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T. Blakeney, Trainer.1931
Almonte
15
The first few games of the season were a whirlwind, but soon what seemed like a few lucky games became an expectancy. Almonte just couldn’t, or wouldn’t, lose a single game. The regular season went by in a flash, and the team recorded the highest standing in the league, winning the championship for the second year and breaking league records every way they turned.The playoffs continued from the Upper Ottawa Valley league on to the Ottawa District Hockey Association, and the first team to face Almonte was the Brockville Magedomas (champions of their league division). This was where the real fun started!
The first game of the series was in Brockville, though there was no shortage of Almonte supporters. About 369 fans from the town rode a train from Almonte to Brockville, and about 150 more joined along the way. When they arrived at the arena, the fans were left without enough seats. Being a team loyal to it’s fans, the Almonte hockey club refused to begin the game until enough Brockville fans had been removed to make room for the Almonte loyalists. The game was delayed for more than an hour, and there were several confrontations in the stands until play began. When Eric (Ike) Smith scored in the first period, and Bert Horton played another fantastic game to keep the game 1-0, the fans were more than appreciative of their teams efforts. An article in the Almonte Gazette from January 24, 1930, said of this night, "A Reports suggests the train back had some difficulty remaining steady on the rails."
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George Houston, defense.1931
Almonte
17
L.Julian, Mascot.1931
Almonte
18
Game two in Almonte created more havoc and even resulted in some locals in conflict with the law. Three boys were fined $7.35 each for throwing eggs at a Brockville taxi driver, and-as may be expected at a modern day hockey game; there were even a few alcohol related charges. Yet despite the chaos of the games, Almonte won the series and moved on to face the Ottawa Montcalms.This series, which was supposed to be a two-game, total point series, ended up running four games, and included a total of three overtime periods. Finishing the first game in a 1-1 tie, the second game was much anticipated, as it was believed this game would complete the series. No such luck though, as both goalies played outstanding games, and the game ended in a 0-0 draw.
At the end of regulation time in game three, the score was at a standstill, 1-1. It remained the same throughout the first overtime period, until Almonte’s Eric Smith scored in the second overtime. There was no sudden death in these games, so the game continued and was tied by a disputable goal at the end of the period. This Ottawa goal was so controversial that a reporter from the Ottawa Citizen wrote a two column editorial about it. Claims were made that the end-of-game bell sounded before the goal went in, but the referee allowed the goal and the game ended in a tie, yet again. A strike ensued by the Almonte team’s executive, and though it had no effect on the end result of game three, it ensured that the same referee would not be in game four. The team’s only loss of the season, which made a world record, was game four of the series against Ottawa. After four periods of play, the Almonte team returned home, heartbroken. Bert Horton was immediately bedridden with a sever case of pneumonia after the game, and the team’s loyal fans never failed to point to that fact as a reason for their team’s loss.
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The trophies won by the team that magical season.1931
Almonte
20
With a world record, but no Citizen Sheild, the team decided to call it a season, and turned down their opportunity to play in the Stewart Cup, the battle for Lanark County supremacy. At the end of a magical season, the team’s only prize was a set of caps donated by the local haberdasher, Jack Lach.It must have been something in the air that year, because the following year was a flop. Coach Reaume was no longer with the team, and several of the regular players left as well. By mid-February, the season was over for Almonte.
There are always stories of success in a town with a history as rich as Almonte, but none can match the awe inspiring stories of Almonte’s 1930-1931 hockey team.
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