J’ai eu la chance d’être interviewé par Ken Schankler du Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph sur mon projet de livre. Ce journal interpèle directement la communauté anglophone de Québec ce qui rend cet exercice très important.

Publié par the Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph, http://www.qctonline.com/node/5201

Québec Bulldogs subject of forthcoming book

They were a predominantly Anglophone team in a French-speaking town. Their star player would later score 44 goals playing for the Montreal Canadiens. They won the Stanley Cup twice, playing at a small rink just inside the Rue St. Louis gate long before national TV contracts and multi-tiered 20,000 seat arenas.

The first games were played with a band performing at center ice during the game.
« They would have to skate around the band, » said Radio-Canada television personality Marc Durand, the host of the national weekly show Tellement Sport based in Quebec City the last three years.

Yet when it comes to hockey history books, the Quebec Bulldogs are largely ignored.

Durand is hoping to change all that. He is currently working on a book about the team that he expects to be issued in time to honour the 100th anniversary of the Bulldogs’ 1911-12 Stanley Cup. Currently, he is looking for the public’s help in finding information about the team.

Durand has dedicated a website to the history of the Bulldogs. The website address, available in French only, is www.quebecbulldogs.com.

« They were like for 40 years one of the best teams in the world and they had the best players in the world, » he said.

Leading the team was Joe Malone, who would score 43 goals in 20 games during the team’s second Stanley Cup season in 1912-13. On January 31, 1920, Malone scored seven goals in a game against Toronto, a record that has never been equalled.

Other players on the Bulldogs included Joe Hall, Jack MacDonald, Paddy Moran and Percy Lesueur and three brothers, Chubby, Joe and Rocket Power. Well-known Quebec City doctor Walter Rooney scored a goal in the 1912 Stanley Cup final, the only goal he ever scored.

In contrast to modern, multi-year, multi-million dollar contracts, players were paid little and some were reluctant to take any money at all.

« A lot players didn’t want to go pro because if they played for money they couldn’t return to their amateur teams, » Durand said.

The local media at the time also preferred not to see players receive payment for play.

The Bulldogs roots can be traced to hockey’s amateur days as they competed in the Amateur Hockey Association, later called the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association.

The team officially known as Athletics won the CAHL Championship in 1904, but was not allowed to vie for the Stanley Cup.

The CAHL would be come the ECAHA as a desire to become a professional league overwhelmed amateur hockey leading to the formation of the Canadian Hockey Association in 1909, in which the Quebec Bulldogs were a founding member.

However, after just one month, the CHA merged into the more powerful National Hockey Association. The Bulldogs were unsure they wanted to join, so they sat out the rest of the season.

After a one-year hiatus, the Bulldogs joined the NHA, with McDonald scoring 14 goals and Tommy Dunderdale scoring 13 in a 16-game season. However, the Bulldogs would finish in last place with a 4-12 record.

The Bulldogs in 1911-12 would go from worst to first, as Hall scored 15 goals while having an imposing physical presence on the ice. Malone added 21 goals and McDonald potted 18, as the Bulldogs posted a 10-8 record. In the Stanley Cup Finals the Bulldogs easily defeated the Moncton Victoria in 2 games, 9-3 and 8-0, to claim the Cup.

In 1912-13, Coming off their Stanley Cup Championship, the Bulldogs were even stronger as they ran away with the NHA title with a record of 16-4. Malone had 43 goals, Tommy Smith, 39.

In the Stanley Cup Finals, the Bulldogs again dominated beating the Maritime Champion Sydney Millionaires in two straight games by a combined score of 20-5. After beating the Millionaires, the Bulldogs were challenged by the PCHA Champion Victoria Aristocrats.

Bursting with confidence the Bulldogs expected to walk over the Aristocrats. However, the Bulldogs would split the first two games before losing 6-1 in the decisive third game. However, because the Stanley Cup Board of trustees did not recognize the challenge, the Bulldogs were able to keep the Cup (Note: The Bulldogs offered to play the Stanley Cup games in Quebec City as they entitled to ask were but Victoria refused to travel. They settle for a « world series » event and never, the cup was supposed to be the final prize.)

Durand has relied in large part on the Quebec Chronicle, a forerunner of the Chronicle-Telegraph, for information.

« They were really close to the team and the owners, » Durand said of the paper.

As for his own show, Durand likes to focus on Anglophone athletes.

« We don’t care if they don’t speak French, » said Durand of his interview subjects. « We want to be recognized as much as French Canadian athletes. »

Durand can be contacted quebecbulldogs@gmail.com