1916 Stanley Cup Finals

Infobox Stanley Cup Final
year=1916
dates=1916-03-20 to 1916-03-30
team1=Montreal Canadiens (NHA)
team1_short=Montreal
team1_coach=Newsy Lalonde
series_winner=Goldie Prodger (17:20, 3rd, G5)
team2=Portland Rosebuds (PCHA)
team2_short=Portland
team2_coach=Edward Savage (mgr.)
format=best-of-five
team1_1=0
team1_2=2
team1_3=6
team1_4=5
team1_5=2
team1_tot=3
team2_1=2
team2_2=1
team2_3=3
team2_4=6
team2_5=1
team2_tot=2
location1=Montreal (Westmount Arena) (all games)
referees = Harvey Pulford, J. BrennanThe 1916 Stanley Cup Finals were played from 1916-03-20 to 1916-03-30. The National Hockey Association (NHA) champion Montreal Canadiens defeated the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) champion Portland Rosebuds 3 games to 2 in the best-of-five game series. This was the first time that a best-of-five Cup championship went the distance. Also, the Rosebuds were the first team based in the United States to play for the Cup.

Paths to the Final

Montreal won the NHA title after finishing the 1915–16 regular season in first place with a 16–7–1 record. Meanwhile, Portland clinched the 1915–16 PCHA title with a 13–5 record.

The series

The games of the series were played at Montreal's Westmount Arena as it was the turn of the NHA champions to host the series. This was not the home rink of the Canadiens, but it was larger than their home Jubilee Rink. Games one, three and five were played under NHA rules; Games two and four were played under PCHA rules. Ernie Johnson's share of series revenues was by court order to be paid to the Montreal Wanderers, who he had left while under contract to go to the PCHA. For the entire series, future Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender Georges Vézina aided Montreal by posting a 2.60 goals-against average. Didier Pitre led the Canadiens in scoring with 4 goals.

Game one

NHLPlayoffs
team1 = Montreal Canadiens
team2 = Portland Rosebuds
stadium1 = Westmount Arena
date1 = March 20
score1 = 0 – 2
won1 = 2Portland arrived by train the day before the game but showed no weariness, recording a shutout.

Game two

NHLPlayoffs
team1 = Montreal Canadiens
team2 = Portland Rosebuds
stadium1 = Westmount Arena
date1 = March 22
score1 = 2 – 1
won1 = 1Despite missing Newsy Lalonde and Jack Laviolette, Montreal behind some heavy checking defeated Portland 2–1 to tie the series.

Game three

NHLPlayoffs
team1 = Montreal Canadiens
team2 = Portland Rosebuds
stadium1 = Westmount Arena
date1 = March 25
score1 = 6 – 3
won1 = 1Lalonde and Laviolette played in game three. Lalonde got into a fight with Ernie Johnson, requiring the police to break up the fight. Lalonde and Laviolette were ejected for the game and Eddie Oatman received a major penalty. Pitre was the scoring star, scoring three goals to lead the Canadiens to a 6–3 victory.

Game four

NHLPlayoffs
team1 = Montreal Canadiens
team2 = Portland Rosebuds
stadium1 = Westmount Arena
date1 = March 28
score1 = 4 – 6
won1 = 2The Rosebuds then evened the series with a 6–5 victory in game four. The Rosebuds took a 3–0 lead, only to see the Canadiens tie it and take a 4–3 lead. In the third period Portland's Fred Harris scored twice and Charlie Uksilla scored once to take a 6–4 lead until the last minute when Lalonde scored to make it closer.

Game five

NHLPlayoffs
team1 = Montreal Canadiens
team2 = Portland Rosebuds
stadium1 = Westmount Arena
date1 = March 30
score1 = 2 – 1
won1 = 1In game five, Portland's Tommy Dunderdale gave his team a 1–0 lead before Skene Ronan tied the game. The seldom-used George Prodger then scored the game and series-winning goal to clinch the Cup for the Canadiens.

Montreal Canadiens 1916 Stanley Cup champions

Stanley Cup champion
centers=* Edouard Newsy Lalonde‡ (coach)
*Didier Pitre‡
*George Georges Poulin
*Skene Ronan
wingers=*Amos Arbour
*Louis Berlinguette
*Jack Fournier
*Jack Laviolette
defence=*Bert Corbeau
*Howard McNamara (Captain)
*Goldie Prodger
goaltenders=Georges Vezina
player-notes=‡ also played rover in the Stanley Cup Finals † missing from team picture
non-players=
*U.P. Boucher (President)
*George Kennedy (Manager/Treasurer)
*Napolean Dorval (Secretary)
*S. Newsworthy (Trainer), Aldrie Guiment (Ass't Trainer).
engraving-notes=Even though they officially did not win the Cup during this season, the Rosebuds had the words "Portland Ore./PCHA Champions/1915–16" engraved on the Cup after obtaining the trophy from the previous year's champions, the Vancouver Millionaires. This was similar to the practice prior to 1915 when the trophy was officially passed on to the winner of the league championship of the previous Cup champion's league.

After the finals, "Canadian/NHA & World's Champions/Defeated Portland/1915–16" was added to the Cup (Note that the anglicized, singular form of "Canadiens" was engraved).

References

*cite book |title=The Trail of the Stanley Cup, vol.1 1893–1926 inc. |last=Coleman |first=Charles L. |year=1966 |publisher=National Hockey League |pages=pp. 299–304
*cite web | url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SilverwareTrophyWinner.jsp?tro=STC&year=1915-16 | title=1915-16 Stanley Cup Winner: Montreal Canadiens | publisher=Hockey Hall of Fame | accessdate=2006-07-02
*cite web | url=http://www.hockeyleaguehistory.com/Pacific_Coast_Hockey_Association%20_1911.htm | title=hockeyleaguehistory.com - Pacific Coast Hockey Association | accessdate=2006-07-02
*cite book | last=Podnieks | first=Andrew | coauthors=Hockey Hall of Fame | title=Lord Stanley's Cup | year=2004 | publisher=Triumph Books| id=ISBN 1-55168-261-3 | pages=12, 48
*cite book | editor=Dan Diamond (ed.) | title=The Official National Hockey League Stanley Cup Centennial Book | year=1992 | publisher=Firefly Books| id=ISBN 1-895565-15-4 | pages=46-47

ee also

* 1915–16 NHA season
* 1915–16 PCHA season
* List of Stanley Cup champions