Gilberts: Scandal marks 1910-11 hockey season for Chatham Maroons

When we left off last week the 1910-11 Chatham Maroons, in their very first year in the OHA, had beat out teams from Watford, Sarnia, and Strathroy to become the Western Champions of the OHA.

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Their next opponent on their way to a provincial championship was the always very powerful London team.

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On Feb. 9, 1911, the long awaited series began with a game in London. For the occasion, a special train, including five coaches was chartered and 300 fans with their pockets bulging with money to bet on their local favorites, left for London.

The report on the contest in the Chatham Daily Planet charged the referee with being a “homer” and stated that “…off-sides of six inches were called on the Chatham team while similar offenses of 20 feet were let pass for London.” The Chatham team fell before the London squad by a score of 7-2 but the Planet stated that their boys would have “no trouble at home!”

One whole week elapsed before the London team returned to Chatham. The Maroons were faced with the formidable task of overcoming a five goal deficit for the second part of the total goal series. The Chatham team rose to the occasion with a convincing 4-1 decision but fell short of victory in the series by two goals.

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The disappointed fans returned to their homes feeling that their team had put a valiant fight in their first year of OHA competition and had won the Western OHA Championship. And it seemed for all intentions and purposes that the 1911 hockey season was over…however that was not to be the case!

Less than a week later, the scandal which was to shake Chatham’s hockey world broke. On Feb. 21 the Planet carried the story that London, Strathroy and Watford had all lodged complaints against the Chatham entry for using ineligible players. OHA rules at this time stressed amateurism in its ranks and players were, under no circumstances, to be paid.

On Feb. 23, the Chatham team was suspended from the OHA and their Western Ontario title rescinded. It seemed that throughout the season Chatham had broken OHA rules by paying their players Miers, Dennis, McRae and Gilner among others.

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In addition, it was reported that between the first and second games officials from Chatham had traveled to Goderich and had come back with Arthur Mclean and Daniel McDonald, who answered the roll call of the referee and played for Chatham, but were no longer active. If the report is to be believed, in Chatham’s 4-1 victory over London, of the team’s line-up that included Briscoe, Livingston, McRae, Gilner, Meirs, Brundage and Dennis, two were playing under assumed names, four were ineligible professions and only goaltender, Ernie Brisco, was the only valid competitor in OHA hockey for Chatham!

The story reached beyond the scope of Western Ontario and even the Toronto Telegram, on March 2, 1911 suggested that the all Chatham teams be ejected from all sports of an organized nature!

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Weird as it may seem the story didn’t end there. It seems that the Chatham team had gained such notoriety through the exploits in 1911, that a Boston organizer heard of their efforts and contacted the local squad, inviting them to participate in a game in Boston, commemorating the opening of the first artificial ice rink in that city. On March 7, 1911 the Chatham team, including the “ringers” from Goderich, the professionals plus a few old standbys like Bunny Brundage, traveled to Boston by train, surviving a train wreck along the way!

Unbelievably a good friend of mine (Marianne Lucio) hearing about my interest in this early hockey team uncovered a framed picture in her office of the 1910 Chatham hockey team posing for pictures on the steps of the newly artificial ice of the Boston Arena!

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She had no idea why this was in her office and had no idea, until she learned of my interest, why this was so important! So both Marianne and I shared a joyous moment of epiphany! I certainly owe a heartfelt word of thanks to my old high school boyfriend! Thanks Marianne you made my day and I have shared this photo with you here in this article.

So ended the Chatham Maroons incredible 1910-11 hockey season. They had provided excellent entertainment for their fans, earned themselves a living playing the “amateur “ sport of hockey and written a colorful page in Chatham’s history which has, unfortunately, long-since been forgotten.

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