With the NHL winning the financial war over leagues and teams from western Canada, the western leagues collapsed. The best players moved to the NHL, as did full control of the Stanley Cup. From now on the NHL champion would be Stanley Cup champion.
The Ottawa Senators, led by slim Alec Connell in net, knocked off the Montreal Canadiens for the right to play the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup finals. The Bruins knocked off the New York Rangers. Yes, the Boston-New York rivalry was already heated way back then.
The best of five Stanley Cup final pitted the high scoring Bruins against the tight checking Senators. Given the poor ice conditions, this would favor the boys from the Canadian capital city.
The first game in Boston saw no goals scored at all. The game was scoreless through almost 2 full overtime periods. Finally NHL president Frank Calder had to declare the game a tie with 1 minute left in the 2nd OT as the ice was too rough to continue. The NHL was forced to brainstorm on how a tie game would affect the Stanley Cup championship. It was decided that the team with the best record in the 5 game series (2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie) would win the Stanley Cup.
Ottawa took game 2 by a score of 3-1, thanks to undisciplined play of the Bruins. The great defenseman Eddie Shore was especially exuberant, earning 5 trips to the penalty box for various assaults.
Game three again ended in a tie, 1-1. Even though the series had relocated north to Ottawa, the game was again called due to bad ice, this time in the first overtime period.
Ottawa won game 4 handily, 3-1. Because they now had 6 points compared to Boston's 2, the 5th game was not needed. The Senators were Stanley Cup champions! It was their 6th Stanley Cup championship, the most of any team in history. But it would also be their last.
The snarly Bruins proved to be quite sore losers. Noted on-ice roughian Billy Coutu took his act off the ice, sucker punching referee Jerry Laflamme after the game. Frank Calder proceeded to suspend Coutu from the league for life.
GHL's Stanley Cup MVP - Alec Connell -The Ottawa goaltender only allowed 3 goals in 4 games plus three overtime periods, for a 0.75 GAA. He also shutdown the high scoring Montreal Canadiens, allowing only 1 goal, to get Ottawa to the Cup finals.
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