Art Ross
Encyclopedia
Arthur Howey "Art" Ross (January 13, 1886 – August 5, 1964) was a Canadian ice hockey
defenceman
and executive from 1905 until 1954. Regarded as one of the best defenders of his era by his peers, he was one of the first to skate with the puck up the ice rather than pass it to a forward. He won the Stanley Cup
twice in a playing career that lasted thirteen seasons; in January 1907 with the Kenora Thistles
and 1908 with the Montreal Wanderers
. Like other players of the time, Ross played for several different teams and leagues, and is most notable for his time with the Wanderers while they were members of the National Hockey Association
(NHA) and its successor, the National Hockey League
(NHL). In 1911 he led one of the first organized player strikes over increased pay. When the Wanderers' home arena burned down in January 1918, the team ceased operations and Ross retired as a player.
After several years as an on-ice official
, he was named head coach of the Hamilton Tigers for one season. When the Boston Bruins
were formed in 1924, Ross was hired as the first coach and general manager of the team. He would go on to coach the team on four separate occasions until 1945 and stayed as general manager until his retirement in 1954. Ross helped the Bruins finish first place in the league ten times and to win the Stanley Cup three times; Ross personally coached the team to one of those victories. After being hired by the Bruins, Ross, along with his wife and two sons, moved to a suburb of Boston, and became an American citizen in 1938. He died near Boston in 1964.
Outside of his association with the Bruins, Ross also helped to improve the game. He created a style of hockey puck
still used today, and advocated an improved style of goal nets, a change that lasted forty years. In 1947 Ross donated the Art Ross Trophy
, awarded to the leading scorer of the NHL regular season. When the Hockey Hall of Fame
was founded in 1945, Ross was one of the original twelve inductees.
trading post in the area. The twelfth of thirteen children, Ross grew up speaking both English and Ojibwe
, a native Canadian
language. He first learned to skate as a child on Whitefish Bay
, part of Lake Superior
, using blades clamped onto his shoes. Ross moved to Montreal
in 1902 to play in organized hockey leagues, living in the affluent Westmount district. He played high school and junior hockey with Lester
and Frank Patrick, both of whom were later inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
. Ross and Lester had a financially successful ticket resale
business at the Montreal Arena
, buying tickets for thirty-five cents and selling them for up to a dollar.
(CAHL), the top amateur league in Canada. He scored ten goals in eight games during the season
. His opponents regarded him as one of the best rushing defencemen. Most defenders at the time either shot the puck down the ice or passed to a forward; in contrast, Ross skated up the ice, taking the puck into the offensive zone. Later that year, wishing to pursue a career in banking, he moved to Brandon, Manitoba
where he joined the Brandon Elks of the Manitoba Hockey League
, the senior league in the province. In 1906, his first season, he scored six goals in seven games while he recorded six goals in ten games in 1906. Around this time, the Kenora Thistles
, the Manitoba League champions, wanted to strengthen their team for the Stanley Cup
challenge against the Montreal Wanderers
in Montreal during January 1907. They paid Ross $
1,000 to play both matches, a common practice at the time, and the Thistles won the Cup. While failing to score, Ross started many plays and proved an important part of the team. Although he played for the opposing team, he received a good reception from the Montreal crowd. The two teams played for the Cup again in March, and without Ross and other temporary players, the Thistles lost.
The following year Ross moved back to Montreal. He joined the Wanderers, the team he had helped to defeat, who played in the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association
(ECAHA), the successor league to the CAHL as the premier league in the country. He scored eight goals in ten games over the two month season that lasted from January to March. He helped the team to finish first in the ECAHA and retain the Cup in 1908 with challenges from Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Toronto. The Wanderers were Cup champions throughout these challenges, so Ross became the second player to win the Cup with different teams in consecutive years, after Jack Marshall in 1901 and 1902. In January 1908, he participated in the first all-star game
in sports history, a benefit for the family of former Wanderer defender Hod Stuart
, who died the previous summer. Aside from his time with the Wanderers, Ross repeated his practice of playing for other teams who paid for his services in important matches. For the 1909 season
Ross demanded a salary of $1,600. Although he settled for $1,200, the average salary of hockey players at the time was $600. Ross received a cash bonus of $400 to play in a Stanley Cup challenge against a team from Edmonton in December 1908, in which the Wanderers won the two-game, total-goal series 13–10. He finished the season with two goals in nine games.
(NHA), another newly formed league and the successor to the ECAHA as highest level in Canada. He received $2,700 to play in the 1910 season
, which lasted from January to March, playing twelve games for the team and finishing with six goals. Before the following season, the NHA imposed a salary cap
of $5,000 per team. The players, including Ross, were unhappy as this would result in a pay decrease, and began looking to form their own league without a cap. Ross wrote to the Montreal Herald, stating "all the players want is a fair deal ... The players are not trying to bulldoze the NHA, but we want to know where we get off at." The plans were abandoned when they realized all the suitable arenas would be unavailable as they were owned or leased by the NHA. Ross scored four goals in eleven games with the Wanderers, who finished fourth in the five team league. During a match against the Quebec Bulldogs
on February 25, 1911, Ross knocked out Eddie Oatman
in a fight, provoking a massive brawl between the two teams which the police had to break up. The fight helped to increase the reputation Ross had as a tough player unwilling to back down from any opponent. The following season Ross had eleven goals in nineteen games as the Wanderers improved to second in the league.
Prior to the 1913–14 NHA season
, Ross refused to sign a contract for the Wanderers, requesting a salary increase. As one of the top players on the team, the Wanderers agreed to his demands of $1,500 for the forthcoming season, in which he finished with four goals and nine points in eighteen games. The next season
Ross, again concerned with his salary, began negotiating with other players in the NHA to leave their teams and form a new league which would offer higher wages. These actions caused his suspension in November 1914 by Emmett Quinn
, president of the NHA. Ross responded by declaring himself a free agent and claiming his contract with the Wanderers was no longer valid. Consequently, although having no technical power to do so, Quinn suspended Ross from all organized hockey. The proposed new league failed to materialize and Ross applied for reinstatement to the NHA which was granted at a meeting of the team owners on December 18, 1914. The owners realized if they suspended Ross, they would also have to suspend all those he signed, hurting the league. However, Ross's actions led to his release by the Wanderers. At first he trained with the Montreal Canadiens
, then joined the Ottawa Senators
.
At the conclusion of the 1914–15 season, the Senators and Wanderers finished with identical records of fourteen wins and six losses. A two game, total goal series was played to determine the NHA league champion who would contest the Stanley Cup with the Pacific Coast Hockey Association
winner, the Vancouver Millionaires
. Ross, who finished with three goals in sixteen games in the season, scored one goal in the first match against the Wanderers, a Senators 4–0 victory, and though Ottawa lost the second game 1–0, they won the series, 4–1. To help the Senators stop the Wanderers, who were known for their speed, Ross created a new system of defence. Termed "kitty bar the door", it required three defenders to align themselves across the ice 30 feet in front of the goaltender to stop offensive rushes. This style of defence would later be used in a modified version known as the neutral zone trap
, later used widely to stop opposition offensive chances.
