Vancouver Millionaires in 1915

It’s not often that a legitimate hockey-related fashion story makes the news, so, when the Canucks organization announced they would be introducing jerseys to commemorate the 100th anniversary of our city’s original hockey team, the Vancouver Millionaires, I pulled out my Project Runway scrapbook and starting thinking about ways to accessorize.

Being a relatively new transplant to Vancouver and new to hockey, I had never heard of the Millionaires. But after digging around on the Googlenets and the Canucks website, what started to emerge was the fascinating and rich history of hockey in Vancouver that reaches back more than a century. In fact, this ruggedly-beautiful seaside city had an influential role in helping to shape the modern game of hockey as we know it.

In 1911 the very first west-coast hockey league, called the Pacific Coast Hockey Association, was created by the Patrick brothers, Frank and Lester, who moved to British Columbia from Montreal to work in their father’s lumber business. Frank and Lester were hockey players AND lumberjacks! Perhaps they were the prototype for Johnny Canuck.

The Patrick brothers organized three teams to play in the PCHA, all with regal-sounding names: the Victoria Aristocrats, the New Westminster Royals, and the Vancouver Millionaires. Frank Patrick not only played on the Millionaires team, he was also the coach and manager.

There was one slight problem playing hockey in Vancouver. Despite the perception that all of Canada is a cold, frozen tundra, Vancouver’s weather is relatively mild during the winter. It rarely gets cold enough to completely freeze a rink-sized body of water. Think “Nashville ice rink” and you’ve got the picture.

Denman Arena, built in 1911

So the Patricks used some of their family fortune to build the Denman Arena on the corner of Denman and Georgia Street in the West End of Vancouver. It was a revolutionary rink that was one of the first in Canada to use artificial ice, and was also the largest indoor ice rink in the world at the time.

Other innovations that the Patrick brothers and the PCHA introduced to hockey still in use today are blue lines, the goal crease, the forward pass, numbers on players’ sweaters, penalty shots, and allowing goalies to get down on the ice and spread their legs wide open to protect their net.

Probably the best innovation the Patricks contributed to the game of hockey was the Playoffs. In 1915 the first official playoff games were held between the top scoring teams from the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the National Hockey Association. The games took place in the Denman Arena where the Vancouver Millionaires swept the Ottawa Senators in three games and won that most coveted trophy in all of hockeydom, the Stanley Cup! That’s right, Vancouver’s hockey team of the day won the Stanley Cup!

I don’t care if it happened 98 years ago. It still means that, technically, Vancouver is not “Cup-less,” and those who mock us for being so can smoke on their pipes and put that in!

Speaking of smoke, sadly the Denman Arena burned down in 1936. No, it was not set ablaze by hockey rioters. A nearby coal shed exploded. Which was probably the work of a disgruntled Senators fan.

Now, back to the hockey wardrobe…

The sweaters worn by the Millionaires were maroon with white stripes on the sleeves and featured a large “V” logo on the front that contained the word “Vancouver.” Very collegiate and jaunty. In fact, the team was later renamed to the Vancouver Maroons referring back to the sweater colors. But that doesn’t have quite the same ring as The Millionaires.

A few years ago the Canucks bought the rights to the team name and trademarks, and are beginning to incorporate the heritage of Vancouver’s original hockey team into their own brand. Last week the Canucks players sported the Millionaires V logo patch on their jerseys for the first time during a game with the Blackhawks.

The Canucks are also planning to wear a modernized replica of the Millionaires uniform during their game with the Detroit Red Wings on March 16. We got a glimpse of what the uniform might look like. Ryan Kesler modeled one during a photo-shoot that was posted on the Canucks website. Unfortunately, he remains fully-clothed in all of the photos, but Ryan looks fetching in the retro-licious ensemble.

Ryan Kesler models a modernized replica of the Millionaires uniform.

Dalie Weise and Zack Kassian sport the Millionaires V patch

The blue-and-green Canucks jersey with the V patch are already available to purchase, and Millionaires-branded caps, toques, t-shirts, scarves and mugs are sure to follow. It’s a merchandising bonanza for the Canucks that will surely make them millions in profit.

It’s also great to see the Canucks paying homage to Vancouver’s impressive hockey legacy, and reminding all of us that, before hockey players were millionaires, the Vancouver Millionaires helped pave the way for the game we all love today.

