Out of the Mists of the Past The Kenora Thistles: 1907 Stanley Cup Champions

  • Team History
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    Player Biographies:

  • Tommy Phillips
  • Si Griffis
  • Tom Hooper
  • Billy McGimsie
  • Roxy Beaudro
  • Eddie Giroux
  • Alf Smith
  • Art Ross
  • Harry Westwick
  • Joe Hall
  • Fred Whitcroft

  • Other Notables

    Statistics:

  • League Standings
  • Individual Stats

    Photographs:

  • The Rat Portage Thistles, c. 1897-99
  • The Rat Portage Thistles, 1900-01
  • The Rat Portage Thistles, 1902-03
  • The Rat Portage Thistles, 1903-04
  • The Kenora Thistles, 1904-05
  • The Kenora Thistles, 1905-06
  • The Stanley Cup Champs, 1907
  • The Town of Rat Portage, c.~1900
  • The Town of Rat Portage, c.~1900
  • The Port of Kenora, c.1915

    Essays:

  • Fred "Cyclone" Taylor: Almost A Thistle?

    Main Resource Links:

  • City of Kenora's Official Website
  • Lake of the Woods Museum
  • Puckerings.com
  • Legends of Hockey
  • Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of fame
  • More Resources

    and of course...

  • Dr. Ron Lappage
    		• PLAYERS >> OTHER NOTABLES

    MATT BROWN
     Matt Brown Steady, longtime Kenora defenseman known for his cool head, nimble stickhandling and shot-blocking abilities. Born November 14, 1882 in Ontario. one of the original 12 members of the 1896 Thistles junior squad. Played in the 1903 and 1905 Stanley Cup challenges versus the Ottawa Silver Seven. Played the entire 1905-06 regular season at Point position, but did not play on the Thistles' Stanley Cup winning team nor the 1906-07 regular season that followed it. Came back to play one more game for the Thistles in 1907-08 before the team dropped out of the Manitoba (Professional) Hockey League (M.H.L.).


    THEO "TUFF" BELLEFEUILLE
     T. Bellefeuille Theophile Bellefeuille was born in Petawawa, Ontario on August 23, 1880 and spent his youth in Ash Rapids, a hamlet along the shores of the Lake of the Woods. An original member of the 1896 Rat Portage junior squad, Theo was noted for his hard hitting style of play, which earned him the nickname, "Tuff". Participated in the Thistles' unsuccessful 1905 challenge match versus the Ottawa Silver Seven. Bellefeuille played one game at left wing during the 1903-04 regular season and added 6 games in 1904-05, scoring three goals. His abrupt departure from the Thistles' starting line-up one game into the 1906-07 regular season led to Art Ross being brought in as his replacement for the Thistles' successful Stanley Cup challenge match versus the Montreal Wanderers. Tuff went on to play with the 1906-07 Houghton-Portage Lakes Pros of the International (Professional) Hockey League (I.H.L.) as well as four games with their league rival Calumet Wanderers. In 1908-09 he signed with the Pittsburgh Athletic Club of the Western Pennsylvania (Professional) Hockey League (W.P.H.L.), playing in twelve contest and scoring five goals. Bellefeuille died in October of 1933.


    FRED "DIRTY" DULMAGE
     F. Dulmage Born Frederick Goode Dulmage on August 8, 1881 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Dulmage was an original member of the 1896 Rat Portage junior squad that beat the senior team, which included on its roster his older brother George, in an exhibition. Goalie for the Thistles' first Stanley Cup challenge match versus the Ottawa Silver Seven in March of 1903. Later played in goal for the Fort William Forts in the New Ontario Hockey League (N.O.H.L.) from 1908-1911. Died on March 4, 1974 in Medicine Hat, Alberta.


    RUSSELL PHILLIPS
     R. Phillips Younger brother of Tommy Phillips. Born Russell Frederick Phillips on September 17, 1888 in Rat Portage, Ontario. Along with legendary defenseman "Bad" Joe Hall, sat on sidelines as a spare as Kenora won the Stanley Cup from the Montreal Wanderers in January, 1907. Played 4 regular season games for the Thistles in 1906-07 and 1 in 1907-08. Later played for the New Ontario Hockey League (N.O.H.L.)'s Fort William Forts. Died August 22, 1949 in Vancouver, British Columbia.


    CHARLIE MCGIMSIE
     Younger brother of Billy McGimsie. Born Charles Samuel McGimsie on August 4, 1887 in Rat Portage, Ontario. Played games for the Thistles from 1906-07 to 1907-08. Played with the Fort William Wanderers of the New Ontario Hockey League (N.O.H.L), registering five goals in the 1908-09 season. Died May 5, 1970 in Vancouver, British Columbia.