The following year Ross, who had eight goals and eight assists in twenty-one games, was the second highest paid player on the team; his salary of $1,400 was $100 less than Frank Nighbor
made. Even so, Ross left the team in 1916, returning to Montreal in order to look after his sporting-goods store, and rejoining the Wanderers. He scored six goals and had two assists in sixteen games for the team. The Wanderers, along with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Arenas
, Quebec Bulldogs and Ottawa Senators dissolved the NHA and founded the National Hockey League
(NHL) in November 1917. Ross became coach of the Wanderers, but a fire on January 2, 1918 destroyed their home, the Montreal Arena, and forced them to fold after four games. However, the NHL insisted the team continue to play, and recorded two additional scheduled matches as defaulted losses for the Wanderers, even though the matches were not played. With the Wanderers disbanded, Ross retired as a player. His NHL career yielded one goal in three games played.
, which he named the Boston Bruins
. He hired Ross as general manager, coach and scout. Ross utilized his many hockey connections throughout Canada and the United States to sign players. Even so, the team started poorly. Early in the first season the University of Toronto hockey team
was in Boston for matches against local universities. The team's manager, Conn Smythe
, who later owned and managed the Toronto Maple Leafs
, said that his team could easily defeat the Bruins—Ross's team had won only two of their first fifteen NHL games. This began a feud between Smythe and Ross which lasted until Ross's death; while mostly confined to newspaper reports, they refused to speak to each other at NHL Board of Governor meetings. The Bruins finished their first season with six wins in thirty games, one of the worst records in the history of the league. Several records were set over the course of the season; the three home wins are tied for the second fewest ever, and an eleven game losing streak from December 8, 1924 until February 17, 1925 set a record for longest losing streak, surpassed in 2004 and now second longest in history. With 17 wins in 36 games the following season, the team greatly improved, and finished one point out of a playoff spot.
In 1926 the Western Hockey League
, the other top professional hockey league, was in decline. The Patrick brothers, who controlled the league, offered to sell the remaining five teams for $300,000. Ross realized the potential talent available and convinced Adams to pay the money. As a result, the Bruins acquired the rights to several future Hall of Fame
players, the most notable being defender Eddie Shore
. Ross signed goaltender Cecil "Tiny" Thompson in 1928, who was with a team in Minnesota
, despite never watching him play; Ralph "Cooney" Weiland was also brought over from Minnesota. Ross acquired Cy Denneny
from Ottawa and made him a player-coach while he assumed the role of team manager. On November 20, 1928, the Bruins moved to a new arena when the Boston Garden
opened. The team played the Canadiens who won the match 1–0 in front of 16,000 fans. The players signed by Ross helped the Bruins to improve quickly, and they won the Stanley Cup in 1929
. Denneny retired after the Cup win and Ross resumed his role as coach, guiding the team to several league records in the 1929–30 season. The team won 38 of 44 games for an .875 winning percentage, the highest in league history; the five losses tied a record for fewest ever, and the four road losses tied a record for second fewest. The Bruins also only finished one game in a tie, a record for fewest ties in a season since the NHL began recording the record in 1926. One of the longest winning streaks was also set during the season. From December 3, 1929 until January 9, 1930 the team won fourteen games in a row, a record that lasted until 1982 and now tied for third longest, as of October 2010. A home winning streak began the same day and lasted for twenty games, until March 18, 1930, which was tied for the longest of its kind in 1976. In 1930–31, the Bruins again lost only one home game, which equalled their previous record.
In a playoff game against the Montreal Canadiens on March 26, 1931, Ross substituted goaltender Tiny Thompson
for a sixth skater in the final minute of play. Although the Bruins lost the game 1–0, Ross became the first coach to replace his goaltender with an extra attacker
, a tactic which became widespread practice in hockey. Stepping aside as coach in 1934 to focus on managing the team, Ross hired Frank Patrick as coach with a salary of $10,500, which was high for such a role. However rumours spread during the season that Patrick, a Methodist, was drinking heavily and not being as strict with the players as Ross wanted. After the Bruins lost their playoff series with the Toronto Maple Leafs
in the 1936 playoffs, the result of a 8–1 score in the second game, a newspaper claimed that Patrick had been drinking the day of the game and had trouble controlling the team. Several days later, Ross relieved Patrick of his duties and once again assumed the role of coach.
Ross took over an improved team. He had recently signed three players, Milt Schmidt
, Bobby Bauer
and Woody Dumart
, who all grew up together in Kitchener, Ontario
and had them play on the same line, soon nicknamed the Kraut Line
in reference to the German heritage of all three. Along with them, Ross had acquired a new goaltender in 1938, Frank Brimsek
; after Brimsek earned six shutouts in his first eight games, the Bruins traded away Tiny Thompson to allow Brimsek to play. With these players the Bruins finished first in the league in 1937–38
; Ross was named as the second best coach in the league, selected for the end of season All-Star Second Team
. The next season the Bruins won 36 of 48 games, and won the Stanley Cup in the playoffs
; Ross was named to the First All-Star Team as the best coach in the league for the season and the team only tied two games, which is tied for the second fewest in a season. He hired the recently retired Cooney Weiland to coach the Bruins for the 1939–40 NHL season. The Bruins would win the Cup again in 1941
, and tied their record of only four away losses all season. Ross once again took over as coach of the team before the 1941–42 season began, as Weiland became coach of the Hershey Bears
of the American Hockey League
, and led the team to 25 wins in 48 games, which was enough to earn third place in the league. By this time the Second World War had caused several Bruins players, including the entire Kraut Line and goaltender Brimsek, to enlist in their respective armed forces. The Bruins finished second in the NHL during the 1942–43 season
with 24 wins in 50 games and Ross was again named in the Second NHL All-Star Team as second best coach in the league. The Bruins missed the playoffs in 1943–44, the first time in ten years they failed to qualify, but returned to the playoffs the next season, something they did for five straight years.
In 1949, Ross had signed Georges Boucher as coach, but Boucher did not work well with Ross and team president Weston Adams
. Looking to hire a new coach in the summer of 1950, Ross phoned Lynn Patrick
, the son of Lester, who had just resigned from the New York Rangers after coaching the team to the Stanley Cup Final. Lynn had moved his family back to Victoria, British Columbia
, where he grew up as a child, with the intention of coaching the Victoria Cougars, a team in the minor professional Pacific Coast Hockey League
. Though reluctant to move back to the eastern United States, Lynn was hired by Ross after he was offered a salary of $12,000. He would coach the team for the next four seasons and become the second general manager of the Bruins when Ross retired at the end of October 1954.
edges, which prevented it bouncing too much. Along with New York Rangers
coach Frank Boucher
, Ross helped to create the red line, which was introduced to help speed up the game by removing the ability for defenders to pass the puck from the defensive to offensive zone; until 2006 it was against the rules of hockey to make a two line pass
. More scoring chances resulted as teams could not simply send the puck down the ice. In order to help tell the red line and blue lines apart on television, Ross suggested that the red line be striped.
