Sunday 25 February 2007
The following are stories transcribed from newspaper sources. I’ll be adding to them as articles are discovered:
MILLIONAIRES TAKE CLEANEST GAME YET FROM CRESCENTS
(from the Sydney Daily Post, undated news clipping – probably Feb. 6, 1913)
Score was 4-1, and Locals had Best of it all Through Hockey as it Ought to be Played
‘TWAS REAL TREAT FOR THE FANS
Millionaires 4, Crescents 1
“How about it?” queried the scribe of one of the two thousand odd Indians who watched the game at the arena last night between the Millionaires of Sydney and the Halifax Crescents. “The finest, fastest and cleverest exhibition of the Canadian winter game ever staged in the province and I have seen the best of them go through their paces” came the answer, and this enthusiastic opinion was no doubt the unanimous verdict of every spectator in the audience. There were but three penalties meted out during the entire game and these for slight and apparently unavoidable infringement of the rules. Last wee we handed a brick bat to Percy Ball and his assistant for crude management of the game, but a bouquet is in order this evening. “Bill” and his assistant “Hump” Campbell, were masters of the players and the game from bell to bell; sharp as steel traps on offsides and kept cautioning the men when they noticed a penchant to start at the rough work. The result was as already stated a first class exhibition of hockey as it should be played.
Sydney fans and the Millionaires take off their hats to the six clever wearers of the blue shirt and White crescent from “Sleepy Hollow.” They are artists at the game and are only a shade behind the men carrying the dollar sign when it gets down to tacks and speed and science. Cosgrove and Murphy have gathered together an excellent pack of hockey scouts, and if the boys were not handicapped by the gas works newspaper support which is blow up to their detriment in the Garrison City, they would be prime favorites on the circuit.
“Has anybody seen Kelly?” wailed the band during one of the intermissions and the fellow with the green necktie answereth not. 4 to 1! Do you get that, “E.E.K”?
“The weakest team in the league” howled the guy who pikes the piffle on the Herald and Mail in Dead Man’s Gulch, down by the sounding sea. History may be depended on to repeat itself, and that prophecy about equals in perspecacity the famous bray made by Balaam’s household pet when he scrambled onto his hind legs and hollered. However, you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear or a journalist out of a hot air factory with hammer annex attached. The ice, as the boys says, “was in the pink of condition for good hockey and good hockey was what the spectators got.
Sydney used: “Toby.” s: Treneuthe, p; “Cap” [Alfred McDonald] c.p.; Randall and Tetrault, c.; Dunphy and Tighe, F.W.; Fraser, l.f.
Halifax used: Wortman, s; Laing, p.; Green c.p.; Scott, Wellington, c.; Delaire, r.w.’ Liffington, l.w.
FIRST PERIOD
The Millionaires jumped the visitors as soon as the rubber hit the ice. Cap. [Alfred McDonald] taking the first shot for foal the rubber bouncing off the post. Then was a face near the visitors’ net front, which Green stole the disc off Randall’s stock and made a long run through but without result. Dunphy and Randall came back and both had shots which Wortman stopped. Green holed the rubber on an offside play, and for ten minutes the audience was kept on tip toe by the exhibition of a series of end to end dashes by Treneuth, Randall, Fraser, Dunphy, for home, and Delaire, Green and Scott for the visitors.
It sure was brilliant work on the part of the players and a delight to watch. Harry Scott, who went on the ice suffering with a badly injured leg was doing fine work. He came from behind his own goal and went like a flash down the centre ice. “Cap” McDonald went after him and in one of the hardest, cleanest checks of the series played in Sydney, threw Scott up in the air. Treneuthe got to Wortman who made another splendid stop.
Scott was given the first penalty of one minute for loafing offside. Billy Dunphy, playing the game of his career, slid up the boards after 11 minutes’ play and found the net for the first goal of the game.
Scott and Green combined through the home defence, but Toby filled the goal space, they couldn’t get anything by him. Dunphy again shot to Wortman who negotiated. Delaire passed out to Scott after a long run down the boards, but Harry was asleep at the switch.
After 18 minutes of play, the clever Dunphy again found the net and the period closed 2-0 in favor of the home team.
SOME COMMENT
The center of attraction during the rest were the ? and executive stands. The journalists had it on the plutocrats as far as good looks were concerned — even if we do say it ourselves — but then the Money Kings had the bulge on the scribes by having in their midst as our Framboise Correspondent puts it, Mr. J. C. Lithgow, president of the M.P.H.A. “Jimmy” was there all right but not like Queenie, with his hair in a braid. Tend days of the well thatched roof have gone away for James and if you wish to get the full effulgence of his beauteous countenance, you must first glimpse him from the front and again from the rear. As we say in the best circles, of which Mr.s I.R.N. still is the belle sheep, city clerk, J.J. Curry, who was among them present, looked charming in a gown of navy blue over balbriggan. What Mr. Lithgow lacked on the top of his dome the “Count” sported in the way of hirsute appendage, commonly termed by the vulgar, spinnach, embroidery, etc. Among the veterans present at the game was Crown Prosecutor D. A. Hearn looking sweet in trimmed Van Dyke and overshoes to match. Space forbids or we might mention the fact that that grand old fan Mr. R. Curry kept tab on the game. He had a seat in the band wagon.
