Port Arthur Seniors (1928–29)

Port Arthur Seniors (1928–29) was a senior men's hockey team from Port Arthur that won the Allan Cup in 1929. The team was inducted into the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 1982.

Overview

• Sport: Hockey
• League or level: Interprovincial League
• Season: 1928–29
• Achievement: Allan Cup Champions
• Inducted: 25 September 1982

Season

The Port Arthur Seniors competed in the Interprovincial League during the 1928-29 season. The league featured high-level competition, including the Fort William team and the University of Manitoba Varsity squad, who were the reigning Allan Cup titleholders. The Seniors began their playoff run by facing Fort William for the Inter City title. In the opening game of the total-goals series, Port Arthur secured a 9-3 win. They followed this with a 4-3 victory in the second game to advance to the interprovincial championships.

In the next round, the Seniors faced the University of Manitoba Varsity team. Although the Manitoba squad had lost only once during the regular season—a defeat dealt by Port Arthur—the series was closely contested. Port Arthur won the first match 2-1. In the second game, Cliff Barton scored late in the second period to give the Seniors a two-goal cushion in the series. Despite a late push by the Manitoba offense and Art Puttee's goaltending, the game ended in a 3-2 aggregate victory for Port Arthur, earning them the interprovincial title.

The team traveled to Winnipeg to play the Regina Vics of Saskatchewan. The Seniors took the first game 1-0 and won the second 4-1, using their pace to overcome the Regina squad. This set up a Western Championship series against the Trail Smoke Eaters from British Columbia. Port Arthur struggled in the first game, falling behind 3-0 in the first period and eventually losing 6-1. However, it was discovered that a Trail defenseman named Anderson was ineligible. The game was nullified, and the series became a single-game sudden-death match. Port Arthur responded with a 6-0 shutout to claim the Western Championship.

The Allan Cup finals took place in Winnipeg against the Montreal St. Francois Xavier team, the champions of Eastern Canada. The first game was a defensive struggle that remained scoreless through regulation. After Montreal scored in the first overtime, the Seniors equalized to force a 1-1 tie after three overtime periods. Port Arthur dominated the second game, leading 6-0 after two periods and finishing with a 7-2 win. On March 30, 1929, the Seniors secured the national title with a 3-0 shutout. Goaltender Eddie Baker was credited with a strong performance during the second period to maintain the lead. This victory was the third Allan Cup for the city in five years, setting a record for the era.

The 1929 championship marked a milestone for Gordon Wilson and Wilf L’Heureux, who became the first players to win three Allan Cup titles. This record for Thunder Bay players stood until it was surpassed by Gerry Cizmar and the Thunder Bay Twins in the 1980s.

Roster

The names below come from the Hall of Fame profile and its team photograph caption.

Name	Role	Notes
Steve Vair	coach
Bill Price	player
Bruce Cox	player
Norman Friday	player
Jimmy Creighton	player
Henry Gross	player
Eddie Baker	goaltender
Gordon Wilson	player
Wilf L’Heureux	player
James Jarvis ("Bud")	player
Cliff Barton	player
Bobby McCranor	player
Malcolm Cochran	other	president
Wally Stewart ("Scotty")	trainer

Honours and achievements

• 1928-29 Allan Cup Champions
• 1928-29 Western Canada Champions
• 1928-29 Interprovincial League Champions
• 1928-29 Inter City Title Winners
• Set a record for three Allan Cup titles in five years