And so, I am officially now a Brodeur fan first and a Sens fan second. Considering the fact that Brodeur will be retiring soon, I may as well hop on the Sens bandwagon now. Besides, the Sens have Erik Karlsson. THAT I can get behind. So, seeing as how this season is about as doomed as a squirrel trying to make its way across ten lanes of highway traffic, how about we tell a little story of the goings on in the nation’s capital this millennium? I’ll go into detail about our current situation, but first let’s recap how we got here:

2000-2004: The “I think I just choked on a Maple Leaf” era

For those of you who don’t know, the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs don’t have a very friendly history. This fact reached its apex during this time. Unfortunately, well… it didn’t go so well for Ottawa (which might be part of the frustration that created this game). The era can be summed up as follows: 

Another big Pro: Alfredsson’s hair!

Coaches: Jacques Martin

Starting Goalies: Tom Barasso, Patrick Lalime

2004-2007: The “we were so close… I need a drink” era

How do you accurately describe this period in time in Sens history? A number of songs could do it. Try Linkin Park’s In The End, for instance. The climax, of course, saw the Sens fall to Brian Burke’s Anaheim Ducks. The Sens coach at the time was Bryan Murray, a painful irony, considering that, even though the majority of the credit goes to Burke for piecing together his championship team, Murray was the GM that drafted the likes of Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf for the Ducks in 2003. This probably explains why Murray was so dejected in his interview afterwards.

 

Another big Pro: Antoine Vermette

 Coach: Bryan Murray

Starting Goalies: Dominik Hasek, Ray Emery

2007-2011: The “what the @#$% is this crap?” era

Bryan Murray was a great coach who had chemistry with the team in front of him. So, naturally, we told him to be our General Manager and to hire someone else to be the coach. Well, at least the first three choices he made to find his replacement wouldn’t be a failure, right?… Right?… Guys? Oh, and then there was Dany Heatley… 

Another big Pro: Erik Karlsson

Starting Goalies: Ray Emery, Martin Gerber, Pascal Leclaire, Brian Elliot

Head Coaches: John Paddock, Bryan Murray, Craig Hartsburg, Cory Clouston

2011-present: The “where did these guys come from?” era

The 2010-2011 season was going downhill fast. Leclaire was a bust. Kovalev a bust. Gonchar seemed to be wavering under the increased pressure; Cory Clouston was perceived to have driven Dany Heatley out of town; and now it was rumoured that Jason Spezza wanted out.

The fans, needless to say, were upset and were calling for Bryan Murray’s head. That’s when the fire sale began. Gone were Kovalev, Fisher, Kelly, and Elliot. In was a goalie by the name of Craig Anderson and a bevy of new draft picks. The freed NHL roster spaces led the team to call up the standouts from our AHL squad down in Binghamton. The result? The team closed out the season going 12-7-1 with Anderson posting an 11-5-1 record, along with a .939 SVP and a 2.05 GAA with his new team. In comparison, Elliot (who we traded for Anderson) went to Colorado and posted a 2-8-1 record with a .891 SVP and a 3.83 GAA. When the NHL season concluded, we sent the kids back down to the AHL, where they wound up winning the championship. It provided the Sens Army with what seemed like a false sense of hope. Hey, maybe these kids could keep this up for a whole season, maybe this goalie is the real deal, maybe we will actually make the playoffs next year.

The off season saw us go out and hire a new coach, Paul Maclean, and for this hockey fan, it was respect at first sight. I mean, come on, this mustache commands respect. It says “I am a bad-ass, now let’s play some hockey”. The season saw a rocky start with the tam opening 1-5-0. A streak of 6 wins brought us to 7-5-0, but the roller coaster continued, seeing the team reach December 14 with a mediocre 14-14-4 record. Three days later, we traded for Kyle Turris, giving the team a solid second line center. That is when the team started to win, and we never looked back, finishing 41-31-10 and clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Anderson? Oh, he went 33-22-6 with a .914 SVP and a 2.84 GAA. Refreshingly solid numbers. Paul Maclean? He was nominated for the Jack Adams Award (coach of the year). The boys made us proud in the playoffs too, taking the conference’s number one seed New York Rangers to a nail-biting seventh game. Things were looking up. 

Another big Pro: We signed Karlsson for 7 years- Bryan Murray’s gift to admirers of the male gender everywhere.

