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Games 15, 16 & The Championship and the Right to Challenge for The Stanley Cup - The 1913 Season

  • Posted on: 29 December 2014
  • By: lrigby

Game 15 (February  27, 1913) - Sydney Millionaires 7 - Moncton Victorias 2 - The February 28th headline read "Home City Takes Crosby Cup".  The Millionaires delighted their fans by easily defeating the Victorias in what was described as a hard rough game but with sharp clean checking.  Hundreds of "rooters" travelled the tram cars from North Sydney, Glace Bay and New Waterford to cheer on the Millionaires.  Many of the female fans came to the game wearing the team colours in hopes of inspiring their team to victory.  One notable fan at the game was Harvey Richardson who had recovered enough to return from Halifax in time to catch this match.

Before the game, President Lithgow handed a letter to the Moncton Manager stating that Harry Scott would not be permitted to play in this final game in Sydney.   However Scott was included as part of Moncton's line up until he was hurt later in the game. Many of the fans and press assumed that the bad feelings between the two teams would boil over into the game but with the Crosby Cup on the line they both played a controlled game.  During one of Sydney's seven goals, near the end of the second period, Billy Dunphy, while attempting to get the puck through the Moncton players accidently ran into Moncton's goalie James Cross who was knocked to the ice and out of position.  Jimmy Fraser took advantage of this situation and scored on a pass from Dunphy.  Initially the goal was disallowed by assistant referee Cooper Wisener but the head referee Edgar Richardson overruled Wisener's decision and allowed the goal.  After the ruling Wisener left the ice in what can only be assumed was a protest against Richardson's decision.  The rest of the game was officiated by only one referee.  This was a significant turning point in the game since the score was only two to one in Sydney's favor at that point.

The third period was dominated by the Millionaires with the last ten minutes of the game being describe as a "bombardment of the Moncton net".  Jimmy Wilkie and Billy Dunphy were proclaimed the stars of the game with one reporter claiming that "the little North Sydney wonder played the game of his life" in reference to Dunphy.  Harry Scott was played by the Victorias during the game but since the Millionaires had won there was no protest put forth.

With this victory, the Millionaires had clinched the Maritime professional championship and were now the rightful owners of the Crosby Cup.  They also secured the right to travel to Quebec City and challenge the raining NHA champion Quebec Bulldogs for the Stanley Cup.

                        The Crosby mug is pretty fair,

                                    But the $ team's made up

                        Of boys that want the pewter ware

                                    They call the Stanley Cup                                                                            

                                                                          - Otto B. Kilde           

The Millionaires were scheduled to leave for New Glasgow for their final league game the following evening but were able to find some time for celebrating their victory.  The team was treated to a night out by the team executive at the Boscobel Restaurant on Charlotte Street in Sydney.

As the team was on it's way to New Glasgow to play the final game of the 1913 MPHA season, the Sydney executive received word from President Lithgow that the Moncton Vics were protesting the previous game.  When President J. J. Curry received the protest by telegram, the grounds were not indicated, leaving the Sydney management wondering why it was filed.  In an emergency executive meeting that morning, the Sydney Hockey Team filed a counter protest against Moncton on the grounds that they had played Harry Scott.  Despite the protest, the Millionaires' management began making arrangements with the Quebec Bulldogs' management for the upcoming games on March 8th and March 10th, 1913.

 Game 16 (February  27, 1913) - New Glasgow 8 - Sydney Millionaires 4In what was classified as a meaningless game, the New Glasgow Cubs defeated the Sydney Millionaires by a score of 8 to 4.  Ken Randall was sidelined for the game because his skate was broken during the previous evening's game and he was unable to get it fixed in time.  Some of Sydney's other players including Billy Dunphy were resting giving some of the spare players an opportunity to play in this game.