Quebec Bulldogs facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Quebec Bulldogs

Founded	1878
History	Quebec Hockey Club 1878–1888 (independent) 1889–1890 (AHAC) 1891 (dormant) 1892–1898 (AHAC) 1899–1905 (CAHL) 1906–1909 (ECAHA) 1910 (CHA) 1910–1917 (NHA) 1917–1919 (dormant) Quebec Athletic Club 1919–1920 (NHL) Hamilton Tigers 1920–1925
Home arena	Quebec Skating Rink 1878–1913 Quebec Arena 1913–1920
City	Quebec City, Quebec
Colours	Blue, white
Stanley Cups	2 (1912, 1913)

The Quebec Bulldogs (French: Bulldogs de Québec) was a famous ice hockey team from Quebec City. The team was first called the Quebec Hockey Club. Later, it became the Quebec Athletic Club. It was one of the first organized hockey teams ever. The club started playing in 1878 when the Quebec Skating Rink opened.

The team began as an amateur club. It played in different leagues before becoming professional in 1908. The Bulldogs played in the National Hockey Association (NHA), which was the league before the NHL. They also played in the National Hockey League (NHL). In 1920, the team moved to Hamilton, Ontario. There, it became known as the Hamilton Tigers.

The History of the Quebec Bulldogs Hockey Team
Team Leaders and Famous Players
Images for kids
See also

The History of the Quebec Bulldogs Hockey Team

Early Days: Amateur Hockey in Quebec City (1878–1909)

The Quebec Hockey Club started in 1878. This was after the Quebec Skating Rink was built in 1877. The team had players from Anglo-Canadian backgrounds. At first, they only played exhibition games. These were against other club members or visiting teams from Montreal.

In 1883, the club played in the Montreal Winter Carnival. They joined the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada (AHAC) in 1888. They stayed in the AHAC until 1898. After that, Quebec played in the Canadian Amateur Hockey League (CAHL) from 1899 to 1905. Then they joined the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association (ECAHA) from 1906 to 1909.

Quebec Hockey Club in 1891–92. Players are Bertram Patton, Herbert Bignell, Arthur Dickson Scott, Charles Smith, Arthur Edward Scott, Herbert Scott, Robert Davidson and David Watson.

A notable player from this time was David Watson (1869–1922). He was a journalist and newspaper owner. He later became a Major-General in World War I. Watson played as a "cover point" (an offensive defenseman) for Quebec HC in the 1890s.

The club almost won the Stanley Cup twice. In the 1894 season, Quebec tied for first place in the AHAC. But the league wanted to hold all playoff games in Montreal. Quebec refused to play unless one game was in Quebec City. The championship was then won by the Montreal Hockey Club. In 1904, Quebec won the CAHL league title. However, due to a disagreement, they did not get the Stanley Cup. The Cup trustees decided the Cup still belonged to the Ottawa Hockey Club.

Two important players for Quebec in the early 1900s were Chubby Power and Joe Power. Both later became politicians in Quebec. Their brother, Rockett Power, also played for the team.

Joining the National Hockey Association (NHA) and Winning Cups

In late 1909, Quebec became a founding member of the Canadian Hockey Association (CHA). But the CHA lasted only one month. It then joined the stronger National Hockey Association (NHA). The Bulldogs were not accepted into the new NHA at first. So, they did not play in the 1910 season.

The next season, 1910–11, the Bulldogs took over the team from the Cobalt Silver Kings. They had a tough start, finishing last with only four wins. But players like Jack McDonald (14 goals) and Tommy Dunderdale (13 goals) showed promise.

Logo used (1911–1913).

For the 1911–12 season, the Bulldogs went from last to first! Joe Malone had an amazing season. They won the O'Brien Cup as NHA champions and also the Stanley Cup. Their record improved to 10 wins and eight losses. Malone scored 21 goals, and Jack McDonald scored 18. In the Stanley Cup challenge, they easily beat the Moncton Victorias. They won two games, 9–3 and 8–0.

In their third season (1912–13), Quebec finished first again. They had 16 wins and 4 losses. This meant they kept the championship. Joe Malone led the league in scoring with 43 goals. His teammate, Tommy Smith, was close behind with 39 goals. After the season, the team easily beat the Sydney Millionaires in a Stanley Cup challenge. The combined score was 20-5 over two games.

The Victoria Aristocrats from the Pacific Coast Hockey Association then challenged the Bulldogs. The powerful Bulldogs expected to win easily. But they were surprised when they split the first two games. They then lost 6–1 in the final game. However, the Stanley Cup Board of Trustees did not accept this challenge. They said the game should have been played in Quebec. The PCHA leader, Lester Patrick, refused. So, the Bulldogs were able to keep the Cup.