Regarded throughout his playing career as one of the best defenders in hockey, Ross was named one of the first twelve inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame
in 1945, selected for his playing career rather than his work as an executive. A ceremony for his induction was held prior to a Bruins game on December 2, 1949, where he was given his Hall of Fame scroll and a silver tray with the emblems of the six NHL teams on it. In 1975 he was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. Along with his two sons he donated the Art Ross Trophy to the NHL in 1947, to be awarded to the leading scorer in the league's regular season. In 1984 he was posthumously awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy
for service to hockey in the United States.
, football
, lacrosse
, and motorcycle racing
. Before he became a hockey executive, he had a career as a bank clerk and ran a sporting-goods store in Montreal. Ross had moved to Brandon, Manitoba
in 1905 at the advice of his parents so he could get a job with a bank, with a salary of $600 per year. He gave that career up when he began playing hockey professionally. He was married to Muriel, a native of Montreal, and had two sons, Art and John. During the Second World War, both sons served in the Royal Canadian Air Force
. After the war Ross made his son Art the business manager for the Bruins. Ross was named coach and manager of the Boston Bruins
in 1924 and moved his family to Brookline, Massachusetts
, a suburb of Boston, after being hired. He became a naturalized American citizen
on April 22, 1938. On August 5, 1964 Ross died at a nursing home in Medford, Massachusetts
, a suburb of Boston, at the age of 78. A sister, both his sons, and three grandchildren survived him.
*Playing stats from Total Hockey
*Coaching stats from Total Hockey
*Awards from Legends of Hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
defenceman
Defenceman (ice hockey)
Defence in ice hockey is a player position whose primary responsibility is to prevent the opposing team from scoring...
and executive from 1905 until 1954. Regarded as one of the best defenders of his era by his peers, he was one of the first to skate with the puck up the ice rather than pass it to a forward. He won the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
twice in a playing career that lasted thirteen seasons; in January 1907 with the Kenora Thistles
Kenora Thistles
The Kenora Thistles were an early amateur men's ice hockey team based in Kenora, Ontario, Canada, formed in 1885 as a senior team by a group of Lake of the Woods lumbermen. The club is notable for winning the Stanley Cup as an amateur team in 1907. The town is the smallest in population to have...
and 1908 with the Montreal Wanderers
Montreal Wanderers
The Montreal Wanderers were a Canadian amateur, and later becoming a professional men's ice hockey team. The team played in the Federal Amateur Hockey League , the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association , the National Hockey Association and briefly the National Hockey League . The Wanderers are...
. Like other players of the time, Ross played for several different teams and leagues, and is most notable for his time with the Wanderers while they were members of the National Hockey Association
National Hockey Association
The National Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor organization to today's National Hockey League...
(NHA) and its successor, the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL). In 1911 he led one of the first organized player strikes over increased pay. When the Wanderers' home arena burned down in January 1918, the team ceased operations and Ross retired as a player.
After several years as an on-ice official
Official (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, an official is a person who has some responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game. There are two categories of officials, on-ice officials, who are the referees and linesmen that enforce the rules during game play, and off-ice officials, who have an...
, he was named head coach of the Hamilton Tigers for one season. When the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
were formed in 1924, Ross was hired as the first coach and general manager of the team. He would go on to coach the team on four separate occasions until 1945 and stayed as general manager until his retirement in 1954. Ross helped the Bruins finish first place in the league ten times and to win the Stanley Cup three times; Ross personally coached the team to one of those victories. After being hired by the Bruins, Ross, along with his wife and two sons, moved to a suburb of Boston, and became an American citizen in 1938. He died near Boston in 1964.
Outside of his association with the Bruins, Ross also helped to improve the game. He created a style of hockey puck
Puck (sports)
A puck is a disk used in various games serving the same functions as a ball does in ball games. The best-known use of pucks is in ice hockey, a major international sport.- Etymology :The origin of the word "puck" is obscure...
still used today, and advocated an improved style of goal nets, a change that lasted forty years. In 1947 Ross donated the Art Ross Trophy
Art Ross Trophy
The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League player who leads the league in scoring points at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the NHL by former player, general manager, and head coach Art Ross. The trophy has been awarded 61 times to 25 players since its inception...
, awarded to the leading scorer of the NHL regular season. When the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
was founded in 1945, Ross was one of the original twelve inductees.
Early life
Ross was born January 13, 1886 in Naughton, Ontario. His father, Thomas B. Ross, was the head of a Hudson's Bay CompanyHudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
trading post in the area. The twelfth of thirteen children, Ross grew up speaking both English and Ojibwe
Ojibwe language
Ojibwe , also called Anishinaabemowin, is an indigenous language of the Algonquian language family. Ojibwe is characterized by a series of dialects that have local names and frequently local writing systems...
, a native Canadian
Aboriginal peoples in Canada
Aboriginal peoples in Canada comprise the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. The descriptors "Indian" and "Eskimo" have fallen into disuse in Canada and are commonly considered pejorative....
language. He first learned to skate as a child on Whitefish Bay
Whitefish Bay
Whitefish Bay is a large bay on the eastern end of the southern shore of Lake Superior between Michigan and Ontario. It begins in the north and west at Whitefish Point in Michigan, about 10 miles north of Paradise, Michigan and ends at the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie on the southeast...
, part of Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
, using blades clamped onto his shoes. Ross moved to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in 1902 to play in organized hockey leagues, living in the affluent Westmount district. He played high school and junior hockey with Lester
Lester Patrick
Curtis Lester "The Silver Fox" Patrick born in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada, was a professional ice hockey player and coach associated with the Victoria Aristocrats/Cougars of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association , and the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League...
and Frank Patrick, both of whom were later inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
. Ross and Lester had a financially successful ticket resale
Ticket resale
Ticket resale is the act of reselling tickets for admission to events. Tickets are bought from licensed sellers and are then sold for a price determined by the individual or company in possession of the tickets. Tickets sold through secondary sources may be sold for less or more than their face...
business at the Montreal Arena
Montreal Arena
The Montreal Arena, also known as Westmount Arena, was an indoor arena located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on the corner of St. Catherine Street and Wood Avenue. It was likely one of the first arenas designed expressly for hockey, opening in 1898...
, buying tickets for thirty-five cents and selling them for up to a dollar.
1905–09
The best hockey players on their high school team, Ross and the Patrick brothers were invited to play occasional games for local league teams in Montreal. Ross first played in an organized league in 1905, joining Montreal Westmount of the Canadian Amateur Hockey LeagueCanadian Amateur Hockey League
The Canadian Amateur Hockey League was an early men's amateur hockey league founded in 1898, replacing the organization that was formerly the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada before the 1898–99 season. The league existed for seven seasons, folding in 1905 and was itself replaced by the Eastern...
(CAHL), the top amateur league in Canada. He scored ten goals in eight games during the season
1905 CAHL season
The 1905 Canadian Amateur Hockey League season lasted from January 2 until March 11. Teams played a ten game schedule. This year saw the addition of two teams, Montreal Westmount and Montreal Nationals. Montreal Nationals had previously been in the FAHL. Montreal Victorias won the league...
