The 1907–08 ECAHA season was the third season of the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA). lasted from . Teams played a ten-game schedule. The Montreal Wanderers would win the league championship with a record of eight wins, two losses.
League business
Executive
Dr. George Cameron, Montreal (President)
Joe Power, Quebec (1st Vice-President)
Patrick J. Baskerville, Ottawa (2nd Vice-President)
W. P. Lunny, Shamrocks (Secretary-Treasurer)
The Nationals applied for a franchise but did not get three-fourths approval.
Mr. Baskerville demanded better protection be given visiting teams at Quebec,
as stones had been thrown at the Senators on their last visit.
Rule Changes
Teams could now openly pay players. Players would have to declare their professional or amateur status. The Victorias would remain strictly amateur.[1]
Hod Stuart Benefit All-Star Game
ECAHA All-Stars.
The first All-Star game in ice hockey was played on January 2, 1908, before 3,500 fans at the Montreal Arena between the Montreal Wanderers (defending Stanley Cup champions) and a team of all-star players from the remaining teams in the league. It was held in memory of Montreal Wanderers player Hod Stuart, who had died in a diving accident three months after the Wanderers won the Stanley Cup in 1907. The sale of tickets, from 25 cents to $1, raised $2,000 for Mr. Stuart's widow and two children.[2]
Russell Bowie of Victorias led the scoring championship with 31 goals. This was the fifth time in ten seasons that Bowie would lead the scorers.
There was a large amount of player turnover. For the Wanderers, Hod Stuart of Wanderers had died in the off-season, Lester Patrick had moved west, and new players would include Art Ross from Brandon, Tom Hooper of Kenora and Ernie Russell formerly of Montreal HC.
On January 28, the Wanderers played Renfrew Creamery Kings of the Federal League in Brockville, Ontario, for a bet of CA$400, (The Wanderers' expenses were provided). Wanderers played without three of their players from winning the Stanley Cup (Blatchford, Glass and Smail) and lost 11–5 to Renfrew.[3]
Highlights
Ottawa opened their new Arena, hosting the Wanderers on January 11, 1908, overloading capacity with 7,100 attending. Ottawa defeated the Wanderers 12–2. Ottawa and Wanderers were tied for first going into their rematch on February 29, when the Ottawa manager J. P. Dickson resigned in a dispute over which train to take to Montreal. At the time, two trains were available for the trip, and the two would race, with betting taking place on the winner. In the actual game, the two defence stars Art Ross and Cyclone Taylor would lead end-to-end rushes, and the game would be tied until Taylor was injured, and Bruce Stuart and Walter Smaill would score for the Wanderers to win 4–2.
On January 18, Quebec would defeat Montreal 18–5, with Chubby Power scoring six.
Russell Bowie would score five in a game three times, Marty Walsh would have the biggest game, scoring seven, and six in another. Tom Phillips would score five twice, Herb Jordan would score six and five, and Jack Marshall would score five twice.
Wanderers played in three challenges, during the season against Ottawa Victorias and after the season, against Winnipeg and Toronto. All games were played at the Montreal Arena.
Wanderers vs. Ottawa
During the season, Wanderers would play a challenge against the Ottawa Victorias of the Federal Amateur Hockey League. On January 9–13, the Wanderers would win 9–3, 13–1 (22–4). Eddie Roberts broke his collarbone in the first game and was replaced by Gerard. Only 500 attended the second game.[4]
The 1908 Stanley Cup was presented by the trophy's trustee William Foran. The Wanderers never did engrave their names on the Cup for their championship season.
The following Wanderers players and staff were members of the winning team.
Dickie Boon (manager), George Guile (secretary/treasurer)
Tom Hodges (hon. secretary/treasurer), William Jennings (vice-president)
Robert "Bob" Stephanson (Vice President), Robert "Bob" Ahern (hon. vice-president)
George Hodges, Bert Strachan, Filbert Strachan, H. Watson†† (directors)
Walter Dorion (club doctor), Paul Lefebvre (trainer)
^Team picture included 4 players who did not play for Montreal 1908, but did win cups with the Wanderers – Hod Stuart 1906–07, Rod Kennedy 1906–07, Lester Patrick 1906–07, Jack Marshal 1907. 4 Players who won the Stanley Cup with the Wanderers in 1908 are missing from the team picture – Larry Gilmour^, Tom Hooper^, Jimmy" Gardner^, Harry Smith^.
† Jimmy Gardner and Harry Smith were not members of Montreal Wanderers during their January, and March 1908 Stanley Cup defenses. However they played in Dec 1908 when the Wanderers defeated Edmonton.
†† unknown first name.
‡ Tom Hooper left the Wanderers after the challenge game of January 13.
Stanley Cup engraving
After engraving 20 member names in the bowl of Stanley Cup in 1907, Wanderers did not even bother including their team name on the Stanley Cup in 1908. It was not until the trophy was redesigned in 1948 that the words "1908 Montreal Wanderers" was put onto its then-new collar.[7]