SECOND PERIOD
Dunphy and Fraser went to Wortman, then Randall and Dunphy, but the wonder of the nets for the Crescents beat the rubber on a dozen different occasions. Both Treneuthe and Fraser had shots which were also stopped. After six minutes play, Randall on a pass by Fraser notched up the Millionaires’ third.
Fraser was doing some splendid stunts up the ice but while he, Dunphy, Randall and “Cap” took chances in quick succession, there was nothing doing. Wortman stopped them all. Sixteen minutes of the period had been spent when “Cap” skidded down the azure blue and pelted the pill to the pot for the fourth and final goal for the locals.
The Millionaires were forcing the pace which was beginning to tell on the Crescents lighter forward line, and it was only Wortman’s splendid work in goal that kept the score below double figures.
Laing and Delaire slid the rubber from stick to stick all the way, and Capt. Vea shot the disc by the alert. Toy for the only score made by the visitors.
Score, Millionaries, 4; Crescents, 1.
Delaire in essaying a high jump over “Cap’s” stick landed on the latter’s shoulder and the flying Frenchman after turning a half somersault, hit the congealed (slang for ice). Up to the moment the bell rang, the remainder of the session witnessed some classy hockey by both teams with the Millionaires having all the better of the ice.
Toby and Wortman both did grand work saving many a hard shot that looked like sure score.
MORE COMMENT
During the lazy period, the 2,000 odd meal tickets who passed over their good samoleons at the plate, I mean gate, to glimpse the contest, watched with interest the work of a gang of panhandlers who, under the direction of Manager MacAdam, wheeled the kale away to the strong box on Charlotte street. “It’s a shame to take the money” said Harry Grant “but we needs the scads that’s our only excuse.”
“What chance have we got to lose?” anxiously inquired a Highbrow who hung over the rear of the press box. Fred Somers, who happened to be talking his elegantest replied, “Chanst! We got ’em beaten a mile, nailed and lashed to the mast and eatin’ out of the mitt at the end of the long glove. Chanst! Nit.”
FINAL STRUGGLE
Tighe and Tetrault replaced Dunphy and Fraser, and the teams went at it again in scientific and approved manner. Halifax tried rushing tactics but were outplayed and outgeneralled by their opponents. Tighe got two minutes for cutting the skates from under Delaire, and Green for cross checking was given three to think it over.
Millionaire forwards worked in combination and individually showed some fine hockey, but Wortman was too much for them. Tetrault did some fancy blocking, and later Wellington replaced Scott. Toby was again called on to make a number of difficult stops which he did in fine style. Dunphy replaced Randall and Jopp Wellington, but no further scoring was done, the match ending 4-1 in Sydney’s favor. The timers were: Halifax – S. Spence, M. Drydent. Millionaires – Fred Somers, Harry Curry.
Again hats off to the plucky Crescents.
THE STANDING
……………………………..W…..L……Pct.
Millionaires……………….6…….2 …..750
Cubs……………………….6……3……657
Victorias………………….5……5…….500
Socials……………………5……4…….444
Crescents………………..2……2…….206
SUSPENSION OF “CAP” M’DONALD AN OUTRAGE
(from the Sydney Daily Post, Saturday, February 22, 1913)
The injustice of the suspension of “Cap” McDonald, leader of the Millionaires, by the officials of the M.P.H.A. and representatives of clubs in the league, furnished an interesting and inexhaustible topic among lovers of the Winter game — men and women — here yesterday.
It was the unanimous opinion that the verdict was contrary to all law and Justice, such a decision could only be given for the express purpose of crippling the Sydney team for at least two of their hardest games. Mr. D. A. Hearn, Crown prosecutor for Cape Breton, and a life long hockey fan, asked his opinion in the matter said: “It is almost beyond belief that any body of men having any idea of Justice and British sense of fair play could be guilty of such action.”
“Not only has the M.P.H.A., offended by suspending McDonald, they have struck a foul blow at the officers and executive of the Sydney Club, by putting one of their best players out of the game without even sending them a copy of the alleged affadavits which Cross of the Moncton team is supposed to have taken. If such precendent were allowed to stand, then any player who had a grudge or grievance against an opponent could, by simply making an affadavit, keep a man from playing in any game for an indefinite period.”
Sufficient time elapsed between the filing of the protest by Moncton to have had the trouble investigated and adjusted long before the Truro meeting was convened and the delay in holding a conference on the matter might be attributed to the desire to materially cripple the Sydney team.
“In all my long experience practising as a lawyer,” said Mr. Hearn, “I cannot remember such a flagrant breach of all the ethics of fair play and justice as that perpetrated by the M.P.H.A. at Truro.”
Mr. Hearn was of the opinion the Millionaires could have played “Cap” McDonald last night if they needed him, and their action would be sustained by any court of law in the country.
“For the good of the Pro hockey game in the Province,” said another gentleman to the Post this morning, “it is time responsible persons were elected to fill the higher offices in the league.