. His opponents regarded him as one of the best rushing defencemen. Most defenders at the time either shot the puck down the ice or passed to a forward; in contrast, Ross skated up the ice, taking the puck into the offensive zone. Later that year, wishing to pursue a career in banking, he moved to Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...
where he joined the Brandon Elks of the Manitoba Hockey League
Manitoba Hockey Association
The Manitoba Hockey Association was an early men's senior ice hockey league playing around 1900 in Manitoba, Canada. The league started as an elite amateur league in 1892, became professional in 1905, had a professional and an amateur league in 1908–09 and only an amateur league from 1909 until...
, the senior league in the province. In 1906, his first season, he scored six goals in seven games while he recorded six goals in ten games in 1906. Around this time, the Kenora Thistles
Kenora Thistles
The Kenora Thistles were an early amateur men's ice hockey team based in Kenora, Ontario, Canada, formed in 1885 as a senior team by a group of Lake of the Woods lumbermen. The club is notable for winning the Stanley Cup as an amateur team in 1907. The town is the smallest in population to have...
, the Manitoba League champions, wanted to strengthen their team for the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
challenge against the Montreal Wanderers
Montreal Wanderers
The Montreal Wanderers were a Canadian amateur, and later becoming a professional men's ice hockey team. The team played in the Federal Amateur Hockey League , the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association , the National Hockey Association and briefly the National Hockey League . The Wanderers are...
in Montreal during January 1907. They paid Ross $
Canadian dollar
The Canadian dollar is the currency of Canada. As of 2007, the Canadian dollar is the 7th most traded currency in the world. It is abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or C$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
1,000 to play both matches, a common practice at the time, and the Thistles won the Cup. While failing to score, Ross started many plays and proved an important part of the team. Although he played for the opposing team, he received a good reception from the Montreal crowd. The two teams played for the Cup again in March, and without Ross and other temporary players, the Thistles lost.
The following year Ross moved back to Montreal. He joined the Wanderers, the team he had helped to defeat, who played in the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association
Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association
The Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association was a men's amateur, later professional ice hockey league in Canada that played four seasons. It was founded on December 11, 1905 with six clubs: four from the Canadian Amateur Hockey League and two from the Federal Amateur Hockey League, to bring...
(ECAHA), the successor league to the CAHL as the premier league in the country. He scored eight goals in ten games over the two month season that lasted from January to March. He helped the team to finish first in the ECAHA and retain the Cup in 1908 with challenges from Ottawa, Winnipeg, and Toronto. The Wanderers were Cup champions throughout these challenges, so Ross became the second player to win the Cup with different teams in consecutive years, after Jack Marshall in 1901 and 1902. In January 1908, he participated in the first all-star game
All-star game
An all-star game is an exhibition game played by the best players in their sports league, except in the circumstances of professional sports systems in which a democratic voting system is used...
in sports history, a benefit for the family of former Wanderer defender Hod Stuart
Hod Stuart
William Hodgson "Hod" Stuart was a Canadian professional ice hockey cover-point who played nine seasons for several teams in different leagues. He also played briefly for the Ottawa Rough Riders football team...
, who died the previous summer. Aside from his time with the Wanderers, Ross repeated his practice of playing for other teams who paid for his services in important matches. For the 1909 season
1909 ECAHA season
The 1909 Eastern Canadian Hockey Association season lasted from January 2 until March 6. Teams played a twelve game schedule. The Ottawa Senators would win the league championship with a record of ten wins, two losses and take over the Stanley Cup....
Ross demanded a salary of $1,600. Although he settled for $1,200, the average salary of hockey players at the time was $600. Ross received a cash bonus of $400 to play in a Stanley Cup challenge against a team from Edmonton in December 1908, in which the Wanderers won the two-game, total-goal series 13–10. He finished the season with two goals in nine games.
1909–18
A new league, the Canadian Hockey Association, was formed late in 1909. One of the teams, the All-Montreal Hockey Club, hired Ross as a playing-manager, but the league lasted just a few weeks in 1910 before disbanding. Ross, who scored four goals in four games in the CHA, then signed with the Haileybury Comets of the National Hockey AssociationNational Hockey Association
The National Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor organization to today's National Hockey League...
(NHA), another newly formed league and the successor to the ECAHA as highest level in Canada. He received $2,700 to play in the 1910 season
1910 NHA season
The 1910 NHA season was the first season of the National Hockey Association men's ice hockey league. The season started on January 5, but was suspended immediately and the league then absorbed the Ottawa and Shamrocks teams of the Canadian Hockey Association and the season continued from January 15...
, which lasted from January to March, playing twelve games for the team and finishing with six goals. Before the following season, the NHA imposed a salary cap
Salary cap
In professional sports, a salary cap is a cartel agreement between teams that places a limit on the amount of money that can be spent on player salaries. The limit exists as a per-player limit or a total limit for the team's roster, or both...
of $5,000 per team. The players, including Ross, were unhappy as this would result in a pay decrease, and began looking to form their own league without a cap. Ross wrote to the Montreal Herald, stating "all the players want is a fair deal ... The players are not trying to bulldoze the NHA, but we want to know where we get off at." The plans were abandoned when they realized all the suitable arenas would be unavailable as they were owned or leased by the NHA. Ross scored four goals in eleven games with the Wanderers, who finished fourth in the five team league. During a match against the Quebec Bulldogs
Quebec Bulldogs
The Quebec Bulldogs were a men's senior-level ice hockey team officially known as the Quebec Hockey Club, later as the Quebec Athletic Club. Their recorded play goes back as far as the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada in 1889, although the Quebec Hockey Club is known to have played since 1880...
on February 25, 1911, Ross knocked out Eddie Oatman
Eddie Oatman
Edward Cole "Eddie" Oatman was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was among the elite goal scorers of his era. Among his 32 years playing professional ice hockey, Eddie was named an all-star for ten consecutive seasons by the Pacific Coast Hockey Association...
in a fight, provoking a massive brawl between the two teams which the police had to break up. The fight helped to increase the reputation Ross had as a tough player unwilling to back down from any opponent. The following season Ross had eleven goals in nineteen games as the Wanderers improved to second in the league.
Prior to the 1913–14 NHA season
1913–14 NHA season
The 1913–14 NHA season was the fifth season of the National Hockey Association . At the end of the regular season, a tie for first place necessitated a playoff to determine the championship. The Toronto Hockey Club defeated the Montreal Canadiens 6–2 in a two-game, total-goals playoff...
, Ross refused to sign a contract for the Wanderers, requesting a salary increase. As one of the top players on the team, the Wanderers agreed to his demands of $1,500 for the forthcoming season, in which he finished with four goals and nine points in eighteen games. The next season
1914–15 NHA season
The 1914–15 NHA season was the sixth season of the National Hockey Association and played from December 26, 1914 until March 3, 1915. Each team played 20 games. The Ottawa Senators won the NHA championship in a two game, total goal playoff against the Montreal Wanderers...
