1918 Stanley Cup playoffs facts for kids
The 1918 Stanley Cup playoffs were exciting hockey games played in March 1918. Two main leagues, the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA), had their champions compete. The Toronto Blue Shirts, who won the NHL, faced the Vancouver Millionaires, the PCHA champions. They played for the famous Stanley Cup, one of the oldest and most important trophies in sports. This year was special because it was the first time the NHL champion won the Stanley Cup.
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The NHL Championship: Toronto vs. Montreal
The NHL season was split into two parts. The Montreal Canadiens won the first half, and the Toronto Arenas won the second half. These two teams then played a special series to decide who would be the NHL champion. They played two games, and the team that scored more goals overall won the series and the O'Brien Cup. Toronto won this exciting series and earned their spot in the Stanley Cup Finals.
| March 11 | Montreal Canadiens | 3–7 | Toronto Arenas | Mutual Street Arena | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | Harry Meeking (1) - 5:00 Ken Randall (1) - 17:00 |
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| 4:00 - Newsy Lalonde (1) | Second period | Harry Meeking (2) - 5:00 | ||||||
| 7:00 - Bert Corbeau (1) 13:00 - Newsy Lalonde (2) |
Third period | Harry Meeking (3) - 5:00 Jack Adams (1) - 11:00 Harry Cameron (1) - 12:00 Harry Mummery (1) - 14:00 |
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| Georges Vezina | Goalie stats | Hap Holmes | ||||||
| March 13 | Toronto Arenas | 3–4 | Montreal Canadiens | Montreal Arena | Recap | |||
| 12:00 - Reg Noble (1) | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| 16:51 - Rusty Crawford (1) | Second period | Joe Malone (1) - 4:25 Jack McDonald (1) - 5:30 |
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| 8:00 - Rusty Crawford (2) | Third period | Newsy Lalonde (3) - 1:40 Newsy Lalonde (4) - 10:30 |
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| Georges Vezina | Goalie stats | Hap Holmes | ||||||
| Toronto won series on total goals 10–7 | |
The PCHA Championship: Vancouver vs. Seattle
In the PCHA, the Vancouver Millionaires played against the Seattle Metropolitans. The Metropolitans were the team that had won the Stanley Cup the year before. This series was also decided by the total number of goals scored over two games. Vancouver won the series 3–2. The second game was very close, with Barney Stanley scoring the only goal, which gave Vancouver the win.
Seattle Metropolitans vs. Vancouver Millionaires
| Date | Away Team | Score | Home Team | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 11 | Seattle | 2 | Vancouver | 2 | |
| March 14 | Vancouver | 1 | Seattle | 0 |
Vancouver Millionaires won the two-game series by a total score of 3–2.
The Stanley Cup Finals: Toronto vs. Vancouver
After winning their league championships, the Toronto Arenas and the Vancouver Millionaires met to play for the Stanley Cup. The games were played in Toronto at the Mutual Street Arena. The series was a best-of-five, meaning the first team to win three games would take home the Cup. Toronto won the series 3–2, becoming the Stanley Cup champions!
| March 20 | Vancouver Millionaires | 3–5 | Toronto Arenas | Mutual Street Arena | Recap | |||
| 16:00 – Cyclone Taylor (1) 17:00 – Cyclone Taylor (2) |
First period | Reg Noble (2) – 08:00 Harry Meeking (4) – 10:00 Reg Noble (3) – 11:00 Alf Skinner (1) – 19:50 |
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| 10:00 – Mickey MacKay (1) | Second period | Alf Skinner (2) – 13:00 | ||||||
| No scoring | Third period | No scoring | ||||||
| Hugh Lehman | Goalie stats | Hap Holmes | ||||||
| March 23 | Toronto Arenas | 4–6 | Vancouver Millionaires | Mutual Street Arena | Recap | |||
| Alf Skinner (3) – 17:00 | First period | 18:00 – Cyclone Taylor (3) | ||||||
| Harry Cameron (2) 16:00 | Second period | 02:00 – Cyclone Taylor (4) 06:00 – Mickey MacKay (2) 14:00 – Mickey MacKay (3) |
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| Alf Skinner (4) – 08:00 Alf Skinner (5) – 16:00 |
Third period | 06:00 – Si Griffis (1) 10:00 – Mickey MacKay (3) |
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| Hap Holmes | Goalie stats | Hugh Lehman | ||||||
| March 26 | Vancouver Millionaires | 3–6 | Toronto Arenas | Mutual Street Arena | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 05:00 – Harry Cameron (3) 08:00 – Alf Skinner (6) 13:00 – Corb Denneny (1) |
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| Ran McDonald (1) – pp – 06:00 Cyclone Taylor (5) – 16:00 |
Second period | 11:00 – Harry Cameron (4) 14:00 – Corb Denneny (2) |
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| Cyclone Taylor (6) – 03:00 | Third period | 13:00 – Alf Skinner (7) | ||||||
| Hugh Lehman | Goalie stats | Hap Holmes | ||||||
| March 28 | Toronto Arenas | 1–8 | Vancouver Millionaires | Mutual Street Arena | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | 05:00 – Cyclone Taylor (7) | ||||||
| Ken Randall (1) – 04:26 | Second period | 04:00 – Barney Stanley (1) 11:06 – Mickey MacKay (5) 13:06 – Barney Stanley (2) |
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| No scoring | Third period | 06:00 – Cyclone Taylor (8) 13:00 – pp – Lloyd Cook (1) 13:45 – pp – Ran MacDonald (2) 15:00 – pp – Lloyd Cook (2) |
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| Hap Holmes | Goalie stats | Hugh Lehman | ||||||
| March 30 | Vancouver Millionaires | 1–2 | Toronto Arenas | Mutual Street Arena | Recap | |||
| No scoring | First period | No scoring | ||||||
| No scoring | Second period | No scoring | ||||||
| Cyclone Taylor (9) – 09:30 | Third period | 00:30 – Alf Skinner (8) 10:30 – Corb Denneny (3) |
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| Hugh Lehman | Goalie stats | Hap Holmes | ||||||
| Toronto won series 3–2 | |
Top Scorers of the NHL Playoffs
Here are some of the players who scored the most points during the NHL playoff games in 1918. Points are counted by adding up goals and assists.
| Player | Team | Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alf Skinner | Toronto | 7 | 8 | 3 | 11 |
| Newsy Lalonde | Canadiens | 2 | 4 | 4 | |
| Harry Cameron | Toronto | 7 | 4 | 4 | |
| Harry Meeking | Toronto | 7 | 4 | 4 | |
| Reg Noble | Toronto | 7 | 3 | 3 |
