1919 - MANN CUP IN WINNIPEG
St.Simon's and Brampton tied for the league title. That was when the
real drama began. The O.L.A. ordered an one game final to be held at
Weston. The Excelsiors had requested a two game home and away series.
Consequently they refused to play the final. The chosen Saturday
arrived and St.Simon's were awarded the championship by default. The
following Monday, Brampton notified the league that they were prepared
to play an one game final anywhere, even at St.Simon's, but not at
Weston. The O.L.A. gave the Anglicans the choice of playing the game
or keeping their tainted title. At a team meeting the older players
voted to play, however the younger ones voted against and won out.
Thus no tie break was played.
St.Simon's next turned its attention to the Mann Cup. It had been
years since the O.L.A. champ had challenged for it because the trip
west was simply too expensive. In 1919, however, the C.L.A. decided to
hold the final in Winnipeg. Four clubs met in two semi-final series,
with the winners then playing off. The Anglicans drew the host team
and faltered badly. They lost twice by scores of 8-7 and 8-4.
Meanwhile, Victoria defeated Edmonton 19-4 and 9-1. In the final
contest Victoria topped Winnipeg 17-7.
Once again the accurracy of official records must be questioned. The
1919 Mann Cup champ is listed as Vancouver Foundation Club. It is
quite possible they defeated Victoria after the Winnipeg tournament.
It's just as possible that the records are incorrect(like in 1910?).
The only thing certain is that Vancouver did not participate in the
Mann Cup Final.
Montreal Shamrocks were back in the N.L.U. with most of their stars:
Jim and Bill Walsh, Harry Hyland, Jim and Nate Penny. Nate was a
professional boxer, a very useful skill in lacrosse. George Roberts
rejoined the club for it's second game, claiming to be a changed man.
On July 19th, he proved it by not retaliating after an Ottawa player
cut him on the chin. His remarkable transformation was spoiled in
September. Roberts thought he had beaten Cornwall goalie Hank Smith
but umpire Aspell ruled no goal. The Shamrock star lost his irish
temper and broke Aspell's umbrella. Shamrocks were very embarrassed
and gave the umpire money to buy a new one.
The main story of the year was Happy L'Heureux's last game. The
thirty-nine year old was in his twentieth season as Nationals'
goalkeeper. He had led Sherbrooke to a Quebec junior title in 1897,
then an Intermediate crown the next year. When Sherbrooke moved to the
N.L.U. Happy switched from home to goal. By 1919 he had established
himself as the N.L.U.'s most durable goaltender. His career wins(83)
were 19 more than anyone else. Also his minutes played(13,741) were
more than 5,000 ahead of his closest rival. Plus none of those
statistics included the heavy workload he'd carried through three
D.L.U. campaigns! Understandably it had all taken its toll on
L'Heureux. In early July, he admitted to a friend that this would be
his final season. Two weeks later, he took up his usual position to
face the Colts. It was a big game for Nationals because they'd been
embarrassed in Cornwall 12-2 the previous Saturday. To add insult to
injury, the frenchmen's equipment had never arrived and they had to
borrow some from their opponents. At Maissoneuve Grounds, Cornwall
again had their number. They grabbed a 2-0 first quarter lead. Early
in the second L'Heureux began to suffer chest pains and pulled himself
from the contest. He promised his teammates he'd be back for the
second half, then headed to the dressing room. With longtime teammate
Dr.LaChappelle examining him, Happy was anxious to get back to the
game. He asked for a cigarette but an attendant informed him that
smoking was prohibited, due to a grandstand fire which had broken out
in the spring. Seconds later, L'Heureux dropped dead of a heart
attack. The game was postponed and replayed at season's end.
Shamrocks and Cornwall battled for the championship. The irish started
the year by beating Colts 7-6 in overtime. Eddie Butler scored the
winner. Yet Cornwall beat them a week later, thanks to Henry Donihee's
hattrick. The '19 schedule was interesting because teams often met on
consecutive weekends. Cornwall grabbed first place on Dominion Day by
beating Shamrocks 8-6. They threw that advantage away on Orange Day
when Ottawa defeated them 9-4. Cy Denneny and Frank Hearn starred in
the Capital upset. It was one of only three games Ottawa won all year.
Another was two weeks later, when they bounced Shamrocks 8-5. Eddy
Longfellow made his Capital debut in this win. Cornwall soon had a big
edge as the green shirts lost again the next week. Nationals upended
them 9-8. Georges Dussault inspired the frenchmen with four points. A
remarkable accomplishment. This was the first game for the violet et
blanc after L'Heureux's death. Credit Happy with one more win? After
that, the irish got serious. They ran off six straight wins to
conclude the schedule. Leading the charge was Jimmy Walsh. He was
married at the end of August but delayed his honeymoon over a month,
until the season had concluded. On September 6th, Cornwall failed to
clinch the pennant when Shamrocks beat them 12-4. The irish followed
that by routing Caughnawaga 15-5 as Jimmy Walsh scored six goals. That
forced Cornwall to reply the postponed game with Nationals. A full
eighty minutes was to be played but Colts carried over their 2-0 lead.
The big disagreement was over gate receipts. Neither side would
compromise so the league decided that admission would be free!
Cornwall won 7-5(officially 9-5).
On October 4th, the tie break began in Cornwall. As Jimmy Walsh's
bride shivered in the cold, Hugh Campbell gave Shamrocks the lead ten
seconds into the contest. The home side did not get into the game
until the second quarter. A pair of goals by Watson, forty seconds
apart, reduced the irish lead to 4-3. The green shirts replied by
scoring the next eight! Four from George Roberts' stick. 12-7 was the
final. Bill Fitzgerald scored once for Colts. He would miss the
rematch, likewise for Bill Walsh. Never mind, it was another scoring
exhibition for Roberts. Five more and teammate Butler chipped in four
as Shamrocks romped to a 17-6 victory. Their last championship ever!
