Sydney Millionaires

Game 1 (January 9, 1913) - Sydney Millionaires 7 - Halifax Socials 5 - Sydney’s first professional hockey game at the new Rink-Arena was scheduled for Thursday, January ninth against the Halifax Socials.  According to reports twenty-five hundred spectators from all over Cape Breton filled the new rink “and the enthusiasm was intense”.  The Sydney team did not disappoint their fans and were able to secure a seven to five victory over the visiting Socials.  This initial game was considered to be a very clean game by MPHA standards with only a few penalties awarded for “tripping and loafing”.  Two players were injured in the game; Jack Twaddle of Halifax and Robert Ferguson of Sydney were assisted off the ice after they were involved in a “checking contest”.   Sydney’s seven goals were scored by three players Tetrault, Scott and Dunphy.  This victory was bittersweet for the Sydney team since Harry Scott was scheduled to head back to Halifax after the game on the 11:30 pm express to rejoin the Halifax Crescents lineup.

On the front page of the January 4^th Halifax Echo was the headline “Hockey Season Opened with fight”.  The Echo goes on to chronicle the exhibition match between the New Glasgow Cubs and the Sydney Millionaires.  According to the paper this three to two New Glasgow victory was a "sloppy game" played by players who “were far from being in fit condition for good hockey”.  During the third period of the game, disputed player, Harry Scott cross-checked the Cubs p

The most controversial signing came after Christmas 1913 when it was announced that Harry Scott of the Halifax Crescents had signed with Sydney.  Manager Murphy of the Crescents contacted President Lithgow and asked him to send a message to Sydney requiring them to release Scott and return him to Halifax to play for the Crescents.  Sydney refused to relinquish Scott’s contract since he claimed that he had been verbally released by Halifax and in their view he was free a

From the original announcement of Sydney’s desire to acquire professional hockey team, rumors began to circulate the city and make their way into the local newspapers about the players that would be signed for the professional squad.  The first speculation, coming shortly after the announcement, was that a local boy named Harvey Richardson would be heading home from Saskatchewan to play for them.  Harvey, born in Sydney, had played the previous season for the Saskatoon

Just as it seemed that professional hockey in Sydney had become a forgone conclusion, another crisis arose threatening the whole existence of the MPHA.  The New Glasgow Cubs and the Moncton Victorias had small arenas and they were unable to draw the revenue that the Halifax clubs could from their five thousand seat arena.  New Glasgow and Moncton took the position that the visiting team should receive twenty percent of the gate receipts after each game.  The two Halifax