Goalies: Craig Anderson, Ben “oh @#$% Anderson damn near cut his finger off with a knife, go out and get someone quick” Bishop

Head Coaches: Cory Clouston, Paul Maclean

                                                                                  

The New-And-Improved Lockout (2012-2013 Style)

There really are more questions than answers for the current Ottawa Senators. A fan base that has always had their great expectations fail to be matched is skeptical about our team’s new-found success. Were the last year and a quarter a fluke? Will the likes of Mika Zibanejad, Jakob Silfverberg, and Mark Stone develop in time to justify the departures of guys like Nick Foligno and Bobby Butler? Only time will tell. One positive that Sens fans should hang on to: a year in the minors brought Jason Spezza into his superstar form during the 2004-2005 lockout. Hopefully our present day young guns may see the same sort of development.

“So I entered into enemy territory this past weekend to take in my first NHL hockey game in about 3 years. Yes, I have gone through QUITE a drought. The fact I got so excited to A) Be at a Senators games and B) Have it be a Senators game against Columbus should clearly indicate how desperate I was for some ice time. Well, it was well worth it.

It all started with a magical train ride from Toronto to Ottawa. It was relatively uneventful, save for two big things:

1) I sat beside a creepy dude who looked like if a young Ted Kennedy was a serial killer who ate skin. I was honestly afraid to fall asleep, thinking I could wake up without a face.
2) THEY HAVE WINE IN JUICE BOXES. YES. IT COST SIX DOLLARS BUT IT WAS IN A JUICE BOX. !!!!

I arrived at my friend’s apartment and, again, it was relatively uneventful. Save for the arrival of FIREMEN. Yes, we were on the 14th floor, but still. There was camera-zoom ogling, especially after she told me about the Ottawa Firemen’s Calendar. Sleep was had.

Game Day started off as any good Game Day does: with a Buffy marathon. Eventually, after a bit cajoling, we started the over an hour long sojourn to Scotiabank Place. Because it’s not in Ottawa, it’s actually in a suburb. In the middle of nowhere. Well, save for the geese (or bats). And field grasses. Lots and lots of field grasses.

The arena itself isn’t really anything special, to be perfectly frank. Granite, cement, glass circle. Meh. From a distance you can tell it was game day…the parking lot was empty. But they have a decent interlock inlay at the entrance.

Decided to eat at a restaurant/bar inside the arena called Bert’s. Nice looking place, lots of TV screens with sports, and the natural fuckton of Sens gear. Best part? An amazing banana daiquiri. Made with real bananas. Those things could get me into a lot of trouble. It was $7, but it was worth it. Had a starter of HUGE onion rings. I swear they could be used as spare tires. No freaking lie. Big as your face. And by god they were hotter than the hinges of hell. But had nice chipotle mayo.

Main was a club sandwich with Caesar salad. The menu advertised Canadian bacon, but it was clearly regular bacon. And the cheese wasn’t melted. And the lettuce in the salad was still wet. So yeah, not a big success. And for $15, you’d expect it to be a bit better than that. All in, though, it was decent service and decent food.

It was nice to have an entrance into the main arena directly from the restaurant, so there was no line. Took the typical stroll around, went into the Sens store and felt dirty… you know. The uszh. Then we went to our seats. Eight rows from the ice. EIGHT. I have never been that close to the ice. Ever. So needless to say, I may have lost my shit a tad (especially thinking ahead to December, where I’ll have the EXACT seats for the Canucks).

I was quick to don my newly acquired Columbus Blue Jackets hat. (PIC 11) There were only two things I could find that were CBJ in Ottawa, this hat and a pennant. I opted for the hat, even if it slowly cut off my circulation because of my giant melon cranium. I mean it, no hats fit me. A size 8 is too small. Getting a toque that fits? Yeah, no. In grade 9 Family Studies (Home Ec.) I actually sewed my own toque. Yes. I admit that. And for a hat that’s “American Tradition” I find it funny that it’s made in China…

Not going to lie, I was worrying that I’d be the only Blue Jacket adorned person there, until a gaggle of men in Rick Nash jerseys appeared across the ice. Oh, calloo callay!

Yes, I was still in the minority, but not alone.

Now at this point, I must own up to something. It kind of became the Rick Nash show. I barely looked at the Senators once the warm-up started. I think I took something like 156 pictures, 140 of which were of Rick Nash. Yeah. I have a problem. A sexy problem. You’ll see a selection of pictures below. HOT DAMN. Like, really, it’s not even fair.

