Ottawa vs. Dawson City The Klondike Hockey Club, in a letter dated August 24, 1904, from team president
Weldy Young, a former Ottawa player, issued a challenge to the Ottawa Hockey Club. The Dawson City team had won no championships and was not a member of any recognized senior league, yet Stanley Cup trustees P.D. Ross and John Sweetland approved the challenge. Author Paul Kitchen has speculated that the series was approved because Young knew both Ross and federal government minister
Clifford Sifton. In January 1905, the
Dawson City Nuggets travelled 4,000 miles (6,400 km) from the
Yukon to Ottawa for a best-of-three Cup challenge series. The Nuggets actually left Dawson City on December 19, 1904, and travelled on a month-long journey by dog sled (Dawson to Whitehorse), ship (Skagway to Vancouver), and train (Whitehorse to Skagway, and Vancouver to Ottawa). The team was no match for the Silver Seven. Ottawa defeated them in the first game, 9–2. Numerous Stanley Cup records were then set in game two, including
Frank McGee's 14 goals, which included eight consecutive goals scored in less than nine minutes, and a 23–2 rout, the largest margin of victory for any challenge game or Stanley Cup Finals game to date. Several players playing for Dawson were from the Ottawa area. Jim Johnstone was from Ottawa. Norman Watt was from
Aylmer, Quebec. Randy McLennan had played in a Stanley Cup challenge for
Queen's University of
Kingston, Ontario. Another player has Stanley Cup challenge experience: Lorne Hanna, "formerly of the Yukon", had played for
Brandon Wheat City in their
1904 challenge of Ottawa. Sources: •
The Globe, January 14, 1905 Sources: •
The Globe, January 17, 1905
Ottawa vs. Rat Portage Thistles In March 1905, the
Rat Portage Thistles issued another challenge to the Ottawas. McGee did not play in the first game and the Thistles crushed Ottawa, 9–3. However, he returned to lead Ottawa to 4–2 and 5–4 victories in games two and three, respectively. McGee returned in game two, with his good forearm wrapped in a cast, and only a light bandage on his broken wrist, to decoy the Thistles. Alf Smith scored three goals in game two on slow ice, which the Thistles claimed was salted to slow down the Thistles. There was hard ice in game three, and the lead exchanged hands several times. The Thistles led 2–1 at halftime and 3–2 midway through the second half. Ottawa took a 4–3 lead, before
Tommy Phillips scored his third of the game to tie the score. However, McGee came through with the winning score late in the game to win it for Ottawa. • Spare - Rat Portage - Roxy Beaudro -LW/D • Spare - Ottawa - Arthur "Bones" Allen -D, Billy Bawlf -F Bill Gilmore -LW, Fred White -F • Spare - Rat Portage - Roxy Beaudro - LW/D • Spare - Ottawa - Arthur "Bones" Allen -D, Billy Bawlf -F, Hamby Shore -RW, Fred White -F • Spare - Rat Portage - Roxy Beaudro - LW/D • Spare - Ottawa - Arthur "Bones" Allen - D, Billy Bawft - F, Hamby Shore - RW, Fred White - F == Stanley Cup engravings ==