Railway - Telephone Amateur Hockey League
Steam vs Electricity
The Montreal Railway Telephone Amateur Hockey League was formed to facilitate the league sponsor’s desire to provide excellent athletic entertainment for employees of its companies. The first of its scheduled 10 double-headers, played Wednesday nights at the Montreal Forum, began on January 6, 1926 featuring teams from Canadian National Railway, Canadian Pacific Railway, Bell Telephone and Northern Electric - Steam vs Electricity. Donald Smith, NHL referee and former pro hockey star was appointed coach of the CNR hockey team. The Northern Electric hockey team was under the direction of coach Joe Malone, a former employee and hockey star. On January 31, 1920, while playing for the Quebec Bulldogs, Joe Malone became the first NHL player to score seven goals in one game. Malone's record stands today.
On March 10, 1926 the championship playoff game concluding the first season was contested between the CNR and CPR hockey teams. CNR won the game 2-1, claiming the E.W. Beatty Trophy which had been donated by the CPR President. The second game of the double-header was the 21st annual clash between Bell Telephone and Northern Electric for the Telephone Hockey Trophy. The game was on the 60th anniversary of the invention of the telephone in Canada and ended in a 3-3 draw, with Bell retaining the Telephone Cup. The game attendance of 12,209 topped the previous record by 133 set by the NHL's Montreal Maroons and Canadiens the previous January.
The Telephone Trophy games had been contested between the Bell and Northern teams since 1902, except during the war years. Northern Electric was the first winners of the trophy in 1903 and held it at intervals for 15 years, Bell having won it 5 seasons. The historic and unique prize, made by employees of the Northern Electric Company in 1902, was an enlarged model of the desk stand on a metal base, complete with transmitter, receiver and mouth piece, topped with a silver cup. Shown in a P.J. Gordon photograph of the 1912-13 league champion Northern Electric Hockey Club are 15 members of the team and below the captain’s central image is that of the Telephone Hockey Trophy.
League officers enforced a “residence” or “employment” rule regarding the eligibility of players, a policy which prevented the wide open system of bringing in star players for the hockey season. The enforcement of the rigid employment rule was a benefit to the league demonstrated by attendance figures, the weekly double-headers drawing crowds which jammed the Forum doors. In its second year of operation the league had attracted 77,908 spectators. Three of the teams allowed their players to compete in other leagues, but the CPR players were confined to their own club activities. CNR and CPR also operated a 6 team Inter-departmental Hockey League independent of the Railway Telephone League. In a season of 10 weekly games CPR teams from Terminals, Operating, Accounting, Angus, Traffic and Pur-D Car battled it out Saturday afternoons at the Montreal Forum.
The Northern Electric hockey team retained possession of the Telephone Hockey Trophy at the Victoria Rink on March 18, 1915 when they defeated the Bell Telephone team 6 goals to 2 in their annual match. Bell filed a protest to the trustees of the trophy claiming that Northern Electric used 2 players, Campbell and Lalonde, who were not bona fide employees of the company. The match was closely contested for the first 2 periods with neither team able to score. Lalonde finally opened the scoring for Northern Electric half way through the final period. King evened the score a few minutes later, but Northern Electric broke the tie when a long shot by Campbell fooled Bell’s goalie Partridge. Another goal by Lalonde gave his team a 2 goal lead. Immediately afterward King zig-zagged through the whole Northern Electric team for the prettiest goal of the evening. Bell brought up all of their players on the attack in an attempt to tie the game, leaving their goalie unprotected and Northern Electric scored 3 goals in the closing minutes. Bell Telephone – Partridge, Rochefort, Tucker, King, Brown and Hyland; Ford, McGowan, A. Johnson, F. Johnson, subs. Northern Electric – Nelson, Campbell, Clement, Lortie, Lalonde and Wilson; Gentleman, Clements, Ford, D. McKay, subs.
There was an undercurrent of excitement before the start of the Railway Telephone Hockey League’s double-header on February 15, 1928. The Quebec Amateur Hockey Association had ruled that Raymond Hawkins didn't comply with the "residence" rule and if he played for the CPR team, then all those players taking part in the games would be suspended. Hawkins appeared in uniform on the bench and was shown as a substitute in the official line up. Hawkins got into action late in the first period and by the start of the second period the QAHA and league officers had reached an agreement. Hawkins was granted his card that night for the CPR game against Northern Electric, with the understanding that he would not play again that season. Many of the amateur clubs of the city in line for Allan Cup play downs and other titles used players of the Railway-Telephone League. The senior champion Montreal Victorias had Stewart Shearer of Bell Telephone and Howie Grant of Northern Electric. Many players also competed in the Mount Royal Hockey League. Involved in the championship playoffs with C.P. Verdun were Georges Mantha and Arthur Valois of the Bell club, Paul Smith and George Powell of CNR. Raymond Hawkins went on to play in the 2 consolation round playoff games where CNR defeated his CPR team by a 6-1 count on the round.
