1895 AHAC season


The 1895 Amateur Hockey Association of Canada season lasted from January 3 until March 8. Each team played 8 games, and Montreal Victorias were first with a 6–2–0 record. After a required Stanley Cup challenge played between the 1894 winners, Montreal HC and Queen's, champion of the Ontario Hockey Association, the Victorias inherited the Stanley Cup as league champions.

Executive

  • Watson Jack, Victorias
  • A. Laurie, Quebec
  • Weldy Young, Ottawa
  • J. A. Findlay, Montreal

Regular season

Highlights

The Crystals suffered three straight defeats to open the season. After this, they decided independently to merge with the Montreal Shamrocks. On February 2, this new team defeated Quebec 2–1. The game was protested by Quebec and the result was cancelled and not replayed.
Another game involving Quebec was noteworthy, on February 23 against Ottawa, won by Ottawa 3–2. The game, played at Quebec, was very rough and the crowd became hostile towards the visitors. At the end of the match, the crowd pursued referee Hamilton and Umpire Findlay as they left the arena, and dragged them back to force them to declare the game a draw. Police were called to break up the demonstration. Subsequent to the match, the AHAC decided to suspend the Quebec hockey club for the rest of the season.

Final Standing

Note GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against
TeamGPWLTGFGA
Montreal Victorias86203520
Montreal Hockey Club84403322
Ottawa Hockey Club84402524
Montreal Crystals/Montreal Shamrocks73402139
Quebec Hockey Club72501827

Results

MonthDayVisitorScoreHomeScore
Jan.3Crystals2Victorias7
Jan.5Montreal HC2Quebec HC4
Jan.5Crystals1Ottawa HC9
Jan.11Montreal HC9Crystals1
Jan.12Ottawa HC1Victorias5
Jan.19Ottawa HC2Montreal HC3
Jan.19Victorias3Quebec HC4
Jan.26Quebec HC0Ottawa HC1
Jan.26Victorias0Montreal HC5
Feb.2 Crystals2Quebec1
Feb.9Quebec HC3Montreal HC6
Feb.16Montreal HC3Ottawa4
Feb.16Quebec HC2Victorias8
Feb.23Ottawa HC3Quebec HC2
Feb.23Montreal HC2Victorias4
Feb.27 Quebec HC3Crystals4
Mar.2Crystals4Montreal HC3
Mar.2Victorias3Ottawa HC2
Mar.6 Ottawa HC3Crystals7
Mar.8Victorias5Crystals2

† Game void following protest by Quebec over Crystals use of ineligible players
‡ Quebec team suspended after attack on officials after game of February 23
₳ Victorias clinch league championship

Player Stats

Leading scorers

Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals scored
NameClubGPG
Haviland RouthMontreal HC819
Norman RankinVictorias811
Albert E. SwiftQuebec HC610
Herbert RussellOttawa HC810
Robert MacDougallVictorias810
Graham DrinkwaterVictorias89
FairbairnCrystals56
Archie HodgsonMontreal HC66
Chauncey KirbyOttawa HC75
Alf SmithOttawa HC85

; Source:
Coleman pp. 22–24.

Goaltending averages

Note: GP = Games played, GA = Goals against, SO = Shutouts, GAA = Goals against average
NameClubGPGASOGAA
Hartland McDougall*Victorias111.0
Robert JonesVictorias482.0
Jim FenwickVictorias122.0
Herbert CollinsMontreal HC82212.7
Fred ChittickOttawa HC61813.0
Harry WestwickOttawa HC263.0
James "Shiner" WhiteCrystals143.7
Frank StockingQuebec HC7273.9
Hartland McDougall *Victorias294.5
H. LyonsCrystals2168.0

Note: Although A. Mcdougall is recorded in most hockey sources as to playing goal for the Montreal Victorias on January 12, 1895, and allowing one goal only, primary sourcing can show that Hartland MacDougall actually played goal for the Vics between January 12 and January 26 before being replaced by Robert Jones.

Stanley Cup challenges

Montreal vs. Queen's

On March 8, 1895, the Montreal Victorias won the 1895 AHAC title, finishing the season with a 6–2 record. Under the Stanley Cup rules, the team would also be awarded the Stanley Cup as league champions. However, the trustees ruled that a challenge between the previous year's champion Montreal HC and the squad from Queen's University, the champions of the Ontario Hockey Association, would have to be played first to determine if the Cup remained with the AHAC. Thus, it was decided that if the Montreal HC won the challenge match, the Victorias would become the Stanley Cup champions. The Montreal HC would eventually win the game, 5–1, and their crosstown rivals were crowned the champions.
Billy Barlow, the star player of Montreal was not able to play and Clarence McKerrow took his place. McKerrow had not played any games for Montreal, and could be considered a ringer, but there was no protest from Queen's. The Queen's team, although described as looking fast in their tiger jerseys, were no match for Montreal and the game proved uninteresting. Randy McLennan of Queen's would later play for Dawson City Nuggets in their 1905 challenge series against Ottawa.
Queens U.1Montreal HC5
Robert Carroll HiscockGHerbert Collins
Guy CurtisPFrank Bickerdike
Fenwick TaylorCPAllan Cameron
Arthur Breden CunninghamFClare Mussen1
George McKay1FClarence McKerrow1
Randy McLennanFHaviland Routh2
George Forrest WeatherheadFArchie Hodgson1

Referee—F. C. Chittick
Umpires—Fred McRobie and Alex Robertson
;Source:
Coleman pp. 24–25

Stanley Cup engravings

While the Montreal Hockey Club won its challenge 5–1, it was not presented with the Stanley Cup.
  • & Unknown first name.
  • ^ Unknown who played Centre, Right Wing and Left Wing, so the players are listed as forwards
  • @ Missing from the team picture
non-players=
  • Watson Jack
  • Fred Meredith
  • P.M. Desterneck
  • George R. Hooper
On-team program - Mr. T.P. Howard, Mr. A.G. Robertson, Mr. W.L. Jamieson, Mr. Frank Howard Wilson, Mr. W.D. Stephen, but missing from the Stanley Cup winning picture.
engraving-notes=
  • 1895 MONTREAL VICTORIAS
  • Jim Fenwick would leave the team at the end of the season.
  • Some sources say A. MacDougall, and Hartland MacDougall each played the one game in goal. There no official records of an A. MacDougall ever playing hockey for the Montreal Victorias. So it was most likely that Hartland played both games, and an H just looked like an A.