Both teams that made the NHL playoffs in 1917/18 had goalies for whom awards were named after.
Now, I knew about George Vezina, but I was a little surprised when I found out that the Toronto Arenas in 1917/18 had goalie Hap Holmes. He, too, had an award named after him.
Holmes had been in hockey since 1912. He enjoyed success with many Toronto teams. With the Blues in 1913/14, he got his name on the Stanley Cup for the first time. Playoff success followed him around. In 1917, he was part of the first American team to win the Stanley Cup, the Seattle Metropolitans. The following year was the NHL's first, and Holmes was back in Toronto on the Arenas. Hap would win it all again.
Holmes' totals don't look good: 9 wins and a 4.73 GAA, but he was second in the National Hockey League in both categories. How about the playoffs? Well, all Holmes did was take Toronto to a Stanley Cup. Though Toronto and Montreal split two games in the playoffs, the Arenas were the winners due to the "Total goals" rule of the time. The Cup was not won with that, however, as Toronto then needed to beat the Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey League. So the quest for Lord Stanley came down to a best-of-five series. In the deciding fifth contest, it was Holmes emerging with a 2-1 win for his team, and once again, another Stanley Cup for Hap.
Hap continued on winning. In fact, had the Stanley Cup finals not been called off the next year due to the Spanish Flu, Holmes might have had another ring. By this time he was back with Seattle. Following the PCHA merger with the Western Canada Hockey League in 1924, Hap was now on the Victoria Cougars. And guess what? He won the Stanley Cup that year, as his team beat the Montreal Canadians in the finals. The same goalie that had been on Montreal when they faced Holmes' Toronto Arenas was there again in 1925: George Vezina!
Vezina had taken the Habs all the way in 1915/16, beating the Portland Rosebuds of the PCHA in the Stanley Cup finals. George's team had to endure second best the following season, as his old pal Holmes and Seattle beat them in the finals. Following a playoff loss to Toronto in the first NHL season (1917/18), George became a true star in the Montreal net. He'd play every game. He'd stop every puck (Seemingly). And Vezina's team would make the playoffs (The goalies of today that win the award in his honour usually play on teams that do, too!), where he'd be light out.
George led the NHL in playoff games won for five years in a row beginning in 1918. In 1924 and 1925, he'd win the Cup back-to-back. Sadly, he was a tired old man when he stepped into the crease for the last time the following season, on November 28th. Facing the Pittsburgh Pirates, George didn't allow a goal in the first period, but was replaced by Alphonse Lacroix to start the second. The great netminder had tried to continue in the second stanza but had collapsed. As it turns out, he'd developed tuberculosis. It would claim Vezina's life the following March.
But neither left without an award being named in their honour. Holmes got one for the top goalie in the American League. In 1972 Hap was inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame. Vezina made it the first year the Hall Of Fame opened, in 1945. But what about his trophy? It's awarded to the NHL's top goalie. Originally, up until 1945/46, it was for the goalie with the lowest goals-against-average. From 1945/46 to 1980/81, it was merely awarded to the goalie (Or goalies) on the team that allowed the fewest regular season goals (Minimum 25 GP). But not matter what it is awarded for, it was the individual trophy all netminders wanted to win.
"The information used herein was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by The Hockey Summary Project. For more information about the Hockey Summary Project please visit:
http://hsp.flyershistory.com
or
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/hockey_summary_project/"
References
Anson, Peter. “Hockey Summary Project.” Hockey Summary Project, 08 Jun. 2018, <hsp.flyershistory.com/>.
Diamond, Dan. Total NHL: The Ultimate Source On The National Hockey League. Triumph Books, 2003.
Fischler, Stan, and Andrew Schneider. The All-New Hockey's 100: A Personal Ranking Of The Best Players In Hockey History. McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1988.
Hollander, Zander. The Hockey News Hockey Almanac 2000: The Complete Guide. Visible Ink Press, 2000.
Hughes, Morgan, and Stan Fischler. Hockey Chronicle: Year-By-Year History Of The National Hockey League. Publications International, Ltd., 2007.
“Official Site Of The National Hockey League.” NHL.com, National Hockey League, 8 June 2018, <www.nhl.com/>.
Podnieks, Andrew. The Toronto Maple Leafs Ultimate Book Of Facts, Stats, And Stories. McClelland & Stewart, 2015.
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 08 Jun. 2018. <https://en.wikipedia.org>.