In December 1913, the Bulldogs moved to the new Quebec Arena. In the following seasons, the Bulldogs did not play as well. They finished third in the next three seasons. In the last NHA season (1916–17), they finished second. After their two Stanley Cup wins, they never challenged for the Cup again.

Joining the NHL and Moving to Hamilton (1917–1925)

The Bulldogs, along with the Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Wanderers, and Ottawa Senators, were unhappy with the owner of the Toronto Blueshirts, Eddie Livingstone. The league rules did not let them simply vote him out. So, the four clubs decided to start a new league. They founded the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1917. They did not invite Livingstone to join them.

Quebec's long-time manager, Mike Quinn, had retired due to illness. The other directors of the Bulldogs could not get enough money to join the NHL. Quebec City was the smallest market in the new league. So, they decided to stop playing for the league's first season (1917–18). To make the schedule work, the other three teams gave a temporary team to the Toronto Arena Company. This team is now known as the Toronto Maple Leafs.

In 1918, the team was almost sold to Percy Quinn. Quinn wanted to use the Bulldogs to bring back the old NHA. But the other NHL owners called his bluff. They demanded he promise to have a team ready for the 1918–19 season. When Quinn refused, the NHL canceled the team's spot. No other group in Quebec came forward. So, the Bulldogs also sat out the 1918–19 season.

In May 1919, NHL president Calder and Mike Quinn worked to bring Quebec back. Calder suggested Quinn apply for a new team. On December 2, 1919, the NHL approved the Quebec Athletic Club's application. Newspapers at the time started calling the team the Quebec Athletics.

While the team was not playing, their star player, Joe Malone, played for the Canadiens. Malone rejoined the Quebec team. He won the scoring championship that year with 39 goals. Even with Malone's scoring and players like Harry Mummery, Quebec had a very bad season. They finished last with only 4 wins and 20 losses.

Before the 1920–21 season, the NHL took back the team. They sold it to new owners. These owners moved the team to Hamilton, where it became the Hamilton Tigers. This move also helped stop Livingstone from starting a competing league in Hamilton.

The Tigers played in the NHL from 1920 to 1925. In 1925, the players went on strike during the playoffs. Because of this, the team's spot in the league was taken away for good. All the Tigers' players were then sold to Bill Dwyer. He owned the new New York Americans team. However, the NHL does not see the Americans as a continuation of the Bulldogs/Tigers team. The Americans played in the NHL from 1925 to 1942.

The last Bulldogs player to play in a major hockey league was Dave Ritchie. He retired in 1926. The very last active Bulldog player was Eddie Oatman. He played professional hockey until 1939.

Over the years, other hockey teams played in Quebec City. These included the minor-pro Quebec Castors and Quebec Aces. Big-league hockey did not return to Quebec City until the Quebec Nordiques were formed in 1972. They were part of the new World Hockey Association. The Nordiques joined the NHL in 1979. But like the Bulldogs, they found it hard playing in the league's smallest market. They moved to Denver in 1995 and became the Colorado Avalanche. Since 2015, there has been talk about a new NHL team for Quebec City.

Team Leaders and Famous Players

Head Coaches

Charles Nolan (1910–12)
Mike Quinn (1912–20)

Hall of Famers

These players were so good they were inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame:

Rusty Crawford
Thomas Dunderdale
Joe Hall
Joe Malone
Paddy Moran
Tommy Smith
Bruce Stuart
Hod Stuart

Team Captains

Hod Stuart (1901)
Herb Jordan (1905)
Joe Malone (1910–17, 1919–20)

1912 Stanley Cup Champions

The players who won the Stanley Cup in 1912:

Paddy Moran – Goalie
Goldie Prodgers – Point (Defense)
Joe Hall – Cover Point (Defense)
Joe Malone – Centre
Eddie Oatman – Right Wing
Jack McDonald – Left Wing
Jack Marks – Substitute
Walter Rooney – Centre Substitute
George Leonard – Substitute
Joe Savard – Substitute Goalie

1913 Stanley Cup Champions

The players who won the Stanley Cup in 1913:

Paddy Moran – Goalie
Joe Hall – Point (Defense)
Harry Mummery – Cover Point (Defense)
Joe Malone – Centre
Tommy Smith – Right Wing
Jack Marks – Left Wing
Russell Crawford – Substitute
Billy Creighton – Substitute
Jeff Malone – Substitute
James "Rockett" Power – Substitute
Walter Rooney – Substitute
Joe Savard – Substitute Goalie

Images for kids

The 1912–13 team with the Stanley Cup.