Ross, again concerned with his salary, began negotiating with other players in the NHA to leave their teams and form a new league which would offer higher wages. These actions caused his suspension in November 1914 by Emmett Quinn
Emmett Quinn
Thomas Emmett Quinn ) was a Canadian ice hockey executive, coach and referee. Quinn served as president of the National Hockey Association , the predecessor of today's National Hockey League . His brother Percy Quinn was also an ice hockey executive...
, president of the NHA. Ross responded by declaring himself a free agent and claiming his contract with the Wanderers was no longer valid. Consequently, although having no technical power to do so, Quinn suspended Ross from all organized hockey. The proposed new league failed to materialize and Ross applied for reinstatement to the NHA which was granted at a meeting of the team owners on December 18, 1914. The owners realized if they suspended Ross, they would also have to suspend all those he signed, hurting the league. However, Ross's actions led to his release by the Wanderers. At first he trained with the Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
, then joined the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators (original)
The Ottawa Senators were an amateur, and later, professional, ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934...
.
At the conclusion of the 1914–15 season, the Senators and Wanderers finished with identical records of fourteen wins and six losses. A two game, total goal series was played to determine the NHA league champion who would contest the Stanley Cup with the Pacific Coast Hockey Association
Pacific Coast Hockey Association
The Pacific Coast Hockey Association was a professional men's ice hockey league in western Canada and the western United States, which operated from 1911 to 1924 when it then merged with the Western Canada Hockey League...
winner, the Vancouver Millionaires
Vancouver Millionaires
The Vancouver Millionaires were a professional ice hockey team that competed in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and the Western Canada Hockey League between 1911 and 1926...
. Ross, who finished with three goals in sixteen games in the season, scored one goal in the first match against the Wanderers, a Senators 4–0 victory, and though Ottawa lost the second game 1–0, they won the series, 4–1. To help the Senators stop the Wanderers, who were known for their speed, Ross created a new system of defence. Termed "kitty bar the door", it required three defenders to align themselves across the ice 30 feet in front of the goaltender to stop offensive rushes. This style of defence would later be used in a modified version known as the neutral zone trap
Neutral zone trap
The neutral zone trap is a defensive strategy used in ice hockey to prevent an opposing team from proceeding through the neutral zone to force turnovers...
, later used widely to stop opposition offensive chances.
The following year Ross, who had eight goals and eight assists in twenty-one games, was the second highest paid player on the team; his salary of $1,400 was $100 less than Frank Nighbor
Frank Nighbor
Julius Francis "Pembroke Peach" Nighbor was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League and National Hockey Association and Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL, Toronto Blueshirts of the NHA and Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific...
made. Even so, Ross left the team in 1916, returning to Montreal in order to look after his sporting-goods store, and rejoining the Wanderers. He scored six goals and had two assists in sixteen games for the team. The Wanderers, along with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Arenas
Toronto Arenas
The Toronto Arenas, Toronto Blueshirts or Torontos was a professional men's ice hockey team that played in the first two seasons of the National Hockey League . It was operated by the owner of the Arena Gardens, the Toronto Arena Company...
, Quebec Bulldogs and Ottawa Senators dissolved the NHA and founded the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL) in November 1917. Ross became coach of the Wanderers, but a fire on January 2, 1918 destroyed their home, the Montreal Arena, and forced them to fold after four games. However, the NHL insisted the team continue to play, and recorded two additional scheduled matches as defaulted losses for the Wanderers, even though the matches were not played. With the Wanderers disbanded, Ross retired as a player. His NHL career yielded one goal in three games played.
1918–36
Following his playing career, Ross became a NHL referee. He was hired to coach the Hamilton Tigers for the 1922–23 season, and adopted new methods in training camp that emphasized physical fitness, including work off the ice. However, the Tigers finished with a record of six wins and eighteen losses, last in the NHL for the third successive year, and Ross did not return the next season. His next coaching appointment arose from meeting Boston grocery store magnate Charles Adams during the 1924 Stanley Cup Finals. Before the 1924 season, the NHL awarded Adams an expansion teamExpansion team
An expansion team is a brand new team in a sports league. The term is most commonly used in reference to the North American major professional sports leagues, but is applied to sports leagues worldwide that use a closed franchise system of league membership. The term comes from the expansion of the...
, which he named the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
. He hired Ross as general manager, coach and scout. Ross utilized his many hockey connections throughout Canada and the United States to sign players. Even so, the team started poorly. Early in the first season the University of Toronto hockey team
Varsity Blues men's ice hockey team
The Varsity Blues men's ice hockey team is an ice hockey team operated by the Varsity Blues athletics program of the University of Toronto. The Varsity Blues senior team won the Allan Cup in 1921 and 1927, and won the gold medal for Canada at the 1928 Winter Olympics.The Blues play in the Ontario...
was in Boston for matches against local universities. The team's manager, Conn Smythe
Conn Smythe
Constantine Falkland Cary Smythe MC was a Canadian businessman, soldier and sportsman in ice hockey and horse racing. He is best known as the principal owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League from 1927 to 1961 and as the builder of Maple Leaf Gardens...
, who later owned and managed the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, said that his team could easily defeat the Bruins—Ross's team had won only two of their first fifteen NHL games. This began a feud between Smythe and Ross which lasted until Ross's death; while mostly confined to newspaper reports, they refused to speak to each other at NHL Board of Governor meetings. The Bruins finished their first season with six wins in thirty games, one of the worst records in the history of the league. Several records were set over the course of the season; the three home wins are tied for the second fewest ever, and an eleven game losing streak from December 8, 1924 until February 17, 1925 set a record for longest losing streak, surpassed in 2004 and now second longest in history. With 17 wins in 36 games the following season, the team greatly improved, and finished one point out of a playoff spot.
In 1926 the Western Hockey League
Western Canada Hockey League
The Western Canada Hockey League , founded in 1921, was a major professional ice hockey league originally based in the prairies of Canada. It was renamed the Western Hockey League in 1925 and disbanded in 1926.-History:...
, the other top professional hockey league, was in decline. The Patrick brothers, who controlled the league, offered to sell the remaining five teams for $300,000. Ross realized the potential talent available and convinced Adams to pay the money. As a result, the Bruins acquired the rights to several future Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
players, the most notable being defender Eddie Shore
Eddie Shore
Edward William Shore was a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman, principally for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League, and the longtime owner of the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League, iconic for his toughness and defensive skill.Shore won the Hart Trophy as the...
. Ross signed goaltender Cecil "Tiny" Thompson in 1928, who was with a team in Minnesota
Minneapolis Millers (AHA)
The Minneapolis Millers were a minor league professional ice hockey team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the Minneapolis Arena. The Millers originated in the Central Hockey League as a semi-professional team from the 1925-26 season. The team moved to the American Hockey Association along with...
, despite never watching him play; Ralph "Cooney" Weiland was also brought over from Minnesota. Ross acquired Cy Denneny
Cy Denneny
Cyril Joseph Denneny was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League and the Toronto Blueshirts of the National Hockey Association. His brother Corbett Denneny also played in the NHL.-Early life:Cy Denneny was born...
from Ottawa and made him a player-coach while he assumed the role of team manager. On November 20, 1928, the Bruins moved to a new arena when the Boston Garden
Boston Garden
The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928 as "Boston Madison Square Garden" and outlived its original namesake by some 30 years...
opened. The team played the Canadiens who won the match 1–0 in front of 16,000 fans. The players signed by Ross helped the Bruins to improve quickly, and they won the Stanley Cup in 1929
1929 Stanley Cup Finals
-Boston Bruins 1929 Stanley Cup champions:-See also:*1928–29 NHL season...
