Today in History: Seattle Metropolitans hockey team wins the Stanley Cup in 1917

SEATTLE — Hockey fans around the Northwest continue to prepare for the possible arrival of a NHL team in Seattle. Earlier in March, Seattle reached its goal of getting 10,000 deposits for season tickets for a possible NHL team within 12 minutes. Since then, at least 25,000 deposits have been taken.

Prospective team owners say they're trying to make a statement to the NHL Commission that Seattle should be awarded an expansion team.

The season tickets demand and the renovation of Key Arena  point to the NHL awarding a team (expansion or relocation) to the city of Seattle in the near future.

However, it is the history of the Stanley Cup Champion Seattle Metropolitans in 1917 that many fans point to as the tell tale sign that Seattle can again support an NHL franchise.

The following is a recap of the event in a historylink.org essay by Greg Lange

On March 26, 1917, the Seattle Metropolitans win the Stanley Cup and become the world champions of hockey. In Seattle, at The Arena, the Mets, coached by Pete Muldoon, defeat defending champion Les Canadiens of Montreal three games to one.  The Metropolitans earned the right to play Montreal by previously winning the Pacific Coast Hockey Association championship. This is the first time since Lord Stanley donated the cup in 1892 that any team outside of Canada has won the trophy.

In the first game Montreal, aka the Flying Frenchmen, defeated the Mets, as Seattle's team was known, by a score of 8 to 4. In the second game "Pete Muldoon's puck chasers" roared back and defeated Montreal 6 to 1. In the third and probably the best game of the series, the "Seattle puck maulers" scored four times and again held Montreal to one goal.

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Tornado on Wheels

After the fourth and deciding game of the series, the headline across the Post-Intelligencer Sports Section read "Seattle Wins World's Hockey Championship" (Post-Intelligencer March 27, 1917). The Mets pulverized the Canadiens in a score of 9 to 1. The Seattle team scored in the first two minutes of the game. By the end of the 20-minute second period, Seattle was ahead 4 to 0 and went on to crush Montreal. A sportswriter explained it this way: "The Mets went through the invaders' defense like a tornado on wheels in huckleberry time" (Post-Intelligencer, March 28, 1917). The Seattle Times described the end of the final game:

"The lexicon of sport does not contain language adequate to describe the fervor of the fans who saw Seattle triumph last night. The largest crowd that ever saw an ice game in The Arena stood on its feet and cheered until the iron girders of The Arena roof rattled as the Seattle team left the ice with the world's title safely won" (March 27, 1917).

In all, 15,000 hockey fans witnessed the four championship games. The gate was divided between the two teams. After expenses, the winning Mets received 60 percent and the Montreal Canadiens received 40 percent.

Demon Goal-Getter Et Al.

Bernie Morris, known as "the demon goal-getter of the league," played center and scored 13 of the team's 23 goals during the series. Team Captain Frank Foyston, who was the Pacific Coast Hockey Association Most Valuable Player, played left wing and scored eight goals. Other Seattle players were Harry Holmes (goal), Jack Walker (right wing), Ed Carpenter (coverpoint), Roy Rickey (point), Bobby Rowe (utility), Big Jim Riley (utility), and Curly Wilson (utility).

Between 1917 and 1921 the Seattle Metropolitans played in the Stanley Cup finals three times.

Sources:
Sean Rossiter, "Is Hockey Coming Back to a Great Hockey Town?" Seattle Weekly, March 23, 1988, 21-22; Seattle Post-Intelligencer, March 26, 1917, p. 4; March 27, 1917, p. 9; March 28, 1917, p. 11; The Seattle Times, March 26, 1917, p. 12; March 27, 1917, p. 17.
Note: This essay was revised slightly on January 24, 2013.

Click here to read the essay on historylink.org.

Historylink.org