A Great Game by Stephen J. Harper Page A

the night to tie the game with thirty seconds left.
    The game in Toronto was not so great, but did supply an amusing tale. The home team was missing Liffiton, again away on business. When Miln’s expected recruits did not show, the team was a man short. Doing some quick thinking, captain Ridpath recruited the referee into the lineup. He was Bert Brown, another former Marlboro.
    The newly converted professional did not help much. Outclassed, the Torontos fell behind 7–0, and this time there was no comeback. Truth be told, the last twenty minutes were played in virtual darkness when the lighting failed. One observer called the game “almost as tame and slow, in fact, as the average O.H.A. games we have become accustomed to seeing this winter.” 18
    That was not a statement John Ross Robertson or his followers could take any solace from.
    Yet another defector from the Marlboro organization, Bert Brown was considered a good cover point. However, he appeared out of condition in his lone, last-minute appearance with the Professionals.

    Through the ups and downs of their improvised first season, interest in the Toronto Professionals had remained keen. Part of the reason was the mediocre year transpiring in the OHA. One measure of that state of affairs was a disastrous OHA exhibition game played at Mutual on March 9.
    On that date, a select squad assembled from Toronto’s senior Argonauts, Marlboros and St. Georges went down to the University of Toronto by a humiliating score of 25–6. A desperate OHA had pressed an aging George McKay into service. He was reported not to have played since the demise of the Wellingtons—a fate, by the way, soon to be met by the remnants of the Marlboro team.
    While the humiliating amateur blowout was taking place, Toronto’s real hockey excitement revolved around the pending visit of the professional Montreal Wanderers. The Wanderers, despite having lost the Stanley Cup to Kenora earlier in the season, had taken the championship of the Eastern association for the third straight year. They would be headed west for a repeat showdown with the Thistles, again champions of the Manitoba league.
    As Kenora and Montreal haggled over the terms of their encounter—including controversial questions of player eligibility—Wanderer manager Tom Hodge came through Toronto to meet with Alex Miln. It was said that Hodge wanted his team to play at Mutual in order to prepare for the real possibility the Cup games could be held on the small Kenora rink. It was also rumoured that Miln had paid up to $900 for the honour. Whatever the reason, a date was set for March 11.
    â€œBig Ezra” Dumart was a rugged forward with a hard, accurate shot. His 160 pounds would make him a large man for this era.
    In the star-studded Wanderer lineup that night was “Hod” Stuart, widely considered the greatest player of the day. Stuart, who also played football, had left Ottawa and performed in the Western Pennsylvania and International leagues before ending up with the Wanderers. Stuart was the Bobby Orr of his era. Big, fast and rough, he dominated the game not just through superior skill, but by quarterbacking the offence from his own end forward. Playing that night with a broken finger, Stuart led the Redbands to an easy 4–1 lead before retiring early.
    From there on, the game got tight. Though much smaller than their Montreal opponents, the Torontos, led by the determined Ridpath, threw themselves at the Wanderers with a fury. Riddy brought the crowd to its feet by decking the lanky Lester Patrick with a hard check. The game was quick, tough and intense throughout.
    While generally clean as well, the contest also featured a notable fight. Wanderer Ernie “Moose” Johnson had given Hughie Lambe what his defence partner, Rolly Young, considered a cheap shot. Young went after Johnson, and several others joined in. During the excitement, one overwrought fan hurled his seat