | 3–1 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Duquesne Gardens | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 16:21 -Rodger Smith(1) | ||||||
| Reg Noble(1) - 14:07 | Second period | 15:45 -Chuck Dinsmore(1) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 5:35 -Merlyn Phillips(1) | ||||||
| Clint Benedict | Goalie stats | Roy Worters | ||||||
| March 23 | Pittsburgh Pirates | 3–3 | Montreal Maroons | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 5:40 -Merlyn Phillips(2) 16:20 -Punch Broadbent(1) | ||||||
| Harold Darragh(1) - 13:40 | Second period | 14:00 - Merlyn Phillips (3) | ||||||
| Herb Drury(1) - 8:50 | Third period | 14:04 -Baldy Cotton(1) | ||||||
| Roy Worters | Goalie stats | Clint Benedict | ||||||
| Montreal won the series on total goals 6–4 | |
| March 25 | Ottawa Senators | 1–1 | Montreal Maroons | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 8:00 -pp-Punch Broadbent(2) | ||||||
| King Clancy(1) -sh- 19:50 | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Alec Connell | Goalie stats | Clint Benedict | ||||||
| March 27 | Montreal Maroons | 1–0 | Ottawa Senators | Ottawa Auditorium | Recap | |||
| Babe Siebert(1) - 5:45 | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Clint Benedict | Goalie stats | Alec Connell | ||||||
| Montreal won the series on total goals 2–1 | |
Stanley Cup Finals
editNels Stewart was "Old Poison" to the Victoria Cougars, as he scored six goals in the four games and goaltender Clint Benedict shut out the westerners three times.
| March 30 | Victoria Cougars | 0–3 | Montreal Maroons | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 02:00 –Nels Stewart(1) 05:05 –Punch Broadbent(3) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 16:10 – Nels Stewart (2) | ||||||
| Hap Holmes | Goalie stats | Clint Benedict | ||||||
| April 1 | Victoria Cougars | 0–3 | Montreal Maroons | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 10:10 –pp–Nels Stewart(3) | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 09:40 –Merlyn Phillips(4) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | 15:55 –pp–Dunc Munro(1) | ||||||
| Hap Holmes | Goalie stats | Clint Benedict | ||||||
| April 3 | Victoria Cougars | 3–2 | Montreal Maroons | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| Harold Halderson(1) – 16:15 | First period | 03:02 –Babe Siebert(2) | ||||||
| Clem Loughlin(1) – 10:05 | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Frank Fredrickson(1) – 07:50 | Third period | 16:15 –Nels Stewart(4) | ||||||
| Hap Holmes | Goalie stats | Clint Benedict | ||||||
| April 6 | Victoria Cougars | 0–2 | Montreal Maroons | Montreal Forum | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | 02:50 –Nels Stewart(5) 19:10 – Nels Stewart (6) | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Hap Holmes | Goalie stats | Clint Benedict | ||||||
| Montreal won series 3–1 | |
Awards
editThe newPrince of Wales Trophywas introduced this season. It was first presented to the Montreal Canadiens as winners of the first game in the newMadison Square Garden.The trophy was then intended to be used as a new trophy to be awarded to the champions of the National Hockey League. The existingO'Brien Cup,given also to the league champions, was not retired.Nels Stewartwon the Hart for the first time in his career.Frank Nighborwon his second consecutiveLady Byng Trophy.