. Denneny retired after the Cup win and Ross resumed his role as coach, guiding the team to several league records in the 1929–30 season. The team won 38 of 44 games for an .875 winning percentage, the highest in league history; the five losses tied a record for fewest ever, and the four road losses tied a record for second fewest. The Bruins also only finished one game in a tie, a record for fewest ties in a season since the NHL began recording the record in 1926. One of the longest winning streaks was also set during the season. From December 3, 1929 until January 9, 1930 the team won fourteen games in a row, a record that lasted until 1982 and now tied for third longest, as of October 2010. A home winning streak began the same day and lasted for twenty games, until March 18, 1930, which was tied for the longest of its kind in 1976. In 1930–31, the Bruins again lost only one home game, which equalled their previous record.
In a playoff game against the Montreal Canadiens on March 26, 1931, Ross substituted goaltender Tiny Thompson
Tiny Thompson
Cecil Ralph "Tiny" Thompson was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League , first for the Boston Bruins, and later for the Detroit Red Wings. A four-time Vezina Trophy winner, Thompson was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1959...
for a sixth skater in the final minute of play. Although the Bruins lost the game 1–0, Ross became the first coach to replace his goaltender with an extra attacker
Extra attacker
An extra attacker in ice hockey is a forward or, less commonly, a defenceman who has been substituted in place of the goaltender. The purpose of this substitution is to gain an offensive advantage to score a goal...
, a tactic which became widespread practice in hockey. Stepping aside as coach in 1934 to focus on managing the team, Ross hired Frank Patrick as coach with a salary of $10,500, which was high for such a role. However rumours spread during the season that Patrick, a Methodist, was drinking heavily and not being as strict with the players as Ross wanted. After the Bruins lost their playoff series with the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in the 1936 playoffs, the result of a 8–1 score in the second game, a newspaper claimed that Patrick had been drinking the day of the game and had trouble controlling the team. Several days later, Ross relieved Patrick of his duties and once again assumed the role of coach.
1936–54
Milt Schmidt
Milton Conrad Schmidt is a former Canadian professional ice hockey centre, coach and general manager, mostly for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame.-Early years:...
, Bobby Bauer
Bobby Bauer
Robert Theodore Bauer was a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger who played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Boston Bruins.-Playing career:...
and Woody Dumart
Woody Dumart
Woodrow Wilson Clarence "Porky" Dumart was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League. He is an Honoured Member of the Hockey Hall of Fame...
, who all grew up together in Kitchener, Ontario
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
and had them play on the same line, soon nicknamed the Kraut Line
Kraut line
The Kraut Line was the term used to describe a trio of hockey players who played on the same NHL forward line who were members of the Boston Bruins hockey team: center Milt Schmidt, left wing Woody Dumart, and right winger Bobby Bauer....
in reference to the German heritage of all three. Along with them, Ross had acquired a new goaltender in 1938, Frank Brimsek
Frank Brimsek
Francis Charles "Mister Zero" Brimsek was an American professional ice hockey goaltender who played for the Boston Bruins and Chicago Black Hawks in the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...
; after Brimsek earned six shutouts in his first eight games, the Bruins traded away Tiny Thompson to allow Brimsek to play. With these players the Bruins finished first in the league in 1937–38
1937–38 NHL season
-European tour:After the Stanley Cup final finished, the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Canadiens played a nine-game exhibition series in Europe, becoming the first NHL teams to play outside North America. Six games were played in England, three in France...
; Ross was named as the second best coach in the league, selected for the end of season All-Star Second Team
NHL All-Star Team
The NHL All-Star Teams were first named at the end of the 1930–31 NHL season, to honor the best performers over the season at each position.Representatives of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association vote for the All-Star Team at the end of the regular season.The career leaders in citations are...
. The next season the Bruins won 36 of 48 games, and won the Stanley Cup in the playoffs
1939 Stanley Cup Finals
-Boston Bruins 1939 Stanley Cup champions:-References & notes:* Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame . Lord Stanley's Cup. Bolton, Ont.: Fenn Pub. pp 12, 50. ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7...
; Ross was named to the First All-Star Team as the best coach in the league for the season and the team only tied two games, which is tied for the second fewest in a season. He hired the recently retired Cooney Weiland to coach the Bruins for the 1939–40 NHL season. The Bruins would win the Cup again in 1941
1941 Stanley Cup Finals
The 1941 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven series between the Boston Bruins and the Detroit Red Wings. Boston would win the series 4–0 to win their third Stanley Cup.-Paths to the Final:...
, and tied their record of only four away losses all season. Ross once again took over as coach of the team before the 1941–42 season began, as Weiland became coach of the Hershey Bears
Hershey Bears
The Hershey Bears Hockey Club is a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League, and is currently the top affiliate of the NHL Washington Capitals. The hockey club is based in the unincorporated town of Hershey, Pennsylvania, located within Derry Township some 14 miles east of...
of the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
, and led the team to 25 wins in 48 games, which was enough to earn third place in the league. By this time the Second World War had caused several Bruins players, including the entire Kraut Line and goaltender Brimsek, to enlist in their respective armed forces. The Bruins finished second in the NHL during the 1942–43 season
1942–43 NHL season
-NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes-Leading goaltenders:...
with 24 wins in 50 games and Ross was again named in the Second NHL All-Star Team as second best coach in the league. The Bruins missed the playoffs in 1943–44, the first time in ten years they failed to qualify, but returned to the playoffs the next season, something they did for five straight years.
In 1949, Ross had signed Georges Boucher as coach, but Boucher did not work well with Ross and team president Weston Adams
Weston Adams
Weston W. Adams was the director of the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and son of fellow Hall-of-Famer Charles Adams....
. Looking to hire a new coach in the summer of 1950, Ross phoned Lynn Patrick
Lynn Patrick
Joseph Lynn Patrick was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive. As a player, Patrick played for the New York Rangers in the National Hockey League. Lynn was an important member of one Stanley Cup title the Rangers won in 1940. After his playing career, he went on to be the general...
, the son of Lester, who had just resigned from the New York Rangers after coaching the team to the Stanley Cup Final. Lynn had moved his family back to Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria, British Columbia
Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of about 78,000 within the metropolitan area of Greater Victoria, which has a population of 360,063, the 15th most populous Canadian...
, where he grew up as a child, with the intention of coaching the Victoria Cougars, a team in the minor professional Pacific Coast Hockey League
Pacific Coast Hockey League
The Pacific Coast Hockey League was an ice hockey minor league with teams in the western United States and western Canada that existed in several incarnations: from 1928 to 1931, from 1936 to 1941, and from 1944 to 1952.-PCHL 1928-1931:...
