Sunday 21 February 2010
Alfred was one of the early professional hockey players in Canada. About 1885, when Alfred turned seven years old, his dad bought him a new pair of skates for forty cents, and he never looked back.
Official hockey records from the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto were research and, when combined with Alfred’s autobiography, show that he began his career at age 18, playing two seasons for Smith Falls. For the following five or six seasons, he seemed to travel around playing for either Iroquois, Brockville, Pittsburgh, or Calumet, Michigan. All had natural ice except Pittsburgh.
Records are sparse for that period. For instance, although some people thought that he played for Smiths Falls when they challenged the Ottawa Silver Seven for the Stanley Cup in 1906, there is no record of this.
In the early years, Alfred played for the Iroquois Indians, which was a good team, beating Cornwal and playing Queens University in a losing effort for a trophy. Alfred said that, on the way to the rink, the glass-covered sleigh they were driving, slid down and icy hill, hitting a pole, and the game was delayed so the doctors could patch up the injured players. Alfred thought that they lost because of the condition they were in.
At the turn of the century, organized league hockey was a new idea. City teams wanted to organize in leagues and compete for a newly created trophy. The Stanley Cup, which was donated by Canada’s Governor General, Lord Stanley. The first professional hockey league was the Ontario Professional Hockey League (OPHL) formed in 1908, considered the forerunner of the NHL. Alfred played 4 seasons in the OPHL for Brantford (1908-09-11) and Galt (1910).
1908 Brantford. Alfred was noted as being an “added import” Centre-Point playing 6 games and scoring 1 goal. Stats were:
Team……………………….Win……….Loss………Tie ………Goals For/Against
Toronto……………………………10………………2………………0……………..88/55
Berlin (Kitchener)……………7……………….5……………..0………………57/49
Brantford…………………………5……………….7………………0……………..65/79
Guelph…………………………….2……………..10……………..0……………..33/60
1909 listed Alfred as “Cap” McDonald (a nickname that subsequently stayed with him) playing 15 games and scoring 18 goals. It was also the season that Brantford won the OPHL Trophy. Statistically the season was all Brantford’s:
Team……………………….Win……….Loss………Tie ………Goals For/Against
Brantford…………………………10…………….4………………1……………..123/100
Galt………………………………….10…………….4……………..1………………107/91
Berlin……………………………….9………………6………………0………………96/72
Toronto……………………………5……………..10……………..0…………….105/111
Guelph…………………………….1………………5……………….0…………….28/56
St. Catharines………………..0……………….6………………0……………..29/58
1910 Alfred jumped over to Galt, playing 1 game but no goals. During that season, Galt challenged the Ottawa Senators for the Stanley Cup, playing 2 games (both losses of 3-1, and 12-3). Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing if “Cap” played in either game as he isn’t listed on the roster.
Team……………………….Win……….Loss………Tie ………Goals For/Against
Berlin………………………………11………………6………………0……………..103/74
Waterloo………………………….8………………7………………0………………..77/70
Brantford…………………………7………………7………………0………………..79/76
Galt…………………………………5……………..11………………0……………….63/102
1911 Alfred returned to play for Brantford for 13 games, scoring 4 goals – but this season they ended up in the basement.
Team……………………….Win……….Loss………Tie ………Goals For/Against
Galt………………………………….13……………..6……………0………………..134/99
Waterloo………………………..13………………..6………….0………………..85/78
Berlin……………………………..10………………..8……………0……………….93/87
Brantford………………………..1………………..17………….0………………..59/107
1913 Alfred traveled to Nova Scotia to play for the Sydney Millionaires of the Maritime Professional Hockey League (MPHL) playing on defence and coached the team. He played 2 games but no goals. Perhaps this was Cap’s best year ever as the Millionaires won the MPHL Trophy and went on to challenge the Quebec Bulldogs for the Stanley Cup. The Bulldogs had won the National Hockey Association Cup that season and were considered the “power-house” team in North America, led by hockey legends, Joe Malone on wing, and Paddy Moran in goal.
The Millionaires and the Bulldogs played 2 games sudden-death on March 8 and 10th, and Sydney lost both: Game #1 Quebec 14 vs. Sydney 3 – Game #2 Quebec 6 vs. Sydney 2.
“Cap” played Centre-Point during both games but came up scoreless. This Stanley Cup series marked the last time that a hockey team from Atlantic Canada competed for the trophy.
“Cap” was now 36 years old and newly married to his second wife, Esther. His career was coming to a close, but he had one more season to play. It was 1914 and Cap played on the National Hockey Association’s (NHA) Montreal Wanderers. That year saw him play only 1 game but his must have ben fun as one of his linemates was the great Art Ross.
The NHA (later to change its name to the National Hockey League) had the top teams in the country.
1914 season stats are:
Team……………………….Win……….Loss………Tie ………Goals For/Against
Toronto Blueshirts……………13………………7…………..0…………..93/65
Canadiens…………………………13……………..7…………..0…………..85/65
Quebec Bulldogs……………….12…………….8…………….0………….111/73
Ottawa Senators……………….11…………….9……………..0………….65/71
Montreal Wanderers…………..7…………….13……………0………….102/125
Ontarios………………………………4…………….16……………0…………..61/118
Throughout his hockey career “Cap” supplemented his income by playing pro-baseball and lacrosse during the summer. He played baseball for Niagara Falls, NY, and perhaps in either Cincinnati or Cleveland, and lacrosse in Toronto (Toronto Island).