The Lure of the Pros
In March of 1928 newspapers from Winnipeg to Ottawa reported, "Stewart Shearer, Victorias star defenceman, has been mentioned as a likely member of the Montreal Maroon NHL team next season." Shearer decided to remain at his steady and well paying job with Bell Telephone and turned down the Maroon offer.
In November of 1926, Stewart Shearer, all-round athlete from Montreal, was offered a contract to play professional hockey for the Quebec Bulldogs of the Canadian American Hockey League. Prominent locally in hockey, rugby and paddling circles, Shearer decided to remain an amateur. Stewart starred with the Westward Rugby Football Club and the Valois Boating Club. In hockey he was capable of playing on the forward line at centre or wing and also on the defence. Stewart played with the red-clad CPR team of the Rail-Tel League during 1925-26, then suited up with the blue-shirts for the next 6 seasons.
On February 24, 1932, the CPR Hockey Club defeated the CNR sextette by a 4-0 score before a capacity crowd of over 12,456 enthusiastic fans at the Montreal Forum. CPR won the 2 game play-off series by a 5-1 count, retaining the E.W. Beatty Trophy, emblematic of the Railway Telephone League Championship. The Pacifics finished the season in first place by a margin of a single point over Bell and CNR, who fought it out in a sudden-death playoff for the honour to play the champions. CNR advanced with a 1-0 victory over the Bell Tel team, making it the first occassion the two railway clubs met for the title since the first year of the league's operation.
CNR president Sir Henry Thornton, wife Lady Thornton and their guests Mr. and Mrs. Leo Dandurand paid a visit to the CNR dressing room between the first and second periods. The C.B. Brown Trophy for the most valuable player on the CNR team was voted on by a committee of newspapermen and awarded to goalie George Seed. In the evenings second game, Northern Electric defeated Bell Telephone 5-3, but the 7-3 lead piled up by Bell the previous week enabled the Blue Shirts to win the Telephone Hockey Cup by a 10-8 score on the round.
Exhibition and Benefit Games
7,500 fans witnessed the Canadian National Railway team defeat Banque Canadienne Nationale 3-1 at the Montreal Forum on March 27, 1926. The playoff game was for the City Commercial Hockey Championship between the winners of the Bankers League and the Railway-Telephone League. The 2 teams were comprised of the best amateurs in the city and had an immense following in their respective leagues. Banque Nationale’s line up included the majority of the stars of the St. Francois Xavier team, amateur champions of the province. The CNR players also played with leading senior teams in the Q.A.H.L and were well known in local hockey circles, Fournier, Murray and Ranco from the Columbus Club; Wilcox of the Victorias; Pirrie from Montreal AAA; Hicks and Touhey of Ottawa; Dolson and Griffin of Stratford.
In March of 1927 the CPR hockey club from Winnipeg arrived in Montreal to challenge the local CPR team. 2 goals in the third period gave Montreal CPR a 2-0 victory over the Winnipeg representatives of the company and the championship of the Canadian Pacific Railways. The Winnipeg team numbered some of the stars of the city including Jack “Red” Kelly, rated one of the best forwards in amateur hockey on the prairies. Red Kelly had 3 brothers who played in the Railway-Telephone League. Stewart Kelly played 6 seasons, 2 with Bell Telephone and 4 with the CNR club. After the league’s final season Stewart joined the Canadian Grenadier Guards. Jimmy Kelly played with CPR in 1927 and Northern in 1931 and then moved to England where he was involved in the manufacturing of airplanes. He won an Olympic Gold Medal with Britain in 1936 and World Silver Medal in 1937 and 1938. Jimmy died in 1945 on active service with the Canadian Army in Holland. Pete Kelly played in the leagues final 2 seasons with Bell Telephone. Pete played 117 games in the NHL over 6 seasons and also participated in the 1940 Canadian Open golf tournament in Toronto. Before the title game between the CPR teams, speedy players of the Railway – Telephone League raced to determine the fastest skater. Eddie Duclos and Anderson represented Northern Electric, Jimmy Thomson and Georges Mantha of the Bell Tel team, Kerwin and Hughes of CNR, Kane and “Baldy” Stokes of CPR. Eddie Duclos and Jack Kane tied in the speed skating contest with times of 18 2/5 seconds for the turn around the rink. Mantha was next with a time of 18 3/5 seconds.