. Though reluctant to move back to the eastern United States, Lynn was hired by Ross after he was offered a salary of $12,000. He would coach the team for the next four seasons and become the second general manager of the Bruins when Ross retired at the end of October 1954.
Legacy
Aside from his career in hockey, Ross was interested in improving the game. Prior to the start of the 1927–28 season, the NHL adopted a new style of goal net created by Ross. With the back molded into a B-shape, it was better designed to catch pucks and the net was used until 1984, when a modified version was adopted. He also improved the design of the puck, which was made of synthetic, rather than natural, rubber. It had bevelBevel
A beveled edge refers to an edge of a structure that is not perpendicular to the faces of the piece. The words bevel and chamfer overlap in usage; in general usage they are often interchanged, while in technical usage they may sometimes be differentiated as shown in the image at right.-Cutting...
edges, which prevented it bouncing too much. Along with New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
coach Frank Boucher
Frank Boucher
François-Xavier "Raffles" Boucher was a Canadian professional ice hockey player and executive. Boucher played the forward position for the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers in the National Hockey League and the Vancouver Maroons in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association...
, Ross helped to create the red line, which was introduced to help speed up the game by removing the ability for defenders to pass the puck from the defensive to offensive zone; until 2006 it was against the rules of hockey to make a two line pass
Offside (ice hockey)
In ice hockey, the current play is offside if a player on the attacking team enters the attacking zone before the puck itself enters the zone, either carried by a teammate or sent into the attacking zone by an attacking player. If a defending player carries, passes, or otherwise intentionally sends...
. More scoring chances resulted as teams could not simply send the puck down the ice. In order to help tell the red line and blue lines apart on television, Ross suggested that the red line be striped.
Regarded throughout his playing career as one of the best defenders in hockey, Ross was named one of the first twelve inductees into the Hockey Hall of Fame
Hockey Hall of Fame
The Hockey Hall of Fame is located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Dedicated to the history of ice hockey, it is both a museum and a hall of fame. It holds exhibits about players, teams, National Hockey League records, memorabilia and NHL trophies, including the Stanley Cup...
in 1945, selected for his playing career rather than his work as an executive. A ceremony for his induction was held prior to a Bruins game on December 2, 1949, where he was given his Hall of Fame scroll and a silver tray with the emblems of the six NHL teams on it. In 1975 he was inducted into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. Along with his two sons he donated the Art Ross Trophy to the NHL in 1947, to be awarded to the leading scorer in the league's regular season. In 1984 he was posthumously awarded the Lester Patrick Trophy
Lester Patrick Trophy
The Lester Patrick Trophy has been presented by the National Hockey League and USA Hockey since 1966 to honor a recipient's contribution to ice hockey in the United States. It is considered a non-NHL trophy because it may be awarded to players, coaches, officials, and other personnel outside the NHL...
for service to hockey in the United States.
Personal life
Ross also excelled in baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
, lacrosse
Lacrosse
Lacrosse is a team sport of Native American origin played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse or lacrosse stick, mainly played in the United States and Canada. It is a contact sport which requires padding. The head of the lacrosse stick is strung with loose mesh...
, and motorcycle racing
Motorcycle racing
Motorcycle sport is a broad field that encompasses all sporting aspects of motorcycling. The disciplines are not all "races" or timed-speed events, as several disciplines test a competitor's various riding skills.-Motorcycle racing:...
. Before he became a hockey executive, he had a career as a bank clerk and ran a sporting-goods store in Montreal. Ross had moved to Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon, Manitoba
Brandon is the second largest city in Manitoba, Canada, and is located in the southwestern area of the province. Brandon is the largest city in the Westman region of Manitoba. The city is located along the Assiniboine River. Spruce Woods Provincial Park and CFB Shilo are a relatively short distance...
in 1905 at the advice of his parents so he could get a job with a bank, with a salary of $600 per year. He gave that career up when he began playing hockey professionally. He was married to Muriel, a native of Montreal, and had two sons, Art and John. During the Second World War, both sons served in the Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
. After the war Ross made his son Art the business manager for the Bruins. Ross was named coach and manager of the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
in 1924 and moved his family to Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
, a suburb of Boston, after being hired. He became a naturalized American citizen
United States nationality law
Article I, section 8, clause 4 of the United States Constitution expressly gives the United States Congress the power to establish a uniform rule of naturalization. The Immigration and Naturalization Act sets forth the legal requirements for the acquisition of, and divestiture from, citizenship of...
on April 22, 1938. On August 5, 1964 Ross died at a nursing home in Medford, Massachusetts
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
, a suburb of Boston, at the age of 78. A sister, both his sons, and three grandchildren survived him.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... | A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... | Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... | PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1902–03 1903 CAHL season The 1903 Canadian Amateur Hockey League season lasted from January 3 until February 28. Teams played an eight game schedule. Ottawa and Montreal Victorias tied for the league championship with records of six wins and two losses.-Executive:... |
Montreal Westmount | CAHL Canadian Amateur Hockey League The Canadian Amateur Hockey League was an early men's amateur hockey league founded in 1898, replacing the organization that was formerly the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada before the 1898–99 season. The league existed for seven seasons, folding in 1905 and was itself replaced by the Eastern... |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1903–04 1904 CAHL season The 1904 Canadian Amateur Hockey League season lasted from January 2 until February 24. Teams played an eight game schedule. This was a tumultuous year as Ottawa resigned in February and defaulted four games.... |
Montreal Westmount | CAHL | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1904–05 1905 CAHL season The 1905 Canadian Amateur Hockey League season lasted from January 2 until March 11. Teams played a ten game schedule. This year saw the addition of two teams, Montreal Westmount and Montreal Nationals. Montreal Nationals had previously been in the FAHL. Montreal Victorias won the league... |
Montreal Westmount | CAHL | 8 | 10 | 0 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1905–06 | Brandon Elks | MHL Manitoba Hockey Association The Manitoba Hockey Association was an early men's senior ice hockey league playing around 1900 in Manitoba, Canada. The league started as an elite amateur league in 1892, became professional in 1905, had a professional and an amateur league in 1908–09 and only an amateur league from 1909 until... |
7 | 6 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1906–07 | Kenora Thistles Kenora Thistles The Kenora Thistles were an early amateur men's ice hockey team based in Kenora, Ontario, Canada, formed in 1885 as a senior team by a group of Lake of the Woods lumbermen. The club is notable for winning the Stanley Cup as an amateur team in 1907. The town is the smallest in population to have... |
St-Cup Stanley Cup The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug... |
— | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | ||
| 1906–07 | Brandon Elks | MHL | 10 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | ||
| 1907–08 1907–08 ECAHA season The 1907–08 Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association season lasted from December 29, 1907 until March 7, 1908. Teams played a ten game schedule. The Montreal Wanderers would win the league championship with a record of eight wins, two losses.... |
Montreal Wanderers Montreal Wanderers The Montreal Wanderers were a Canadian amateur, and later becoming a professional men's ice hockey team. The team played in the Federal Amateur Hockey League , the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association , the National Hockey Association and briefly the National Hockey League . The Wanderers are... |
