FOR over a century, senior hockey in Canada garnered the attention of enthusiasts of the game from coast-to-coast-to-coast.
Arguably as popular as the National Hockey League in many centres across the Dominion back in the day, it was equally as endeared in the Lakehead.
Looking back 100 years ago, it was Port Arthur’s senior side that was building the cornerstone to eventually make them the nation’s elite on the ice in the 1920s.
A season prior in 1921-22, it was the Fort William Maple Leafs who boasted local supremacy by claiming a two-game, total-goal triumph versus the Ports, after taking the opener 6-0, then dropping a 6-5 result in the finale, knowing they had plenty of tallies to spare.
After then outscoring Brandon, Man., 9-7 overall, to move on, the Forts hosted the western Canadian final at the Prince of Wales Arena, only to fall to the Regina Victorias by scores of 3-1 and 4-2.
Moving ahead to the 1922-23 campaign, both local clubs would compete in a six-team league that also included four squads from Manitoba.
The season saw Port Arthur and the Winnipeg Falcons finish ahead of Brandon and Selkirk, Man., in the standings to secure a place in the final.
Fort William, who were dubbed the Beavers that year, finished fifth overall, but capped off their run with an 8-7 triumph over their rivals, which helped prevent the Ports from finishing in top spot.
Some staunch opposition from Port Arthur as to the make-up of the final almost prevented it from happening.
Manitoba officials had deemed the entire best-of-three series was to be held in Winnipeg, but the locals disagreed and stated they wouldn’t compete unless the format was altered.
After some last-minute negotiations, it was agreed upon that Port Arthur would host Game 1 before heading west to finish things off.
With spring-like temperatures affecting the ice and slowing down the pace of play, the hosts persevered by riding the stalwart shutout goaltending of Lorne Chabot to post a 2-0 victory.
Albert Pudas finished off a Danny Cox feed in the second period in what proved to be the game-winner, with Stuart Ritchie adding some early third period insurance to secure the result.
Heading to a sold-out Winnipeg Ampitheatre for the next meeting, the Falcons answered with a 2-0 triumph of their own to set the stage for a winner-take-all finale in the Manitoba capital.
Things looked promising for the Lakehead group with Cox and Pudas putting Port Arthur up by two after 20 minutes.
Replying in the second stanza, Winnipeg stormed back with a trio of tallies to take a 3-2 lead.
However, the Ports countered with Alex Gray and George Traer both finding the back of the net.
Connecting late in the third, the Falcons sent it to overtime with a tying tally at the 15-minute mark.
Things looked good for the visitors in the initial OT session as Gordon (Phat) Wilson connected with a high-rising attempt that found its way in off a screened shot.
As extra time was not sudden-victory, as it is now, play continued.
Then with just moments left, and the timekeeper standing ready to ring the final bell, Winnipeg received a fortuitous bounce as a shot that was deemed to be going well-wide by unheralded defenceman Sammy McCallum, clipped off the glove of Ports captain Wilf L’Heureux, which altered its path and saw the puck flutter past a helpless Chabot with only three seconds remaining.
The staggering equalizer, which snatched almost certain victory from their grasp, took its toll on Port Arthur.
Buoyed by the late deflection goal, it spurned the Falcons on in the next OT with Frank Woodall slamming in a third chance after two previous point-blank saves by Chabot to pull out a 6-5 triumph and claim the championship.
Going on to build from the heartbreak, the Lakehead contingent continued to battle hard and showed their mettle by winning three Allan Cup national crowns in 1925, ’26 and ’29 to make Port Arthur one of the premier Canadian senior hockey organizations of all-time.
Senior hockey was it a century ago
