1923 Stanley Cup Playoffs

The 1923 Stanley Cup Playoffs was the second year in which the National Hockey League (NHL) champions, the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) champions, and the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL) champions all competed for the Stanley Cup. The playoffs began on March 16 1924, and concluded on March 31 when the NHL champion Ottawa Senators defeated the WCHL champion Edmonton Eskimos in the final series, two games to zero.

Throughout these playoffs, injuries had thinned Ottawa's line-up. But after seeing the gritty show put on by the undermanned Senators, Frank Patrick, the head coach of the PCHA champion Vancouver Maroons, called Ottawa the greatest team he had ever seen.

Background

Ottawa finished first overall in the 1922–23 NHL regular season standings with a 14–9–1 record. They then went on to defeat the 13–9–2 second place Montreal Canadiens in the two-game total goal NHL championship series, 3 goals to 2, to win the NHL title. Cy Denneny scored the series-clinching goal in Game 2 for the Canadiens.

The 1922–23 WCHL season ended with the 19–10–1 first place Eskimos defeating the 16–14 second place Regina Capitals in the WCHL championship series. Edmonton clinched the WCHL title after Duke Keats scored the series-winning overtime goal in Game 2.

Meanwhile, the Maroons finished the 1923–24 PCHA regular season in first place with a 17–12–1 record, and then went on to defeat the 16–14 second place Victoria Cougars in the PCHA championship series by a combined score of 5–3.

Cup Playoffs summary

Both rounds of the 1923 Stanley Cup Playoffs were played at Denman Street Arena in Vancouver. The NHL and the PCHA champions played in the semifinal round, with the winner facing off against the WCHL champion in the Cup Finals.

emifinals: Ottawa Senators defeat Vancouver Maroons, 3 games to 1

The Ottawa-Vancouver best-of-five series marked the first time in Stanley Cup history that brothers faced each other. In fact, there were two sets of brothers: Cy and Corb Denneny, and George and Frank Boucher. Cy and George played for the Senators, while Corb and Frank skated for the Maroons.

Ottawa won Game 1, 1–0, with Punch Broadbent's winning goal in the third period. Vancouver took Game 2, 4–1, before the Senators stormed back with two consecutive victories, 3–2 and 5–1, to win the series. Broadbent ended up leading Ottawa with five total goals in the series. Its ranks thinned by injuries, after watching the gritty show by the undermanned Senators,PCHA president Frank Patrick called them the greatest team he had ever seen.

Finals: Ottawa Senators defeat Edmonton Eskimos, 2 games to 0

Ottawa swept Edmonton in the best-of-three finals series, winning both by one-goal margins. In Game 1, Cy Denneny scored 2:08 into overtime to give the Senators a 2–1 win. Then Broadbent scored the only goal in Game 2 to give Ottawa a 1–0 Game 2 victory.

Cup engravings

The Senators never did engrave their names on the Cup for their 1923 championship. It was only until the trophy was redesigned in 1948 that the words "1923 Ottawa Senators" was put onto its then-new collar.

ee also

*1922–23 NHL season
*1922–23 WCHL season

References

*cite web | url=http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SilverwareTrophyWinner.jsp?tro=STC&year=1922-23| title=1922–23 Stanley Cup Winner: Ottawa Senators | publisher=Hockey Hall of Fame | accessdate=2006-07-07
*cite book | last=Podnieks | first=Andrew | coauthors=Hockey Hall of Fame | title=Lord Stanley's Cup | year=2004 | publisher=Triumph Books| isbn=1551682613 | pages=12, 55
*cite book | editor=Dan Diamond (ed.) | title=The Official National Hockey League Stanley Cup Centennial Book | year=1992 | publisher=Firefly Books| isbn=1895565154 | pages=55–56