Pucks and Cups: Recent Episodes
Craig Baird
Each week I look at the early history of the NHL, mostly pre-1970. I look at the players, the stories and the teams that helped to make the NHL the greatest league, and hockey the greatest sport, in the world. Join me as I explore Canada's game.
He is credited with 22 rule changes in the NHL rule book. An advocate for women's hockey, he was a manager, coach and one of the best players of the 1910s. A Stanley Cup champion and a Hockey Hall of Famer. Support: patreon.com/canadaehx Donate: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/craigU Donate: canadaehx.com (Click Donate) E-mail: craig@canadaehx.com Twitter: twitter.com/craigbaird Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cdnhistoryehx YouTube: youtube.com/c/canadianhistoryehx
The most dynamic player of the inter-war era, he would redefine the record book of the NHL and become the first superstar of the Montreal Canadiens in a line that would extend to Guy Lafleur. His story is one of dizzying heights, before a sudden fall and tragic death that robbed the hockey world of an icon.Support: patreon.com/canadaehxDonate: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/craigUDonate: canadaehx.com (Click Donate)E-mail: craig@canadaehx.comTwitter: twitter.com/craigbairdTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cdnhistoryehxYouTube: youtube.com/c/canadianhistoryehx
While the Ace Bailey Benefit Game is cited as the first All-Star Game, the actual first All-Star Game dates back to 1908, when a game was held to benefit the family of hockey star Hod Stuart, who had died the previous year.Support: patreon.com/canadaehxDonate: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/craigUDonate: canadaehx.com (Click Donate)E-mail: craig@canadaehx.comTwitter: twitter.com/craigbairdTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cdnhistoryehxYouTube: youtube.com/c/canadianhistoryehx
The Montreal Wanderers were the first hockey dynasty, predating the NHL by a decade. The team won or defended the Stanley Cup 10 times from 1904-1911, losing only twice. The team was stacked as well, with 10 Hall of Fame players.
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The Montreal Wanderers were the first hockey dynasty, predating the NHL by a decade. The team won or defended the Stanley Cup 10 times from 1904-1911, losing only twice. The team was stacked as well, with 10 Hall of Fame players.
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The award given to the highest point-getter in the NHL each season is named for him, but Art Ross only had one point in the NHL. While that may seem odd, his career in hockey lasted for decades and he would change the game forever as a player, coach and manager, leaving a massive and lasting mark on the National Hockey League.
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Clint Benedict was one of the greatest goalies of the 1920s in the NHL. He would win four Stanley Cups with Ottawa and Montreal, and forced the NHL to change its rules regarding goalies leaving their feet. Most notably, he was the first NHL goalie to wear a mask, which he did for a few games at the end of his career.
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After the Stanley Cup was donated in 1893, it was in 1894 that the first Stanley Cup series was played. Played between 3 teams, on poor ice, it was the start of something amazing.
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I am away in Toronto this week visiting some fun historical places, so no episode. New episodes will be back next week.
A hockey cathedral, Maple Leaf Gardens was built in The Great Depression by Conn Smythe and it would not only be the home of the Maple Leafs during their 11 Stanley Cups, but where The Beatles would play, where Winston Churchill spoke, where Canada battled the Russians in the Summit Series, and where Muhammed Ali fought
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Season 3 of Pucks and Cups begins with the story of Cyclone Taylor. Known for skating backwards faster than any player could skate forward, he would win two Stanley Cups and be involved in an infamous part of Canadian history. He would also turn the sod on the Hockey Hall of Fame, and drop the first puck in Vancouver Canucks history.
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I've launched a new podcast called Canada: A Yearly Journey, which will look at every year in Canada's history, beginning with 1867.
The first episode dropped last week, with 1868 coming Thursday.
Episodes release every Thursday.
Find it on all your podcast platforms.
Starting in 1921, the Regina Capitals were one of the best teams in the league, nearly playing for the Stanley Cup. In 1927, its players formed the basis of the Chicago Black Hawks. Among the players on the original Capitals was one named Eddie Shore.
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With a stacked team of nine Hall-of-Famers, including five home-grown players, the Kenora Thistles won the 1907 Stanley Cup, making Kenora the smallest community to ever claim the Cup.
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In the 1920s, Cy Denneny was one of the best players in the NHL. Playing for the Ottawa Senators for most of the decade, winning four Stanley Cups. He added another with the Boston Bruins. Along the way, he became the 1st NHLer to score 200 goals, which he did in only 181 games.
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From 1926 - 1962, there was possibly no better amateur hockey team in Canada than The Trail Smoke Eaters. They would win 2 Allan Cups, 2 World Championships & 16 Savage Cups. Even when the Soviets dominated during a tour of Canada in 1960, they couldn't beat the Smoke Eaters.
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Frank Boucher was a player so clean he won seven Lady Byngs, more than anyone else in history. He won it so many times the NHL just just gave him the trophy to keep. In his 29 years with the New York Rangers as player, coach and GM, he won three Stanley Cups and helped to revolutionize hockey.
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From 1921 to 1931, Bullet Joe Simpson was a premier defenceman in the WCHL & NHL, dazzling crowds with his speed and end-to-end rushes. Simpson was an Allan Cup winner, a decorated WW1 veteran and a Hockey Hall of Famer. Support: www.patreon.com/canadaehx Donate: www.canadaehx.com E-mail: craig@canadaehx.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/craigbaird Instagram: @Bairdo37 YouTube: www.youtube.com/c/canadianhistoryehx
With only one eye, Frank McGee took to the ice for the Ottawa Silver Seven for only three seasons from 1903 to 1906. While his time was short, he made the most of it, winning three Stanley Cups and dominating with his goal-scoring.
