1916 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1916 Stanley Cup Final was played between the National Hockey Association (NHA) champion Montreal Canadiens and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) champion Portland Rosebuds. This was the first time that a best-of-five Cup championship went the distance. Also, the Rosebuds were the first team based in the United States to play for the Cup. The Canadiens defeated the Rosebuds three games to two in the best-of-five game series. This was the Canadiens' first Stanley Cup championship.
Paths to the final
Montreal won the NHA title after finishing the 1915–16 regular season in first place with a 16–7–1 record. Meanwhile, Portland clinched the 1915–16 PCHA title with a 13–5 record.
The series
The games of the series were played at Montreal's Montreal Arena as it was the turn of the NHA champions to host the series. This was not the home rink of the Canadiens, but it was larger than their home Jubilee Rink. Games one, three and five were played under NHA rules; Games two and four were played under PCHA rules. Ernie Johnson's share of series revenues was by court order to be paid to the Montreal Wanderers, whom he had left while under contract to go to the PCHA. For the entire series, future Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Georges Vezina aided Montreal by posting a 2.60 goals-against average. Didier Pitre led the Canadiens in scoring with 4 goals.
Game one
| March 20 | Montreal Canadiens | 0–2 | Portland Rosebuds | Montreal Arena | ||||
Portland arrived by train the day before the game but showed no weariness, recording a shutout.
Game two
| March 22 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–1 | Portland Rosebuds | Montreal Arena | ||||
Despite missing Newsy Lalonde and Jack Laviolette, Montreal behind some heavy checking defeated Portland 2–1 to tie the series.
Game three
| March 25 | Montreal Canadiens | 6–3 | Portland Rosebuds | Montreal Arena | ||||
Lalonde and Laviolette played in game three. Lalonde got into a fight with Ernie Johnson, requiring the police to break up the fight. Lalonde and Laviolette were ejected for the game and Eddie Oatman received a major penalty. Pitre was the scoring star, scoring three goals to lead the Canadiens to a 6–3 victory.
Game four
| March 28 | Montreal Canadiens | 5–6 | Portland Rosebuds | Montreal Arena | ||||
The Rosebuds then evened the series with a 6–5 victory in game four. The Rosebuds took a 3–0 lead, only to see the Canadiens tie it and take a 4–3 lead. In the third period Portland's Fred Harris scored twice and Charlie Uksilla scored once to take a 6–4 lead until the last minute when Lalonde scored to make it closer.
Game five
| March 30 | Montreal Canadiens | 2–1 | Portland Rosebuds | Montreal Arena | ||||
In game five, Portland's Tommy Dunderdale gave his team a 1–0 lead before Skene Ronan tied the game. The seldom-used George Prodger then scored the game and series-winning goal to clinch the Cup for the Canadiens.
References
- Coleman, Charles L. (1966). The Trail of the Stanley Cup, vol.1 1893–1926 inc.. National Hockey League, 299–304.
- "1915–16 Stanley Cup Winner: Montreal Canadiens". Hockey Hall of Fame. http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SilverwareTrophyWinner.jsp?tro=STC&year=1915-16. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
- "hockeyleaguehistory.com – Pacific Coast Hockey Association". http://www.hockeyleaguehistory.com/Pacific_Coast_Hockey_Association%20_1911.htm. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
- Podnieks, Andrew (2004). Lord Stanley's Cup. Triumph Books, 12, 48. ISBN 1-55168-261-3.
- (1992) in Dan Diamond (ed.): The Official National Hockey League Stanley Cup Centennial Book. Firefly Books, 46–47. ISBN 1-895565-15-4.
See also
| Preceded by Vancouver Millionaires 1915 |
Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup Champions 1916 |
Succeeded by Seattle Metropolitans 1917 |
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