Now, I knew about George Vezina, but I was a little surprised when I found out that the Toronto Arenas in 1917/18 had goalie Hap Holmes. He, too, had an award named after him.
Holmes had been in hockey since 1912. He enjoyed success with many Toronto teams. With the Blues in 1913/14, he got his name on the Stanley Cup for the first time. Playoff success followed him around. In 1917, he was part of the first American team to win the Stanley Cup, the Seattle Metropolitans. The following year was the NHL's first, and Holmes was back in Toronto on the Arenas. Hap would win it all again.
Holmes' totals don't look good: 9 wins and a 4.73 GAA, but he was second in the National Hockey League in both categories. How about the playoffs? Well, all Holmes did was take Toronto to a Stanley Cup. Though Toronto and Montreal split two games in the playoffs, the Arenas were the winners due to the "Total goals" rule of the time. The Cup was not won with that, however, as Toronto then needed to beat the Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey League. So the quest for Lord Stanley came down to a best-of-five series. In the deciding fifth contest, it was Holmes emerging with a 2-1 win for his team, and once again, another Stanley Cup for Hap.
Hap continued on winning. In fact, had the Stanley Cup finals not been called off the next year due to the Spanish Flu, Holmes might have had another ring. By this time he was back with Seattle. Following the PCHA merger with the Western Canada Hockey League in 1924, Hap was now on the Victoria Cougars. And guess what? He won the Stanley Cup that year, as his team beat the Montreal Canadians in the finals. The same goalie that had been on Montreal when they faced Holmes' Toronto Arenas was there again in 1925: George Vezina!
Vezina had taken the Habs all the way in 1915/16, beating the Portland Rosebuds of the PCHA in the Stanley Cup finals. George's team had to endure second best the following season, as his old pal Holmes and Seattle beat them in the finals. Following a playoff loss to Toronto in the first NHL season (1917/18), George became a true star in the Montreal net. He'd play every game. He'd stop every puck (Seemingly). And Vezina's team would make the playoffs (The goalies of today that win the award in his honour usually play on teams that do, too!), where he'd be light out.
George led the NHL in playoff games won for five years in a row beginning in 1918. In 1924 and 1925, he'd win the Cup back-to-back. Sadly, he was a tired old man when he stepped into the crease for the last time the following season, on November 28th. Facing the Pittsburgh Pirates, George didn't allow a goal in the first period, but was replaced by Alphonse Lacroix to start the second. The great netminder had tried to continue in the second stanza but had collapsed. As it turns out, he'd developed tuberculosis. It would claim Vezina's life the following March.
But neither left without an award being named in their honour. Holmes got one for the top goalie in the American League. In 1972 Hap was inducted into the Hockey Hall Of Fame. Vezina made it the first year the Hall Of Fame opened, in 1945. But what about his trophy? It's awarded to the NHL's top goalie. Originally, up until 1945/46, it was for the goalie with the lowest goals-against-average. From 1945/46 to 1980/81, it was merely awarded to the goalie (Or goalies) on the team that allowed the fewest regular season goals (Minimum 25 GP). But not matter what it is awarded for, it was the individual trophy all netminders wanted to win.
"The information used herein was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by The Hockey Summary Project. For more information about the Hockey Summary Project please visit:
http://hsp.flyershistory.com
or
http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/hockey_summary_project/"
References
Anson, Peter. “Hockey Summary Project.” Hockey Summary Project, 08 Jun. 2018, <hsp.flyershistory.com/>.
Diamond, Dan. Total NHL: The Ultimate Source On The National Hockey League. Triumph Books, 2003.
Fischler, Stan, and Andrew Schneider. The All-New Hockey's 100: A Personal Ranking Of The Best Players In Hockey History. McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1988.
Hollander, Zander. The Hockey News Hockey Almanac 2000: The Complete Guide. Visible Ink Press, 2000.
Hughes, Morgan, and Stan Fischler. Hockey Chronicle: Year-By-Year History Of The National Hockey League. Publications International, Ltd., 2007.
“Official Site Of The National Hockey League.” NHL.com, National Hockey League, 8 June 2018, <www.nhl.com/>.
Podnieks, Andrew. The Toronto Maple Leafs Ultimate Book Of Facts, Stats, And Stories. McClelland & Stewart, 2015.
Sports Reference LLC. Hockey-Reference.com - Hockey
Statistics and History. http://www.hockey-reference.com/. Web. 08 Jun. 2018.
Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 08 Jun. 2018. <https://en.wikipedia.org>.
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