He would sadly die in World War One.
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Created in 1909, the Allan Cup has become one of the most sought after amateur hockey trophies in Canada. Many legendary players, and teams, have fought hard to list it over the years. In this episode, I look at its first few decades.
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Few teams have gone through as much in the hopes of capturing the Stanley Cup as the Dawson City Nuggets. From Dec 1904-Jan 1905, the Nuggets travelled 6,500 km by dog sled, bicycle, foot, ship & train to play the Ottawa Silver Seven for the Stanley Cup in a legendary journey.
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During the 1920s, it could be said no one was a better goal scorer than Babe Dye. Gifted with a hard and accurate shot that made up for his poor skating ability, Dye would lead the league several times in scoring and goals before a broken leg began a sharp decline in his career.
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Back in the summer, I put Pucks and Cups on hiatus as I focused on some other projects and finishing up some other podcasts.
Well, I am happy to say that Pucks and Cups will be returning from its hiatus next week with an episode about Babe Dye!
If you have suggestions for something that I can cover, e-mail me at craig@canadaehx.com I primarily focus on the 1890s to 1940s/50s in hockey history.
After being knocked out by my second dose of the COVID vaccine for two days, my podcast schedule got a bit messed up.
Using this as an opportunity to reorganize and ensure that the content I make is top quality.
That is where you come in. I want your input on how to make the show better. Have a listen to the update and let me know!
Regular episodes return next week.
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Today, I'm looking at the man they called Old Poison, Nels Stewart. One of the greatest goal scorers in the early NHL, he was the first player to score 300 goals and his goal record lasted until 1952 when it was beaten by Maurice Richard.
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As crazy as it sounds now, the Montreal Canadiens almost moved to Cleveland, Ohio. It almost happened in the mid-1930s, and it would have robbed Canada of iconic moments from Maurice Richard, Jean Beliveau, Guy Lafleur and Patrick Roy.
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Today, I look at one of the greatest athletes in Canadian history, Lionel Conacher. A member of four Hall-of-Fames, the Ontario Legislature and the House of Commons, he had a life well-lived.
Was a pretty great hockey player too.
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Today, I look at the team that lasted one season during The Great Depression, the Philadelphia Quakers. A team that was so bad, it would take 40 years before a worse team came along.
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The first star of the Montreal Canadiens, and the man who led them to their first Stanley Cup, Lalonde would set the NHL record for goals that lasted until Rocket Richard beat it. Tough, skilled and determined, he helped the early NHL find its feet.
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The 1925 Hamilton Tigers were poised to win the Stanley Cup, the first for the franchise but a players strike would not only derail those plans, but end NHL hockey in Hamilton to this very day.
Today, I look at the first NHL Players Strike.
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Today, I look at the first team to relocate in the NHL since 1935, the Kansas City Scouts. The team only lasted two seasons, but would eventually form into the New Jersey Devils, a team that continues to this day.
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It was an event that changed hockey forever. In 1972, Bobby Hull, an NHL superstar, left the league to play for the WHA and the Winnipeg Jets. The ramifications of this deal are still being felt to this day.
Today, I look at when Bobby Hull left Chicago for Winnipeg.
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In an NHL career that spanned 65 years as a player, coach, referee and an executive, King Clancy won six Stanley Cups and became a legend on and off the ice.
Today, I look at the career of the man who had a face like a Dublin back alley (according to one journalist), King Clancy!
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After the NHL was created out of spite over an NHA owner, teams got down to business competing to reach the Stanley Cup. It was a season of new rules, strikes and even some mayhem.
Today, I look at the first NHL season.
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From 1903 to 1927, the original Ottawa Senators boasted three dozen Hall of Fame players and 11 Stanley Cups, becoming the first dynasty in NHL history.
Then the 1930s hit and this once great franchise faded into obscurity. Today, I look at the legendary team.
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A man so vicious it was said he played hockey like a man who didn't know the rules. A highly gifted defenceman, amid his scoring prowess was a mean streak that led his own team to suspend him once. The Lady Byng Trophy exists because of the mean play of Cleghorn.
Today, I look at this tough hockey legend.
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While winning Stanley Cups with the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1960s, Red Kelly had another career. He was also serving as a Member of Parliament for the Liberal Party from 1962 to 1965.
Today, I look at the Parliamentary career of hockey legend Red Kelly.
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Foster Hewitt called him the greatest to ever play the game, and while he was tough on the ice he also won more Hart Trophies than anyone except for Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky.
Eddie Shore was the epitome of Old-Time Hockey for many. Today, I look at his life and career.
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When the NHL played its first game, Joe Malone scored the first hat-trick. By the end of the season, he had 44 goals in 20 games. Today, for my first episode of the podcast, I look at arguably the greatest goal scorer in NHL history.
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Join me on my new show, Pucks and Cups, as I look at the players, managers, teams and events that made hockey history.
I explore the interesting, amazing and bizarre of the early years of the NHL, to show why hockey is the greatest game in the world.
You can also subscribe to my other podcasts, on all podcast platforms:
Canadian History Ehx
From John To Justin
Support the show for $3/month at www.patreon.com/canadaehx or donate at www.canadaehx.com
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Twitter: www.twitter.com/craigbaird