MONTREAL -- This week marks the anniversary of the 1945-46 McGill University men's hockey team that won the Queen's Cup as champions of the Senior Intercollegiate Hockey League, which was the team's 13th and last intercollegiate hockey title for more than six decades until winning the Cup again in 2008.
Under the guidance of head coach Dave Campbell, the squad started the season with 10 consecutive victories, equaling a McGill record which still stands, and finished with a 13-2-0 record over-all, outscoring opponents 120-52 for an average score of 8-4. They also established another school record (which still stands), for most goals in a game, with a 20-4 non-conference victory over the Lachute Hockey Club.
In an era where the first-place team won the championship, McGill's only in loss the six-game regular season schedule, was to the Toronto Varsity Blues. To have a chance at the Queen's Cup, McGill needed to win their final regular season confrontation against the undefeated and division-leading Blues. A loss would have ended the season but a victory would result in both teams being tied for first with a 5-1-0 record and force a playoff.
McGill fell behind 4-1 after two periods but rallied in the final stanza to win 5-4. This miraculous victory forced a sudden-death playoff game for the Queen's Cup before a capacity crowd of 9,853 at the old Montreal Forum on March 15, 1946, which McGill won 4-1.
Three players from that team went on to future NHL careers, including Jack Gelineau (four seasons with Boston & Chicago), plus right wingers Reggie Sinclair (three seasons with NY Rangers and Detroit) and Johnny Peirson (11 seasons with Boston).
Other team members included back-up netminder Dick Currie and defencemen Bob Brodrick (captain), Doug Heron, Gordie "Goose" Gosselin, Cy Biegler, Walter Mingie and Tom Bridel. The forwards included centre Tom Hale, left wing George Hale, centre Jimmy O'Connor, left wing Dan Porteous, Jack "Pop" Millar, Ernie Spiller and Ward Pitfield. The support staff included Dave Campbell (head coach), Allan Rae (team manager), Frank Rogers (asst. manager) and Harry Grimes (trainer).
The last two surviving members of that squad are Spiller -- who turned 101 years old on Feb. 16, 2025 -- and Mingie, who turned 99 on Dec. 10, 2024. The group was inducted in the team category to the McGill Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.
POST GAME RECAP REPRINTED FROM THE MONTREAL GAZETTE
McGill defeats Varsity, wins 4-1 to cop championship
By Bruce Croll
The Gazette
Saturday, March 16, 1946
McGill... led by little Jimmy O'Connor, captured their first intercollegiate senior hockey crown since the 1938-39 season, last night by defeating the Toronto Varsity Blues, 4-1 before a capacity gathering at the Forum.
The perennial rivals battled through two scoreless periods before O'Connor's brilliant efforts in the third broke the deadlock and paved the way for victory in the sudden-death title tilt, which resulted when both teams were tied at the end of the regular schedule.
Dave Campbell's McGill outfit now wear the crown they wore from 1932-33 until 1938-29 and lost in 1939-40 to Toronto. The league was suspended during the war.
O'Connor brought the standing room-only crowd to its feet, when he trapped a loose puck at centre ice, effectively outskated the Blues rearguard on a solo rush, and shot a hard drive into the top right-hand corner of the hemp (for a shorthanded goal) at 2:55 in the third period.
Nearly two minutes later, at 4:29, on exactly the same play, the smooth centre playmaker took a long pass from his right winger, Johnny Peirson, at centre ice, evaded two bodychecks and banged in McGill's second marker, to put the (host team) two up.
Both teams had put everything they had into the first two stanzas, but Ace Bailey's tired Varsity collegians tried a desperate comeback, headed by Wally Halder and only the sensational work of Jack "Agile" Gelineau in the locals' nets staved off these attacks.
Another loose puck was golfed to the Varsity's blue-line and Dick Ball left his nets to intercept O'Connor's sally. O'Connor's shot hit the top rail of the nets and landed squarely on the red line as Ball attempted to get back into position from 15 feet out. Dan Porteous and O'Connor both had swipes at it, until Peirson put the near-hysterical crowd into a frenzy when he barely managed to poke it in at 11:10.
Gordon Ball put Varsity into the scoring bracket four minutes later in the frame when he scored a weary marker on an assist from Dave Bauer with each team short a man.
The Hale brothers-Sinclair combine finished the scoring parade when George Hale made the red light blink in the dying minutes of the game on passes from his brother Tommy and Reg Sinclair.
The first period was the dullest part of the game, with little action, as each squad manoeuvred into position and roughed each other up generally. The Blues definitely held the edge throughout the opening frame and it was Gelineau's work between the posts that carried the weight for McGill.
Varsity started to mean business in the second stanza and swarmed around Gelineau who had by far the most work to do in the entire game, At one time, he pulled off four smoking saves on hard drives by Halder.
Doug Heron and Bob Brodrick, (McGill's) bruising defence, were in top form when it came to be all-round nuisances to the opposing forwards. One of Heron's bodychecks knocked a Varsity collegian about seven feet backwards a split second after he'd been going full tilt forward.
The math developed slowly in the third until O'Connor's initial marker broke the game wide open. The last five minutes of play had the teams at each other's throats and doing everything short of committing mayhem.
McGILL-VARSITY GAME SIDELIGHTS: Following last night's Intercollegiate senior hockey title game at the Forum, hundreds of McGill students paraded east along St. Catherine Street toward University Street... Singing lustily, they marched arm-in-arm, sometimes eight abreast. East-bound street-cars were forced to stop by the throng and policemen were busily employed at Closse, Guy and Peel street intersections... It was announced over the loudspeaker system at the Forum that a dance was being held at the Sir Arthur Currie Memorial Gymnasium, following completion of the game. Six large buses were waiting outside the Forum to transport those attending the function...
The McGill University Band, under the direction of Bandmaster G. Springer, entertained the fans between periods and helped in the cheerleading. One of the musicians voiced his disapproval of a close decision by Referee Patterson by heaving a lusty note from his bass horn to the delight of his brother collegians... The bandsmen looked smart in their white uniforms, white peaked caps and red cloaks... During the closing minutes of the game, both the McGill and Varsity stickmen were so exhausted that a bodycheck was something that resembled a wrestler's grip and a waltz. College spirit was so keen on both sides that it was apparent they gave everything they had to the tussle...
McGill's three outstanding stars in the game were Jack Gelineau, Jimmy O'Connor and Doug Heron, while Wally Halder, Bill Kosick and Gord Ball played a bang-up game for the Blues. "Agile" Jack was the last to leave the ice at the end of the game and when he did, the capacity house stood as one man man and cheered him until he disappeared under the entrance to the dressing rooms... Doug Heron's bruising bodychecks were felt even by the spectators, The big fellow had a lot to do in McGill's win. His shoulder belts slowed down the Toronto forwards considerably and softened up many a would-be ambitious back-checker. His main aim last night seemed to be keeping his eye on every threatening move Halder made.
SOURCE
Earl Zukerman
Sports Information Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
CELL: 514-983-7012
E-MAIL:earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
