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57-682: Created ostensibly as an amateur team in hopes of competing for the Allan Cup , the Tigers helped form the Western Canada Hockey League in 1921 to become the first major professional team in Calgary. In 1924, after winning both the league and Western Canadian championships, the Tigers became the first Calgary based club to compete for the Stanley Cup . After succumbing to financial pressures in 1927,

114-632: A hat trick as Montreal won 6–1. Due to poor ice conditions, the second game was moved to the Ottawa Auditorium in Ottawa . Led by goaltender Georges Vezina , Montreal won 3–0 to sweep the series, and claim the Cup. Calgary began the 1924–25 season with a series of exhibition games in eastern Canada. They faced the St. Pats and Senators, proving to be a popular draw in the capital as Ottawa fans lined up for tickets for

171-566: A "class B" league, one level below the NHL. Three weeks after the collapse of the Western League, the Tigers were reformed as a charter member of the five team Prairie Hockey League . The team struggled to attract fans in the Prairie League, and consequently announced late in the season that it would cease operations after one year. The Tigers were successful on the ice, however, as they finished atop

228-619: A 2–0 exhibition loss to the defending Stanley Cup champion Ottawa Senators , who were touring the country as they travelled west to defend their title against the PCHA champion Vancouver Millionaires . The former Big Four teams joined with the Saskatoon Sheiks in forming a new professional league in 1921 that intended to compete against the National Hockey League and Pacific Coast Hockey Association . The Western Canada Hockey League

285-420: A 2–0 victory over Victoria on the last day of the season moved Calgary one point ahead of Vancouver to end the season. The financial pressures of trying to keep up with rapidly escalating salaries took its toll on the league. The prairie clubs, including the Tigers, were struggling under financial hardships while a mild winter of 1925–26 reduced the quality of the natural ice at Victoria arena which, coupled with

342-599: A Calgary audience, the Tigers attained the premier seat in the Western Canada League last night, and today they proudly waive the championship ribbons in the face of the opposition that has fallen behind them on the track that has been sprinkled with red. Red it was, and blood red, for there was much gore spilled in last night's duel. The Calgary Herald's description of the Tigers 1924 WCHL championship victory. The 1923–24 season began with tragedy, as Tigers' forward Foley Martin died of blood poisoning during

399-682: A Calgary-based club. Despite defeating the Maroons, the PCHA champions were not eliminated. Rather, the Tigers earned a bye into the finals, while Vancouver met the Montreal Canadiens in the semi-final. The blue, blanc et rouge swept Vancouver in two games, setting the matchup for the 1924 Stanley Cup Finals where the Canadiens easily handled the Tigers. In the first game, played at Mount Royal Arena in Montreal , Canadiens rookie Howie Morenz recorded

456-535: A bye to the championship series, the Tigers faced the Eskimos in a best-of-five series marred by poor ice caused unseasonably warm weather in both cities. Following a 1–1 tie in the first game at Calgary, the league ordered the remaining games of the series be played in Edmonton due to the poor condition of the ice surface. The second game was also tied at 1 after bad ice in Edmonton forced it to be ended early. Two victories for

513-538: A former PCHA star, spent two seasons with the Tigers from 1920 to 1922. Joining the Tigers in the last season of the Big Four League, he once again turned pro when the Tigers joined the WCHL. Stanley led the Tigers in scoring with 26 goals in 1921–22 before being traded to Regina . Red Dutton , a World War I veteran who refused doctors orders to have his leg amputated after suffering a shrapnel wound, played 123 games with

570-616: A realignment of the league, Tigers' manager Clair Manning contemplated relocating the franchise to Spokane, Washington . The team instead hoped to operate for another season in Calgary, but met its final demise after the NWHL reformed into the Pacific Coast Hockey League for 1936–37 and denied the Tigers' application to join the new league. Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against The WCHL's short and unstable existence

627-507: A series of national playoffs. Starting in 1920, the Allan Cup champion team would represent Canada in amateur play at the Olympics and World Championships. The CAHA used the profits from Allan Cup games as a subsidy for the national team. Competition for the cup was originally a one-game format, then a two-game total goals format. In 1925, CAHA leaders Silver Quilty and Frank Sandercock , changed