| Hart Trophy: (Most valuable player) |
Nels Stewart,Montreal Maroons |
| Lady Byng Trophy: (Excellence and sportsmanship) |
Frank Nighbor,Ottawa Senators |
| O'Brien Cup: (League champions) |
Montreal Maroons |
| Prince of Wales Trophy: (for winning first game inMadison Square Garden) |
Montreal Canadiens |
| Prince of Wales Trophy: (League champions) |
Montreal Maroons |
Player statistics
editScoring leaders
editNote: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nels Stewart | Montreal Maroons | 36 | 34 | 8 | 42 |
| Cy Denneny | Ottawa Senators | 36 | 24 | 12 | 36 |
| Carson Cooper | Boston Bruins | 36 | 28 | 3 | 31 |
| Jimmy Herbert | Boston Bruins | 36 | 26 | 5 | 31 |
| Howie Morenz | Montreal Canadiens | 31 | 23 | 3 | 26 |
| Jack Adams | Toronto St. Patricks | 36 | 21 | 5 | 26 |
| Aurel Joliat | Montreal Canadiens | 35 | 17 | 9 | 26 |
| Billy Burch | New York Americans | 36 | 22 | 3 | 25 |
| Hooley Smith | Ottawa Senators | 28 | 16 | 9 | 25 |
| Frank Nighbor | Ottawa Senators | 35 | 12 | 13 | 25 |
Source:NHL.[7]
Leading goaltenders
editGP = Games played, GA = Goals against, SO =Shutouts,GAA =Goals against average
| Player | Team | GP | GA | SO | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alec Connell | Ottawa Senators | 36 | 42 | 15 | 1.12 |
| Roy Worters | Pittsburgh Pirates | 35 | 68 | 7 | 1.90 |
| Clint Benedict | Montreal Maroons | 36 | 73 | 6 | 1.92 |
| Charles Stewart | Boston Bruins | 35 | 80 | 6 | 2.21 |
| Jake Forbes | New York Americans | 36 | 89 | 2 | 2.30 |
NHL Playoff leading scorer
editNote: GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points
| Player | Team | GP | G | A | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nels Stewart | Montreal Maroons | 8 | 6 | 3 | 9 |
Coaches
edit- Boston Bruins:Art Ross
- Montreal Canadiens:Leo Dandurand
- Montreal Maroons:Eddie Gerard
- New York Americans:Tommy Gorman
- Ottawa Senators:Alex Currie
- Pittsburgh Pirates:Odie Cleghorn
- Toronto St. Patricks:Eddie Powers
Debuts
editThe following is a list of players of note who played their first NHL game in 1925–26 (listed with their first team, asterisk(*) marks debut in playoffs):
- Wildor Larochelle,Montreal Canadiens
- Albert Leduc,Montreal Canadiens
- Pit Lepine,Montreal Canadiens
- Babe Siebert,Montreal Maroons
- Nels Stewart,Montreal Maroons
- Joe Simpson,New York Americans
- Hec Kilrea,Ottawa Senators
- Roy Worters,Pittsburgh Pirates
- Harold Darragh,Pittsburgh Pirates
- Baldy Cotton,Pittsburgh Pirates
- Lionel Conacher,Pittsburgh Pirates
- Hib Milks,Pittsburgh Pirates
Last games
editThe following is a list of players of note that played their last game in the NHL in 1925–26 (listed with their last team):
- Gerry Geran,last active player to have been a member of theMontreal Wanderersfranchise.
- Dave Ritchie,last active player to have been a member of theQuebec Bulldogsfranchise.
- Georges Vezina,Montreal Canadiens
Transactions
edit| October 23, 1925 | ToToronto St. Patricks Gerry Munro |
ToMontreal Maroons cash |
| November 8, 1925 | ToBoston Bruins Sprague Cleghorn |
ToMontreal Canadiens cash |
| November 25, 1925 | ToPittsburgh Pirates Jesse Spring |
ToNew York Americans Future considerations |
| January 14, 1926 | ToToronto St. Patricks Normand Shay |
ToBoston Bruins cash |
| January 23, 1926 | ToPittsburgh Pirates Odie Cleghorn |
ToNew York Americans Joe Miller |
See also
editReferences
edit- Coleman, Charles L. (1966).The Trail of the Stanley Cup, vol.1 1893–1926 inc.National Hockey League.
- Diamond, Dan, ed. (2000).Total Hockey.Total Sports.ISBN1-892129-85-X.
- Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011).The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012.Dan Diamond & Associates.ISBN978-1-894801-22-5.
- Dryden, Steve, ed. (2000).Century of hockey.Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart Ltd.ISBN0-7710-4179-9.
- Fischler, Stan; Fischler, Shirley; Hughes, Morgan; Romain, Joseph; Duplacey, James (2003).The Hockey Chronicle: Year-by-Year History of the National Hockey League.Publications International Inc.ISBN0-7853-9624-1.
- McFarlane, Brian (1973).The Story of the National Hockey League.New York, NY: Pagurian Press.ISBN0-684-13424-1.
- Ross, J. Andrew (2015).Joining the Clubs: The Business of the National Hockey League to 1945.Syracuse University Press.ISBN9780815633839.
- Notes
- ^abcColeman 1966,p. 487.
- ^abcdDryden 2000,p. 28.
- ^Coleman 1966,p. 488.
- ^"New York Beaten By Canadiens, 3–1".The Globe.p. 10.
- ^Ross 2015,p. 127.
- ^Standings:NHL Public Relations Department (2008). Dave McCarthy; et al. (eds.).THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Official Guide & Record Book/2009.National Hockey League. p. 146.ISBN978-1-894801-14-0.
- ^Dinger 2011,p. 146.