On April 1, 1927, the Banque Canadienne Nationale hockey team defeated the Bell Telephone club 4-3 before 3,000 fans at the Forum. The game was arranged as a friendly exhibition between the champions of the Bankers League and the Railway-Telephone League titleholders, with no championship or trophy up for grabs. Before the start of the game the Nationale players were presented with the Edward A. Hayes Trophy, emblematic of the Bankers League championship. The Bankers charged to an early 3-0 lead and the games complexion changed from a friendly joust to that of a bitterly fought championship contest. Twenty one penalties, including two 5 minute and two 10 minute penalties were called by the referee, before he called all players to centre ice and read them the riot act. The Bell Tel teamed stormed back to the tie the game early in the 3rd period, with a goal by Georges Mantha and two from Martin Barry. Lapointe regained the Banque Nationale’s lead with a goal four minutes later. The Bankers defended their lead for the remainder of the game, lifting the puck the length of the ice every time they got their sticks on it, despite the jeers of the Bell Telephone fans.
The Montreal Forum was the venue for the Railway and Telephone Cup games on March 10, 1930. Twenty goals were tallied in the double-header as CPR edged out CNR 6-5 and Bell Telephone overwhelmed Northern Electric 8-1. Proceeds of the game went to the widows of Harry “Red” Howard and Jim Penny. Howard died early in the season after coaching Northern Electric for a few weeks and 38 year old CPR manager Jim Penny succumbed while watching the opening games at the Forum.
On March 31, 1931, Montreal CPR, champions of the Railway-Telephone League defeated the Winnipeg Pacifics 2-1 to win the 2 game series by a 4-2 count, claiming the championship of the railway system. The referee almost lost control of the game in the 3rd period when he claimed a goal by Montreal’s Art Alexandere was offside. Three offside goals were called back this period and the resulting argument drew a match penalty to speedy eastern left-winger Gaudette. Star forward Maurice Hebert of the Montreal club wasn’t able to participate in the intra company game. Hebert was hit in the head with a skate and suffered a fractured skull during a playoff game with Bell Telephone on February 18th. Maurice was operated on 2 days later and was out of critical condition, but died in the summer as a result of a stomach ailment.
The Winnipeg Hockey Club was selected to represent Canada at the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, USA, after winning the 1931 Allan Cup Tournament. Before the Olympic Champions returned home to enter the Winnipeg city play offs they played 8 exhibition games, with stops in Montreal, Ottawa, Atlantic City, Brooklyn & Bronx, NY, Hamilton, Fort William and Port Arthur. The Winnipegs first appearance after capturing the world hockey title was on February 15, 1932 at the Montreal Forum. Their opponents were the cream of the Montreal City Senior Hockey League and included 8 of the top league 10 scorers. Two of the Canadiens star players, Paul Marcel Raymond and Art Alexander, also played in the Railway-Telephone League with the CPR club. Raymond was tied with Frank Carlin for 4th place in the MCSHL standings with 5 goals and 4 assists. Alexander was next with 6 goals and 2 assists. Both players went on to careers in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens. Ken Farmer of the McGill team played in the R-T-L with the Northern Electric hockey club from1929 to 1931 and registered 6 goals and 1 assist in the MCSHL In a close, sometimes peppery game before 7,000 fans the Winnipegs defeated the Montreal Seniors 2-1. The Pegs led the game on a 1st period goal by Wally Monson until Frank Carlin of the All-stars, who was a member of the 1925-26 CPR team, tied the game early in the 3rd period. Alston Wise scored the winning goal for Winnipeg 9 minutes later.
1931 Montreal CPR Champions of the Railway - Telephone League
Players in no particular order; Walt Buswell, Jules "Hippo" Gervais, Aubrey "Bunny" Scotland, Hub Wilson, Glenn Brydson, Art Alexandre, Roger Gaudette, Dr. Ulrick Page, M. Gravel, Maurice Hebert, Harry Vennor, Bill Boyd, Doug Sinclair, Charlie Berger, George Ward, Dewar, Charlie Larose, goalies Rolland Boulanger and Ted Hunter.
