Montreal Maroons
The Montreal Maroons were a professional ice hockey team from Montreal, Quebec. They played in the National Hockey League from 1924 to 1938, winning the Stanley Cup in 1926 and 1935. They were also the last non-Original Six team to win the Stanley Cup until the Philadelphia Flyers in 1974.
The Maroons joined the league in 1924 along with the Boston Bruins, the first American team. At that time, the Maroons were one of two Montreal teams in the league. While the Montreal Canadiens drew primarily francophone fans, the Maroons largely drew fans from the anglophone neighbourhoods of Montreal. The defunct Montreal Wanderers had been targeted as a team for anglophone fans before they folded just six games into their inaugural season.
The Maroons had no nickname in their first year. James Strachan, president of the team, had sought the name of Wanderers, but Sam Lichtenhein and Dickie Boon, former owners of the Wanderers, weren't keen on the idea. However, reporters began referring to the deep crimson sweaters they wore and called them the Maroons. The following year, they were officially nicknamed the Maroons
The Maroons participated in the longest NHL playoff game of all time, losing 1-0 to the Detroit Red Wings in 176:30 of play (16:30 of the sixth overtime period) on March 24-25, 1936.
Financial strains from the Great Depression led the NHL to realize that Montreal, despite its size, could not support two NHL teams. While both the Canadiens and Maroons had trouble drawing fans, there were far more francophone supporters for the Canadiens than there were anglophone supporters for the Maroons. As a result, the Maroons finished with the worst attendance in the league for three seasons in a row.
Despite the Maroons' financial troubles, they continued to play competitive hockey well into the 1930s. However, the team's bleak financial situation finally caught up with them in 1937-38, as they finished 12-30-6, the club's worst season since winning only nine games in 1924-25. The league allowed the Maroons to suspend operations for the 1938-39 season. The Maroons' owners tried to sell to interests in St. Louis, Missouri. Earlier in the decade, St. Louis proved that it could support NHL hockey when the Ottawa Senators moved there as the Eagles. However, while the Eagles had drawn very well, they only survived one season due to the high costs of travelling to Boston, Montreal and Toronto. The league was not about to give St. Louis another chance given the economic situation of the time. The Maroons were eventually sold to interests in Philadelphia, who had every intention of reviving the team after World War II. However, in 1946, the NHL reneged on long-standing promises to reinstate the Maroons and New York Americans.
Well-known players included Nels Stewart, Hooley Smith, Babe Siebert, and Clint Benedict.
The last active Maroons player was Herb Cain, who remained in the NHL until 1946.
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[edit] Team Captains
- Punch Broadbent 1924-1925
- Dunc Munro 1925-1928
- Nels Stewart 1928-1932
- Hooley Smith 1932-1936
- Lionel Conacher 1936-1937
- Stew Evans 1937-38
[edit] Awards
- Russ Blinco - Calder Trophy (Top Rookie) 1934
- Nels Stewart - Hart Trophy (NHL MVP) 1926, 1930
[edit] Arenas
- Montreal Forum--built specifically for the Maroons, the Forum, in an ironic twist, would become the most famous arena in hockey largely because of the Canadiens, who shared the arena with the Maroons from 1926 to 1938.
