1955-56

Season Summary:

The New York Civics continued to make headlines during the 1955 off-season. Shortly after the 1955 playoffs ended, the Civics approached Boston Bulldogs coach/general manager James Simmons with an enormous offer of $30,000. Simmons jumped at the offer and immediately took the reins of the Civics. The Bulldogs were furious and swore revenge on their hated rivals for pouching the architect behind their dynasty. The Civics weren't finished there. In June, they recruited highly touted prospect Dave Riley, a kid from western Michigan projected to be the first American-born star in the PHL. Immediately, the Detroit Mustangs protested, claiming that they had the rights to all Michigan-born players. The league ruled in favour of the Civics, however, as Riley was already 18 and eligible for free agency, according to the pre-draft PHL rules at that time. Both additions paid immediate dividends for New York, as Riley, combined with established star Skippy Cleveland, made the Civics the most dangerous offensive team in hockey while 11-year veteran Red O'Ryan played more minutes on defense than anyone in league history as the Civics ran away with first place overall. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs never missed a beat after losing their coach, finishing second with Don Loach scoring 43 goals, the most ever in a PHL season to date. In Philadelphia, defenseman Tom Lapin had anounced before the start of the year that he would retire at season's end. When it appeared that the Redshirts would once again miss the playoffs, they dealt him to Montreal in exchange for young star Jean Lerouix. Lapin would lead the Royale to a first-place finish in the Canadian Division.

The Royale started their first round series strong against Quebec, jumping to a 2-0 series lead, before Quebec stormed back with four straight victories to complete the upset. The Civics ran into all sorts of adversity, coming back from two consecutive 2-0 series deficits in two consecutive 7-game series to reach the finals for the first time in 10 years. In the Canadian Division the Quebec Nationale continued their impressive run pulling off what would be the biggest upset in PHL history over the Hamilton Kings. In the finals, New York jumped to a 2-0 lead before Quebec won the next three straight. Facing elimination in game 6, the Civics nursed a 1-0 lead before erupting for 7 goals in the third period in an 8-1 victory. In game 7, Dave Riley and Skippy Cleveland each scored two goals as the New York Civics won their first-ever Lewis Cup.

Standings:

Canadian Division

1. Montreal
2. Hamilton
3. Toronto
4. Quebec
5. Buffalo

American Division

1. New York
2. Boston
3. Detroit
4. Chicago
5. Philadelphia

Classic Games:

Playoff Tree:

1954-55

Logo & Uniform changes:

• Chicago updates their white sweater to match their green with a slightly different logo as well as "Chicago" written above the logo.

Season Summary:

In the summer of 1954, one big question loomed over the PHL, what sweater would superstar George Allen be wearing when the 1954-55 season began. Allen, who to date was arguably the greatest player in PHL history, had refused to ever play another game for the New York Civics after an ugly feud with Civics owner Harold Donovan. On June 14, 1954, Donovan pulled the trigger on what would go down as one of the most famous trades in league history, dealing Allen to Detroit for veteran Louis Gilbert and rookie goalie Harry Willis. with the addition of Allen, the Mustangs suddenly became a legitimate contender in the American Division, winning 51 games. The biggest turnaround, however, was in Toronto, as super rookie David Stairs helped lift the Racers from the basement to second place in the Canadian Division. In Boston, the Bulldogs finally said goodbye to longtime goaltender Max Marchand, sending him to Montreal. Rookie Glen Stevenson did an admirable job in net, preventing the Bulldogs from missing the playoffs.

The playoffs began with a very spirited 7-game series between the Hamilton Kings and the Quebec Nationale. The Kings bounced back from a 3-1 defecit to defeat the Nationale in seven games, after what proved to be an ugly game 6 that saw multiple fights and over 250 penalty minutes handed out. Hamilton would go on to defeat Toronto in a 7-game battle of Ontario to reach the finals for a third straight season. In the American Division, Chicago lost the first game against New York, but then rolled over them before defeating Boston to face Hamilton once again in the Lewis Cup finals. The Lewis Cup proved to be a close series, with teams alternating wins right up to game 7, where Johnny Garfield's hat-trick gave the Chicago Shamrocks their fourth Lewis Cup.

Standings:

Canadian Division

1. Hamilton
2. Toronto
3. Buffalo
4. Quebec
5. Montreal

American Division

1. Chicago
2. Detroit
3. Boston
4. New York
5. Philadelphia

Classic Games:

Playoff Tree:

1953-54

Logo & Uniform Changes:

• Boston reveals a new look, enlarging the logo and removing the text above the logo.
• For greater contrast, the Philadelphia Redshirts make the bell on the red sweater white.