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684-516: Is Thunder Bay with 10, including four won as Port Arthur before the city's amalgamation. The original Cup has been retired to the Hockey Hall of Fame , and a replica is presented to the champions. Listed are all of the challenges of the early years of the Allan Cup, bolded are the final winner of the season. This is a list of champions by province, territory, or state. (*) Two championships won by teams from Lloydminster are included only in

741-596: The Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association , which allowed professionals, to form the new Inter-Provincial Amateur Hockey Union (IPAHU), a purely amateur league. The trustees of the Stanley Cup decided that the Cup would be awarded to the professional ice champion, meaning there was no corresponding trophy for the amateur championship of Canada. The Allan Cup was donated in early 1909 by Montreal businessman and Montreal Amateur Athletic Association president Sir H. Montagu Allan to be presented to

798-598: The Edmonton Eskimos and Dominions who served as representatives of Alberta's capital. The Calgary teams were hosted at the Victoria Arena , which had been converted into a hockey rink in 1918. While the Big-4 billed itself as an amateur circuit, it became known as a notorious example of a "shamateur" league, as amateur teams secretly employed professional players in an attempt to gain an upper hand on their competition. When

855-535: The Regina Capitals 3–2 before a crowd of 3,000 fans. The Tigers, Eskimos and Capitals battled for first place in the league, each team holding the top spot numerous times throughout the season. The Tigers and Capitals finished tied for second, forcing a two-game, total-goals playoff to determine who would meet the Eskimos for the league championship. In the series, the Capitals defeated the Tigers 1–0 in Calgary, while

912-582: The Victoria Cougars , who moved over to the WCHL following the collapse of the PCHA the previous summer. The Tigers were unable to earn a return trip to the Stanley Cup Finals , losing the two-game total-goals series 3–1. The Cougars went on to become the last non-NHL team to win the Stanley Cup. The Tigers struggled throughout the 1925–26 season , languishing in last place for most of the season until

969-731: The Alexander Cup competition was retired after 1954. The reigning Allan Cup champion was usually chosen to represent Canada in ice hockey at the Olympic Games or the Ice Hockey World Championships . The practice lasted from 1920 to 1964, when Father David Bauer established a permanent Canada men's national ice hockey team . Since 1984 the Allan Cup has been competed for by teams in the Senior AAA category. Although interest in senior ice hockey has diminished over its history,

1026-669: The Big Four announced their intention to compete in the Allan Cup playdowns, the Pacific Coast Hockey Association sent a letter of protest to the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association demanding that the league be declared professional, thus ineligible to compete for the Allan Cup. The Big Four ultimately chose to withdraw from the AAHA, and operated as an independent league in 1920–21. The Tigers' inaugural game

1083-765: The Calgary Tigers served as the inspiration for the "vintage" uniform of the Calgary Flames which was worn in the Heritage Classic game in February 2011. While the Calgary Flames do not trace their ancestry back to the Tigers (the Atlanta Flames club was purchased by Calgary businessmen in the 1980s), the organization had wanted to recognize the first professional hockey club in Calgary history for this event and selected

1140-465: The Cup quickly came to appreciate the difficulties of organizing a national competition in so large a country. In 1914, at the suggestion of one of the trustees, Claude C. Robinson , the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) was formed as a national governing body for the sport with W. F. Taylor as its first president. One of the CAHA's first decisions, in 1915, was to replace the challenge system with

1197-506: The Cup retains an important place in Canadian ice hockey. The Cup championship is determined in an annual tournament held in the city or town of a host team, playing off against regional champions. The Cup has been won by teams from every province and from Yukon , as well as by two teams from the United States which played in Canadian leagues. The city with the most Allan Cup championships

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1254-594: The Eskimos pushed Calgary to the brink of elimination before the Tigers rebounded with a 5–1 victory in the fifth game. The ties earlier in the series forced the teams to a sixth game that also went to overtime tied at 1 before the Eskimos scored to win the championship after four minutes of an extra period. The league reformed as the North Western Hockey League following the season after the Saskatchewan clubs dropped out and were replaced with three teams on

1311-409: The Eskimos two nights later in Calgary. The Tigers finished the season in first place with on the strength of giving up the fewest goals against during the season, but struggled to attract fans. Attendance declined throughout the season to a low of just 560 for their victory over Saskatoon in early March that clinched the league's top record. Overall, the team averaged 2,270 fans per game. Having earned