But I’ll make one special mention. Number 14 for the BJs. Yes. I know. Childish. Sue me.

One of the more confusing parts of the game was not that the Senators could actually score, but this quartet of older men. One of which was wearing a Habs jersey…and a Bruins hat. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. At all. It’s just not meant to be. Polar opposites. Good v. Evil, Yin Yang, Being and Nothingness. All that. 

One moment of pride was when I openly booed Daniel Alfredsson. In his home building. Oh, you better believe I got looks. Some 10 year old kid even turned around, asked us if we were really Columbus fans and then shook his head. This is the kind of youthful disdain that sustains me.

And it was a close game. Jackets were leading 3-2 up to the last minute of the third. Then the Sens tied it. Then Chris Neil got a misconduct (surprise! Goon.). Then with 4 seconds left, Michalek scored…handing Columbus another loss. You couldn’t help but feel awful for them. Like actually. I really just feel bad for Nash. And by feel bad…

So yeah, it was a decent experience. Get to do it again in December. Still on a bit of a hockey high, cannot lie.  Oh, and I discovered Twerk. This knowledge will be -”

And that was it; the manuscript ended mid-sentence, at the point we believe, the RCMP pried the crayon from Andrew’s hand. 

It may do no good until Andrew is bailed out (or his remains discovered), but follow him on twitter anyways: @manbearpiglpu

It’s a three-day weekend, we slept in, and hope that no one got up early just read this game summary.

Caps hit the ice Greg Fiume - Getty

We paid for 60 minutes of hockey yesterday afternoon (not a lot, $80/seat for section 406), but ended up witnessing only 15 minutes of truly satisfying play.

Ok, it was a win, but it was another one of those wins. 

During the first 40 minutes, an uneasy feeling hung over Verizon and the sense of Sens dread was noticeable, despite us owning them so far this season. Horn guy and Loud Goat dude were uncharacteristically restrained; the crowd muted, concerned.  Were we going to drop a home game to a team that should be our doormat? 

Sens Fisher goal Greg Fiume – Getty

A Senators goal at 1:12 into the first was followed by a nearly 45 minutes wait to see the Caps get in gear.  An example of the crowd’s restlessness was provided by a guy several rows behind us – in even worse seats. Midway through the second frame he boomed, “Will somebody turn the Caps Game on?!?”

“Better late than later,” as an old coach used to tell us.  And in the end, after a difficult 2+ periods, it was a mostly solid win.  A 3-1 win that should’ve probably been 6-1.  $80 bucks a seat and we got cheated out of our wings. 

Meet the New Boss(es): Maybe it’s time to end the frustrating vigil waiting for our big boys to start scoring again.  Time after time, it’s the Caps’ lesser magnitude stars that make it happen and bail our asses out.

Brooksy: Greg Fiume - Getty

Brooks Laich made it happen and tallied his first goal since December 15. 

Nicky Nineteen may still be goalish slumpish, but that faceoff win setting up John Carlson’s gunshot, proves he’s still the man. Does he lose a faceoff?  Backstrom may still be snakebit when it comes to the net, scoreless in 20 games, but he works hard, plays hard and makes plays and goals happen.

JC74 Alex Brandon - AP

And maybe it’s time to consider John Carlson in the top flight of superstar Caps, not just a hot rookie.

We know he has a sizable fanbase out there – judged by the throngs of women pressed up against the glass during warm-ups, all swooning, all cheering as he zipped by section 120.

Jason! Greg Fiume - Getty

The worst kept secret in DC is that we love us some Jason Chimera.  Getting his pocket picked/poked in the Canucks game, which set up a goal by one of the creepy twins the other night, must’ve been disheartening for the guy.  Whatever – he shrugged it off and was loaded for bear in yesterday’s matinée, and racked up his first goal since December 21.

Chimera’s game sealing goal in the third, the carom shot off Sens goalie Brian Elliot was a perfect lesson in geometry – the angle of incidence equals the something something.  Dunno, we flunked geometry, too.

The Silver Lining:  We don’t know what proved to be the spark in the third – Karl Alzner getting slammed into the boards which led to that PP, or Coach Boudreau’s 2nd intermission shriekfest. We’re tied again with the Bolts for first place in the division.  We stemmed the three game losing slide.  The PP finally showed some signs of life – the first one to hit in 11 opportunities.  The last 16 minutes of the game proved to be a textbook example of efficiency: 3 goals on 9 shots.