The 1953-54 season saw a lot of changes in the PHL, specifically coaching changes. No less than three teams hired new coaches in the summer of 1953. Detroit hired their former star winger Johnny Chadwick, while Toronto hired former defenseman Ed Carpenter. Perhaps the most surprising hiring, however, was when the New York Civics hired former Hamilton Kings star Gilbert Wriggley for his first coaching job. Wriggley was known as a hot-tempered player and many wondered how his fiery personality would fit in with the Civics, a team built on skill and speed. But the bigger question was how would he get along with Civics superstar George Allen, a player he had had a falling out with when the two played together for the Windsor Wings a decade earlier. Immediately, tension arose between the two. Things came to a head in a December game in Montreal when Allen attacked his coach behind the bench after a lengthy verbal confrontation. Civics owner Harold Donovan suspended Allen for the remainder of the season and threatened similar treatment to anyone who followed his lead. Allan vowed he would never play for the Civics again while the team plummeted to last place. In Chicago, 69-year-old head coach Arthur Walsh anounced in January that this would be his last season after 18 years behind the Chicago bench. The Shamrocks finished a dissapointing 30-24-6 in the regular season but avoided missing the playoffs with an 8-game winning streak after Walshes anouncement. Under new coach Johnny Chadwick's leadership, the Detroit Mustangs improved to third place in the American Division, returning to the Lewis Cup playoffs.

Chicago's magic continued into the playoffs as they upset Boston in the first round in 5 games before sweeping Philadelphia to reach the finals. Quebec managed to win their first-ever playoff series with a 7-game upset over Buffalo, but would lose in the Canadian Division final to Hamilton in 6, giving the Kings their second straight berth in the finals. For Arthur Walsh, it was almost a storybook ending to a great coaching career. Almost. The Shamrocks won the first two games of the final, but lost the next four in a row as the Hamilton Kings repeated as Lewis Cup Champions.

Standings:

Canadian Division

1. Hamilton
2. Buffalo
3. Quebec
4. Montreal
5. Toronto

American Division

1. Boston
2. Philadelphia
3. Detroit
4. Chicago
5. New York

Playoff Tree:

Classic Games:

1952-53

Season Summary:

The 1952-53 season was interesting for a variety of reasons ranging from the revival of a once dormant franchise to a very bizzare case of insubordination from another franchise. It all began when the league, in an attempt to improve it's television product, instituted a rule that all teams must wear white sweaters for road games. This of course meant that the league's lone one-sweater holdout, the Chicago Shamrocks, would need to introduce a new uniform. Team owner Fredrick Garfield refused at first, insisting "we wear green. period. If the league wants to fine us, we'll pay the fine." Garfield finally gave in when the TV network threatened to pull all Shamrocks games from it's broadcast schedule if they didn't comply, but he did so by introducing a plain white sweater with only the players' number on the back and the name "Chicago" on the front. In Philadelphia, after years of losing and uncertainty, the fans' patience finally paid off as their beloved Redshirts climbed to the top of the American Division standings on the strong play of sophomore Richie Moore, who scored 36 goals.

In the playoffs, The Redshirts faced the Shamrocks in a tough, 7-game series, where they had to come back from a 3-1 deficit. David Zimmer made a heroic 51-save performance in game 7, giving Philadelphia their first playoff series victory since joining the PHL thirteen years earlier. In the American Division final, the Redshirts shocked the defending champion Boston Bulldogs in 4 straight before facing the Hamilton Kings in the Lewis Cup finals. Hamilton had run away with first place in the Canadian Division before winning two 7-game series against Buffalo and Montreal en route to the final. The two teams traded victories through the first 6 games, setting up a game 7 for the ages. Philly winger Bobby Kelly opened the scoring in the first period before Ted Forbes tied it late in the third, sending it to overtime. The game remained scoreless through two extra periods as both David Zimmer and Fred Lukas stood on their heads in net before Hamilton's Frankie Jenkins finally scored late in the second OT, giving Hamilton it's second Lewis Cup and breaking the hearts of the Redshirts fans who thought for sure that this was their year.

Logo & Uniform Changes:

• Hamilton makes some slight changes to their uniforms
• The Chicago Shamrocks are forced to introduce new white sweaters as part of a league-wide rule that road teams must wear white uniforms.