1368-575: The Lions in Seattle and Vancouver as both cities had arenas capable of making artificial ice. The disadvantage did not affect the Tigers in the opening game of the series, a 5–2 victory at Seattle. The teams traded victories in the next three contests, ending in a 2–1 Vancouver win in the fourth game that tied the series at 2 wins apiece. Calgary won the championship with a 6–1 victory before a Vancouver crowd of over 6,000 fans. The 1934 championship would prove to be

1425-525: The Pacific Coast. Calgary again won the regular-season title in 1933–34, advancing directly to the league championship, on the strength of a 12–3 victory over the Vancouver Lions in the final game of the regular season. Dutch Gainor won the league scoring title with 43 points. Fearing a repeat of the previous season's playoff disaster, the league ordered Calgary to play their championship series against

1482-512: The Stanley Cup 3 games to 2. They finished second overall in each of their first three seasons, with their third season only one point behind first place, but that first season would be the only one in which they would win the playoffs and advance to the next series. After three seasons well above .500, they fell to last place overall in their fourth season ( 1924–25 ) with only 8 wins in 28 games. The Capitals tried spending their way out of their difficulties, but that only caused more problems. With

1539-645: The States, the league had to change its name to reflect that not all of its teams were based in Canada anymore. So, the "Canada" part of the league's name was dropped and it was renamed the Western Hockey League . The move didn't help the on-ice performance of the team very much. They didn't finish last overall, but with an extra eight games played from the previous season, they only managed to better their total wins by 4 giving them 12 wins in 36 games. After that season,

1596-543: The Tigers before moving to the NHL where he played 449 more with the Montreal Maroons and New York Americans . Rusty Crawford , a former standout in the National Hockey Association and National Hockey League before the war, spent three seasons in Calgary from 1922 to 1925. Crawford recorded 19 goals in 64 games as a Tiger. Herb Gardiner began his professional career in Calgary in 1920, remaining with

1653-657: The Tigers until he was sold to the Montreal Canadiens in 1926, where he would go on to win the Hart Memorial Trophy as NHL Most Valuable Player in 1927. Harry Oliver also began his pro career in Calgary, playing with the Tigers from 1921 to 1926 where he scored 90 goals before being sold to the Boston Bruins . Oliver would go on to play eleven seasons in the NHL with the Bruins and New York Americans . The uniform of

1710-408: The Tigers were briefly revived in the mid-1930s as a minor professional club. The Tigers competed for a total of eleven seasons in four leagues, winning four championships during their existence. Five Tigers players would later gain election to the Hockey Hall of Fame . In 1919, under the guidance of Alberta Amateur Hockey Association league president Allan McCaw, a new elite senior amateur league

1767-428: The Tigers' last hurrah, as the team fell to the bottom of the NWHL standings in 1934–35, winning only three games. They once again finished in last place in 1935–36 and were embroiled in another disputer with Edmonton over the rights to a player as the Eskimos claimed they had gained the rights to Tony Savage from the Montreal Canadiens though he had already been sent to Calgary on loan. The Tigers issued an ultimatum to

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1824-460: The United States before the team was disbanded. In 1932, the Tigers were revived as a charter franchise of a reformed, minor-professional, Western Canada Hockey League . They opened the season with a 1–0 defeat in Edmonton on December 7, 1932, in what was the first professional game for either city in six years, while a near capacity crowd of 4,100 fans witnessed a 7–0 victory by the Tigers over

1881-512: The Western Hockey League folded. The National Hockey League bought every contract of ever player from the WHL for $ 258,000. The former Capitals/Rosebuds players would go on to form the nucleus of the expansion Chicago Black Hawks franchise, which began play the following season. With the collapse of the WHL, many of the players and teams that didn't become part of the NHL re-grouped and formed

1938-605: The amateur champions of Canada. It was to be ruled like the Stanley Cup had, passed by champion to champion by league championship or challenge. Three trustees were named to administer the trophy: Sir Edward Clouston, President of the Bank of Montreal , Dr. H. B. Yates of McGill University , (donor of the Yates Cup to the Intercollegiate Rugby Union in 1898) and Graham Drinkwater , four-time Stanley Cup champion. The trophy