ECAHA Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association The Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association was a men's amateur, later professional ice hockey league in Canada that played four seasons. It was founded on December 11, 1905 with six clubs: four from the Canadian Amateur Hockey League and two from the Federal Amateur Hockey League, to bring... |
10 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 27 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 23 | ||
| 1907–08 | Pembroke Lumber Kings | UOVHL | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1908–09 1909 ECAHA season The 1909 Eastern Canadian Hockey Association season lasted from January 2 until March 6. Teams played a twelve game schedule. The Ottawa Senators would win the league championship with a record of ten wins, two losses and take over the Stanley Cup.... |
Montreal Wanderers | ECAHA | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | ||
| 1908–09 | Cobalt Silver Kings Cobalt Silver Kings The Cobalt Silver Kings are a defunct ice hockey club which played in Cobalt, Ontario, Canada from 1906 to 1911, notably during the 1910 NHA season, founding season of the National Hockey Association forerunner of today's National Hockey League... |
TPHL Timiskaming Professional Hockey League The Timiskaming Professional Hockey League was a minor professional ice hockey league based in the area of Lake Timiskaming, Canada. Founded in 1906, the league is notable for providing teams and Ambrose O'Brien, the founder of the National Hockey Association, which became today's National Hockey... |
— | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1909–10 | All-Montreal HC | CHA | 4 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1909–10 1910 NHA season The 1910 NHA season was the first season of the National Hockey Association men's ice hockey league. The season started on January 5, but was suspended immediately and the league then absorbed the Ottawa and Shamrocks teams of the Canadian Hockey Association and the season continued from January 15... |
Haileybury Comets | NHA National Hockey Association The National Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey organization with teams in Ontario and Quebec, Canada. It is the direct predecessor organization to today's National Hockey League... |
12 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1910–11 | Montreal Wanderers | NHA | 11 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1911–12 | Montreal Wanderers | NHA | 18 | 16 | 0 | 16 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1911–12 | NHA All-Stars | Exhib | 3 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1912–13 | Montreal Wanderers | NHA | 19 | 11 | 0 | 11 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1913–14 1913–14 NHA season The 1913–14 NHA season was the fifth season of the National Hockey Association . At the end of the regular season, a tie for first place necessitated a playoff to determine the championship. The Toronto Hockey Club defeated the Montreal Canadiens 6–2 in a two-game, total-goals playoff... |
Montreal Wanderers | NHA | 18 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 74 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1914–15 1914–15 NHA season The 1914–15 NHA season was the sixth season of the National Hockey Association and played from December 26, 1914 until March 3, 1915. Each team played 20 games. The Ottawa Senators won the NHA championship in a two game, total goal playoff against the Montreal Wanderers... |
Ottawa Senators Ottawa Senators (original) The Ottawa Senators were an amateur, and later, professional, ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934... |
NHA | 16 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 55 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1915–16 | Ottawa Senators | NHA | 21 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1916–17 | Montreal Wanderers | NHA | 16 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1917–18 | Montreal Wanderers | NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| ECAHA totals | 19 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 57 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 36 | ||||
| NHA totals | 131 | 56 | 16 | 72 | 406 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||
| NHL totals | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
*Playing stats from Total Hockey
Coaching record
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GC | W | L | T | Finish | GC | W | L | T | Result | ||
| 1917–18 | Montreal Wanderers Montreal Wanderers The Montreal Wanderers were a Canadian amateur, and later becoming a professional men's ice hockey team. The team played in the Federal Amateur Hockey League , the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association , the National Hockey Association and briefly the National Hockey League . The Wanderers are... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
6 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 6th, NHL | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1922–23 | Hamilton Tigers | NHL | 24 | 6 | 18 | 0 | 4th, NHL | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1924–25 | Boston Bruins Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the... |
NHL | 30 | 6 | 24 | 0 | 6th, NHL | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1925–26 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 36 | 17 | 15 | 4 | 4th, NHL | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1926–27 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 44 | 21 | 20 | 3 | 2nd, American | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | Lost in Finals | ||
| 1927–28 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 44 | 20 | 13 | 11 | 1st, American | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Lost in Semifinals | ||
| 1929–30 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 44 | 38 | 5 | 1 | 1st, American | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | Lost in Finals | ||
| 1930–31 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 44 | 28 | 10 | 6 | 1st, American | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | Lost in Semifinals | ||
| 1931–32 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 15 | 21 | 12 | 4th, American | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1932–33 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 25 | 15 | 8 | 1st, American | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | Lost in Semifinals | ||
| 1933–34 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 18 | 25 | 5 | 4th, American | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1936–37 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 23 | 18 | 7 | 2nd, American | 3 | 1 | 2 | — | Lost in Quarterfinals | ||
| 1937–38 1937–38 NHL season -European tour:After the Stanley Cup final finished, the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Canadiens played a nine-game exhibition series in Europe, becoming the first NHL teams to play outside North America. Six games were played in England, three in France... |
Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 30 | 11 | 7 | 1st, American | 3 | 0 | 3 | — | Lost in Semifinals | ||
| 1938–39 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 36 | 10 | 2 | 1st, NHL | 12 | 8 | 4 | — | Won Stanley Cup | ||
| 1941–42 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 48 | 25 | 17 | 6 | 3rd, NHL | 5 | 2 | 3 | — | Lost in Semifinals | ||
| 1942–43 1942–43 NHL season -NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes-Leading goaltenders:... |
Boston Bruins | NHL | 50 | 24 | 17 | 9 | 2nd, NHL | 9 | 4 | 5 | — | Lost in Finals | ||
| 1943–44 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 50 | 19 | 26 | 5 | 5th, NHL | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1944–45 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 50 | 16 | 30 | 4 | 4th, NHL | 7 | 3 | 4 | — | Lost in Semifinals | ||
| NHL totals | 758 | 368 | 300 | 90 | — | 65 | 27 | 33 | 5 | One Stanley Cup | ||||
*Coaching stats from Total Hockey
NHL
| Award | Year(s) |
|---|---|
| First All-Star Team NHL All-Star Team The NHL All-Star Teams were first named at the end of the 1930–31 NHL season, to honor the best performers over the season at each position.Representatives of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association vote for the All-Star Team at the end of the regular season.The career leaders in citations are... Coach |
1939 |
| Second All-Star Team Coach | 1938 1937–38 NHL season -European tour:After the Stanley Cup final finished, the Detroit Red Wings and the Montreal Canadiens played a nine-game exhibition series in Europe, becoming the first NHL teams to play outside North America. Six games were played in England, three in France... , 1943 1942–43 NHL season -NHL awards:-All-Star teams:-Scoring leaders:Note: GP = Games played, G = Goals, A = Assists, PTS = Points, PIM = Penalties in minutes-Leading goaltenders:... |
| Lester Patrick Trophy Lester Patrick Trophy The Lester Patrick Trophy has been presented by the National Hockey League and USA Hockey since 1966 to honor a recipient's contribution to ice hockey in the United States. It is considered a non-NHL trophy because it may be awarded to players, coaches, officials, and other personnel outside the NHL... |
1984 |
*Awards from Legends of Hockey