The Road Ahead:  You don’t need to sit through that well-worn Hadeed TV spot again to know that the week-long roadtrip ahead is going to be a long haul. The filthy Flyers tomorrow night may be the biggest challenge but the irksome Islanders on Thursday and the Leafs/Laughs on Saturday – teams we should beat – could be crapshoots because of our continuing inconsistent efforts.

Undisclosed Location: The news of Sasha landing on the IR from his LBI hit us hard.  We want to see him back on the ice first, then of course, back to his scoring ways.  We wish him the speediest of recoveries.  And we leaned that Mike Green’s absence on the ice @ Kettler today was due to a case of the sniffles, and nothing more serious. Phew!

Should Old Acquaintance(s) Be Forgot: It was team day yesterday @ Verizon for PuckBuddy Craig.  An ad hoc high school reunion of five pals from the Dazed and Confused years was put together at the last minute. 

Barons Still Rule

Among the attendees were three guys he was lucky enough to play football with for four years.  Under the tutelage of the late and mostly great, Coach Barney Sullivan (from the Jim Thorpe School of Football, minus the leather helmets), we grew into men, forged lifetime bonds, and became family many, many years ago.  Nearly 20 years after his passing, we still speak of Coach Sullivan in hushed tones and with reverance. We’re not convinced that he can’t rise from the dead and brutalize us one more time.

Escorted by class president Mr. Pink, Baron gridders Chuckwagon, Texas Tommy and JT turned out to root, root, root for the home team, the very first NHL game for the latter two. They loved the show that both the team and Verizon put on and we’re glad they got to witness a (mostly) great effort and a much needed win. But they had to wait 45 minutes for it to happen.

“Better late than later,” was a saying our JV coach, the remarkable Vito Costanza used many times.  It still rings true.  “Don’t rest on your laurels,” were more of his words of wisdom.  We seriously hope that the Caps take that one to heart.

Update: Look for Andrew Gordon making his return to the Red today, filling in for Eric Fehr, who is expected to be out for at least the next three weeks.  He’s always welcome in our book – that’s great stuff!

First off, we’re tempted to write half of today’s entry en Francais in honor of our Ottawa visitors, living as they do right on the fault line between Francophone and Canucklephone Canada.  However we’re much more fluent in hoser than quebecer and might just end up saying something scandalous about Rene Levesque so we’ll pass, adding only: bonne chance, et sortent de la ville…haw-haw-haw.

You might be thinking that all the luck will be with the Caps today.  I mean, the Sens are on a slide to rival our earlierDecember slump (only 1 win in the last eight tries) and the injuries/illnesses that had been hanging on us like a soggy coat are now lifting – for the most part. 

But losses can make a team hungry.  Or angry. Hungry angry bees…or something.  In the last few games the Caps have looked more like nervous wallflowers at the prom than hungry angry bees during the first period.  And the Senators can still surprise, and have an impressive arsenal to deploy.

At the front lines look for two Swedes: veteran Daniel Alfredsson and relative newbie Erik Karlsson.  Or is that Alfred Ericksson, or Karl Danielsson?  No matter, the two make quite a team – Karlsson even living with Alfredsson et familia for a time – and Karlsson (6′, 20 years old, shoot right) has made quite an impact as both shot-blocker and shot-maker. 

Did we say impact?  How about NHL All-Star?  How about just plain star?  This kid’s motor is clearly running…although frankly, we’re starting to think he should consider teaming up with another countryman for some on-screen work. 

Corey Locke hasn’t had the season Karlsson has, but he could be one of those mid-level talents that steps up to perform when called upon.  A small guy, probably all of 175 soaking wet (stop it…), Locke reminds us that just about anyone looks great decked out in pads. 

Milan Michalek and Sergei Gonchar, among others, have caught our eye as well – not in some small measure for what they can do on the ice as well as how good they look doing it.  But speaking of looking good, at least one former American idol has decided the winner is assistant Captain Mike Fisher.

(for CITY / SPRT story by KEN WARREN)

Fisher’s married to Carrie Underwood, who we would like to pretend we knew or cared who she was.  But we can’t.  We just can’t. 

What we do care about is Mr. Under Fisher, for reasons obvious and otherwise.  We won’t cry when the Sens leave town, but Mike, you’re welcome anytime.