1995-511: The arbitrators, a three-man panel denied the protest. The decision led the front-running Tigers to refuse to play any series against the second-place Eskimos for the league championship as the team felt the Canadians' protest was improperly handled. Efforts to reach a compromise failed as the Edmonton clubs refused to allow the protest to be reconsidered, resulting in the collapse of the league on February 24, 1921. The Tigers remained active despite

2052-580: The championship on home ice in a 2–0 victory. They then moved on to face the Vancouver Maroons of the PCHA in the best-of-three Western Canadian final. After dropping the first game in Vancouver , the Tigers came back to defeat the Maroons 6–3 at home, and again 3–1 at a neutral site game in Winnipeg , Manitoba. The victory earned the Tigers the right to play for the Stanley Cup , the first such opportunity for

2109-476: The colourful uniforms of the Tigers. Allan Cup The Allan Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the senior ice hockey champions of Canada . It was donated by Sir Montagu Allan of Ravenscrag, Montreal , and has been competed for since 1909. It was won by the Dundas Real McCoys in 2024 . In 1908, a split occurred in the competition of ice hockey in Canada. The top amateur teams left

2166-399: The cup to the CAHA, and establish an Allan Cup committee which included trustee William Northey . In February 1945, CAHA president Frank Sargent announced the cancellation of the 1945 Allan Cup playoffs. It was the first season in which the trophy was not contested since the inaugural 1909 Allan Cup . The cancellation was caused by the reluctance to travel during wartime conditions, and

2223-574: The demise of the league, playing a series of exhibition games against the Saskatoon Crescents and a team from Moose Jaw . The Eskimos eventually agreed to face the Tigers without Tobin in an informal championship that was known as the Intercity Championship . The Tigers claimed the title on total-goals as they defeated Edmonton 2–0 in the first game at Calgary before dropping the second 2–1 at Edmonton. The Tigers ended their season with

2280-500: The format to a best-of-three series due to increased popularity of the games and demand for a longer series. At the CAHA general meeting in March 1927, W. A. Fry requested to have the CAHA take control of the Allan Cup and its profits from the trustees, and use the funds to build amateur hockey in Canada. He felt the move justified as the CAHA had evolved and was able to manage its own affairs. His motion asked for H. Montagu Allan to donate

2337-540: The league championship. Winning the league championship meant that the team had to face the winner of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) before being able to challenge for the Stanley Cup . Unfortunately, the up-start Capitals lost to the Vancouver Millionaires of the PCHA. Vancouver went on to face the Toronto St. Patricks of the National Hockey League (NHL), but would lose the best-of-five series for

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2394-503: The league standings and met the Saskatoon Sheiks in a best-of-three series for the league title. Calgary dropped the first game, 2–1 in Saskatoon, but tied the series with a 2–1 victory in Calgary on the strength of two goals in the last five minutes by Andy Aikenhead. The Tigers were then awarded the league championship after the Sheiks defaulted the third game, refusing to play in opposition to

2451-493: The league, threatening to disband for the season if Savage did not remain in Calgary. Savage ultimately remained with Calgary for the entire season. 1936 proved to be the final year for the Tigers, as the Great Depression and declining interest in professional hockey in favour of the senior game had threatened the team's viability. After the Eskimos announced intentions to relocate to Victoria, British Columbia , as part of

2508-401: The pair of games played. Additionally, the Tigers negotiated to face the NHL's expansion Montreal Maroons if the newly constructed Montreal Forum was ready in time. Those games did not come to pass. In WCHL league play, the Tigers once again finished the regular season in first place. Led by Oliver's team leading 20 goals, the Tigers earned a bye into the WCHL championship. Their opponent was

2565-421: The players' need to work rather than playing hockey. In 1951, the CAHA set up a "major league" of competition from the semi-pro and professional senior leagues. The leagues would no longer compete for the Allan Cup, but would compete for the new Alexander Cup . The Allan Cup would be competed for on a more purely amateur basis from teams in smaller centres of Canada. The major league concept broke up by 1953, and

2622-568: The referee assigned for the deciding game. As Prairie champions, the Tigers traveled east to face the Winnipeg Maroons for the western Canadian professional championship. Calgary won the first game, then were awarded the title after the Maroons were unable to play the second game when the American Hockey Association rescheduled their league playoff series and created a conflict. The Tigers ended their season with exhibition games in

