Portland came back with a vengeance in Game 4, winning 6-5 and staving off elimination, and in Game 5 they jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on a goal from Australian-born Tommy Dunderdale, but it would be the only goal the Rosebuds scored in the game. Police had to be called to the ice and threaten arrests unless the players abided by the referee’s penalties. Montreal came back to claim the second game in a close 2-1 win, but tensions rose in the third matchup with a line brawl erupting after Portland’s Johnson cross-checked Lalonde, who didn’t take kindly to the infraction, and the violence spread into the stands. It was assumed that they’d be ill-prepared for the first game the day after they arrived, but Portland proceeded to shut out the Canadiens in the first contest, 2-0. The Stanley Cup Final: Since the Final had been held in Vancouver the previous year, the Rosebuds were required to travel the long journey by train to Montreal. Still, their defence, led by fan-favourite Moose Johnson, two-way winger Eddie Oatman, and goalie Tom Murray, only allowed 50 goals all year, 17 fewer than second place. They didn’t have a dominating offensive style, finishing third in goals scored in the four-team league. In Portland, they found instant success, finishing second in their first season, then overtaking the powerhouse Vancouver Millionaires in 1915-16. Just one season prior, they had moved from New Westminister, British Columbia, citing low attendance during their three years there. Over in the PCHA, the Portland Rosebuds were a fairly fresh face in the league.

But when they added the tough-as-nails Howard McNamara they finally ascended to first place and got a shot to compete for the Stanley Cup. The Montreal Canadiens were a good team but had failed to find success in the NHA despite featuring Georges Vezina in goal, Jack Laviolette on defence, and Newsy Lalonde, arguably the greatest star of the early days of hockey, leading the offence. It wasn’t until the following year that fans were treated to two new faces. The 1914-15 Stanley Cup Final between the National Hockey Association (NHA) and the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) was between the Vancouver Millionaires, who had never had a chance to compete for the prize before, and the Ottawa Senators, who had claimed claimed the title seven times from 1903 to 1911.Įdouard “Newsy” Lalonde, Montreal Canadiens (THW Archives) How did they get here? One would think that the very first playoff for the Stanley Cup must have featured two teams without a title, but that’s not entirely true. In each case, the matchup transformed the fates of two franchises, for better or worse.

The Panthers and Golden Knights are just the seventh pair of teams without a title to their name to meet in the Final since the Cup became a playoff trophy instead of a Challenge Cup back in 1914-15, three years before the NHL became a league. Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers faces a shot from Nic Hague of the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

Stanley cups blackhawks