Standings:

Canadian Division

1. Hamilton
2. Montreal
3. Quebec
4. Hamilton
5. Toronto

American Division

1. Philadelphia
2. Boston
3. New York
4. Chicago
5. Detroit

Classic Games:

Playoff Tree:

1951-52

The summer of 1951 was an eventful one in the PHL. The league expanded to ten teams with the addition of the Quebec Nationale, New York released long-time goaltender Dick Wallace, and Philadelphia recruited two phenoms, goaltender David Zimmer, and winger Richie Moore. The additions did not, however, translate to regular season success for Philly, as they finished fourth in the American Division. 34-year-old Dick Wallace, determined to make the Civics look bad for releasing him, signed with the expansion Nationale and turned in one of the best goaltending performances in history, leading Quebec to a miraculous second place finish. Disaster struck in Buffalo, superstar David Poulin suffered a career-ending injury when he was sent feet-first into the boards during a game in early December, leaving him crippled. Rookie goaltender Billy Jeffery led the New York Civics to a second place finish, with Civics forward George Allen making history as the first player in PHL history to score 50 goals in a single season.

In the playoffs, Quebec's Magic ran out early on as they lost to provincial rival Montreal in six games, while Hamilton took down Buffalo in seven games before sweeping Montreal to the final. Boston had a tough road to the finals, taking out Philadelphia and New York in two emotional seven game series. In the Lewis Cup final, the Kings won game one before Boston swept the last four to take their fifth Lewis Cup.

Logo & Uniform Changes:

• The league adds a tenth franchise, the Quebec Nationale, who make their debut wearing Blue, Black, and White uniforms.
• Montreal changes their uniforms, introdcing a new logo and a second shade of red.

Standings:

Canadian Division

1. Hamilton
2. Quebec
3. Montreal
4. Buffalo
5. Toronto

American Division

1. Boston
2. New York
3. Chicago
4. Philadelphia
5. Detroit

Classic Games:

Playoff Tree:

1950-51

Logo & Uniform Changes:

• New York updates their logo and overhauls their uniforms, changing their colour scheme to Navy and Red.
• Detroit makes slight changes to their uniforms.

Standing:

Canadian Division

1. Buffalo
2. Hamilton
3. Montreal
4. Toronto

American Division

1. Boston
2. Chicago
3. Philadelphia
4. New York
5. Detroit

Season Summary:

1950-51 played out very similar to the previous season. Buffalo and Boston dominated the regular season with Boston sophomore Tommy Cooper continuing his dominance, leading the league in scoring. Detroit continued their struggles, finishing last overall, Hamilton came on strong at the end of the season on the strength of rookies Ted Forbes and Dan Towers. Montreal started the season strong but lost 9 straight at the end of the season, dropping to third place in the Canadian Division.

In the playoffs, New York pulled off a major upset against the Boston Bulldogs before losing to the Chicago Shamrocks in the American Division final in an emotional 7 game series. Buffalo appeared to be on their way to a third straight Lewis Cup making it all the way to overtime in game 7 of the Lewis Cup final, before Chicago's Don Saleski scored in the second overtime to give the Shamrocks their third Lewis Cup.

Playoff Tree:

Classic Games:

1949-50

The 1949-50 season was a historic one for the PHL. It began when the Boston Bulldogs recruited the first African-American player, Tommy Cooper. Cooper got off to a huge start, scoring 41 goals. Meanwhile, in Buffalo, forward Johnny Williams became the first player to play in four different decades, completing a pro career that had begun in 1929. New York Civics star Skippy Cleveland returned to the lineup in December, helping the Civics to a third place finish in the American Division. The Buffalo Bulls, despite the tragic loss of goaltender James Whyte, finished first overall in the league thanks to an inspired performance from rookie goalie Billy Watson. Toronto had their worst season yet, finishing last overall with a 9-39-2 record.

In the playoffs, Buffalo defeated Detroit and Hamilton while Boston took out New York and Chicago before the two met in the Lewis Cup finals. The two teams alternated wins in the first four games before Buffalo took the series in six games to claim their second straight Lewis Cup.

Team Standings:

Canadian Division

1. Buffalo
2. Hamilton
3. Montreal
4. Toronto

American Division

1. Boston
2. Chicago
3. Philadelphia
4. New York
5. Detroit

Logo & Uniform Changes:

• The Toronto Racers make significant changes to their brand, introducing a new logo featuring a steering wheel as well as slight changes to their uniform striping.

Season Highlights:

• October 9, 1949, Tommy Cooper becomes the first black player in PHL history, scoring two goals in his first game.
• January 2, 1950, Johnny Williams becomes the first player to play pro hockey in four decades.
• Game 1 of the Lewis Cup becomes the first-ever PHL game to be broadcast on national TV, Buffalo wins 4-2