2679-505: The standings, behind Edmonton and Regina, as former Tiger Barney Stanley scored the winning goal against Calgary in a 2–1 victory by the Regina Capitals that eliminated Calgary from playoff contention. They ended the season with a 4–0 exhibition victory over the NHL's Ottawa Senators in a game described as one of the "most sensational" games ever held in Calgary. Conquering Regina 2–0 in the most vicious hockey battle ever unfolded before

2736-470: The team in debt and losing money, they followed the NHL's example of heading south across the border and moved to Portland, Oregon for the start of the 1925–26 WHL season . The Regina Capitals renamed themselves the Portland Rosebuds , which was a rekindling of an older, then defunct, team from the PCHA. With that move, they became the only United States –based team in their league. Since they moved to

2793-472: The team's poor performance, reduced attendance. Manager Lance Turner confirmed on May 4, 1926, that the Tigers were sold to the National Hockey League, along with the franchises in Edmonton, Regina, Victoria, Vancouver and Portland, and that the league had ceased operations. The six franchises were sold for $ 300,000. Turner immediately began efforts to form a new team and league that would operate as

2850-481: The team's season opening road trip to the pacific coast. The Tigers played on despite Martin's death, winning two of three games against their PCHA rivals. The Tigers finished atop the league standings with 37 points. They met the Regina Capitals in the league championship in a two-game, total goals series. After battling Regina to a 2–2 draw in the Saskatchewan capital, the Tigers returned home to Calgary, capturing

2907-470: The total for Saskatchewan. Regina Capitals The Regina Capitals were a professional ice hockey team originally based in the city of Regina , Saskatchewan in the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), founded in 1921 . 1921 was the Regina Capitals' first season in the new Western Canada Hockey League, they finished second overall and then upset the Edmonton Eskimos in the playoffs to win

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2964-563: The two teams tied 1–1 in Regina sending the Capitals through by a 2–1 aggregate total. Prior to the start of the 1922–23 season , the Tigers faced the Stanley Cup champion Toronto St. Patricks in two exhibition games. They defeated the St. Pats 7–5 in Calgary, and again 6–2 in a game held in Winnipeg , Manitoba. The WCHL and PCHA adopted an interlocking schedule for this season, with the Tigers struggling against their pacific coast opposition, winning just two of six games. Calgary finished third in

3021-492: Was a result of salary escalation caused by having three leagues competing for top talent. As a result, by the mid-1920s, hockey players were among the highest paid athletes in North America, with top players able to demand even higher salaries than the top baseball stars of the time. Though the WCHL lasted only five years, the Tigers boasted five future Hockey Hall of Famers on their roster during that time. Barney Stanley ,

3078-584: Was established in Alberta with two teams each in Calgary and Edmonton. The Big-4 League 's intention was to compete for the Allan Cup , emblematic of Canada's national senior championship. The Tigers were created in 1920, along with the Canadians , to represent Calgary in the Big Four after the city's two original teams, the Wanderers and Columbus Crew , withdrew following the league's first season. The Tigers also faced

3135-423: Was originally presented to the Victoria Hockey Club of Montreal , Quebec, members of the IPAHU, to award to the champions of the IPAHU. The first IPAHU champion, and by extension, first winner of the Cup was the Ottawa Cliffsides hockey club. After the season, the Cliffsides were defeated in the first-ever challenge by the Queen's University hockey club of Kingston, Ontario . In the early years, trustees of

3192-407: Was played at home on December 29, 1920, as 2,500 fans saw them defeat the Edmonton Dominions 6–1 on the strength of a goal and two assists by Gordon Fraser . Late in the season, the Canadians protested the use of goaltender Bill Tobin by the Edmonton Eskimos, arguing that he had not lived in Alberta long enough to be eligible per the league's residency rules. Following a last minute change of one of

3249-440: Was recognized as a major league and granted the right to compete for the Stanley Cup . Shortly before the inaugural season was set to begin, Calgary Canadians president Dr. C.E. Coleman and Tigers manager Eddie Poulin agreed amalgamate the two franchises under the Tigers name, allowing Calgary to present a unified front in the new league. The Tigers played the first professional hockey game in Calgary on December 19, 1921, defeating

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