    R. Rose BOB ROSE
     Robert Rose was born July 9, 1883 in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba. Rose filled in admirably at goal for Rat Portage's 1903-04 season, playing all twelve games and sporting a stellar 2.92 GAA. Rose, like many of his ice mates, was a member of the Rat Portage Rowing Club and played summertime baseball as a member of the Kenora Alerts.


    JACK "J.R." FRASER
     J. Fraser A member of the Thistles during the first years of the new century, Fraser played five games for Rat Portage during the 1903-04 season, four as a rover and one replacing Billy McGimsie at center, scoring one goal. Fraser later played for the Thistles' interleague rival Brandon Wheat Kings, potting 10 goals in the 1906-07 season and squaring off against his former club in a two game Stanley Cup playoff. The following year Fraser played for another rival, the Portage La Prairie Plains, scoring 8 goals in 9 games before moving back east to play for various clubs, including the Nipissing Mines, Waterloo Colts, and the legendary dream team, the Renfrew Millionaires. Fraser died in 1942.


    WILLIAM "BILLY" MARTIN
     W. Martin William Martin was born in Ontario on September 12, 1882. He was one of twelve teenage boys who formed the original junior Rat Portage Thistles squad in 1896. Martin was on the March, 1903 roster that challenged the Ottawa Silver Seven for the Stanley Cup. Playing left wing for the Thistles in 1903-04, Martin scored 4 goals in nine games. In 1904 he was the odd-man out when legend Tommy Phillips came back to Rat Portage to play full time. Competed with fellow teammates in local regattas as a member of the Rat Portage Rowing Club.


    RALPH BEARISTO
     Member of the original 1896 Rat Portage Thistles junior team. Born February 18, 1884 in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Played cover point for the Winnipeg Victorias of the Manitoba Hockey League (M.H.L.) from 1904-07, scoring a goal in 7 contests in 1905-06 and a goal in four contests in 1906-07.

    C. Hilliard
    CHARLES HILLIARD
     Born Charles Edwin Louis Hilliard on August 23, 1883 in Whitemouth, Manitoba. Noted player for Rat Portage during their intermediate league ascension at the turn of the century. One of the many Canadian infantrymen to die in combat at Vimy Ridge, France on April 3, 1917. Charles' brother Harold also played for Kenora amateur teams from 1911-14. Harold, a member of the same WWI battalion as Charles, died in the Somme, France in 1918.


    GEORGE ARCHAMBAULT
     Spot player for Rat Portage/Kenora. Played one game at left wing in 1903-04 and another at cover point in 1907-08. Born July 21, 1882 in Rat Portage, Ontario. For a time, his younger brother William was the official Thistles team mascot.


    WELLINGTON "DUKE" MCCANNON
     Nicknamed "Duke", a founder and early standout of the Rat Portage Thistles junior team. Born on May 5,1879 in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He died on December 28, 1970.


    HERMAN SHARPE
     One of twelve teenage boys who formed the original junior Rat Portage Thistles squad in 1896. Born March 18, 1880 in the United States.


    L. Johnson
    LOWRY JOHNSON
     A member of the senior Rat Portage Thistles squad that got beaten by the younger upstart junior squad in 1896. Born January 31, 1871 in Ontario. Later served as President of the 1907 Stanley Cup Champion Kenora Thistles.


    D.A. HARDISTY
     Along with brother Thomas Hardisty, credited with introducing organized ice hockey to Rat Portage. Born Donald Alexander Hardisty in 1870. Family moved from Winnipeg, Manitoba to Rat Portage in 1894. Formed the original Thistles senior squad that same year, playing the cover point position until 1896. Died on December 16, 1928 in Winnipeg.


    MANAGEMENT >>

    J.A. Link JAMES ARTHUR LINK
     Kenora Thistles' coach and trainer during the team's three Stanley Cup challenges. Born February 27, 1874 in Ontario. Also a member of the Rat Portage Rowing Club. Died March 21, 1964 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

    F. Hudson
    FRED HUDSON
     Thistles' team manager at the time of their 1907 Stanley Cup stewardship. Born December 5, 1863. Died May 7, 1932 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.


    J. R. Bunn JOHN ROBERT BUNN
     Local Rat portage accountant who in 1894 became the Rat Portage Thistles' first team president. Born on August 26, 1855 in Manitoba. Died in Winnipeg on April 21, 1932.


    J.F. McGillivray J.F. MCGILLIVRAY
     Thistles' team secretary at the time of their Stanley Cup championship. Born August 20, 1870 in Ontario, Canada. Worked as a legal barrister at the time of his affiliation with the Thistles.


    DR. NELSON SCHNARR
     Local dentist who was the Thistles team president and manager at the time of their first Stanley Cup challenge in 1903. Born October 21, 1868 in Tavistock, Ontario.







    Last update: February 26, 2007
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