# 1902–03 Ottawa Hockey Club season

The 1902–03 Ottawa Hockey Club season was the club's 18th season of play. The club would win the CAHL championship in a playoff with the Montreal Victorias to win the Club's first Stanley Cup. For their win, the players would each be given a silver nugget. From that day forward, the club was nicknamed the Silver Seven.

## Off-season

Defenceman and former captain Peg Duval left the team to sign with the Pittsburgh Victorias as a professional in the Western Pennsylvania Hockey League.

## Regular season
### Highlights

This season was the first season for Frank McGee and Art Moore. McGee would place second in the league scoring race with 14 goals in six games.
The season would be a two team race between Montreal Victorias and Ottawa, splitting their matches between each other. The season ended in a tie, which necessitated a two-game playoff, won by Ottawa to win their first Stanley Cup.

### Final standing

| Team | Games Played | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals For | Goals Against |
| Ottawa Hockey Club | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 47 | 26 |
| Montreal Victorias | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 48 | 33 |
| Montreal Hockey Club | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 34 | 19 |
| Quebec Hockey Club | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 30 | 46 |
| Montreal Shamrocks | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 21 | 56 |

## Schedule and results

| Month | Day | Visitor | Score | Home | Score |
| Jan. | 3 | Victorias | 4 | Ottawa | 3 |
| Jan. | 10 | Ottawa | 6 | Shamrocks | 1 |
| Jan. | 17 | Montreal | 1 | Ottawa | 7 |
| Jan. | 24 | Ottawa | 6 | Quebec | 8 |
| Feb. | 4 | Shamrocks | 2 | Ottawa | 5 |
| Feb. | 7 | Ottawa | 9 | Victorias | 3 |
| Feb. | 14 | Quebec | 6 | Ottawa | 1 |
| Feb. | 21 | Ottawa | 4 | Montreal | 5 |

### Goaltending averages

| Name | Club | GP | GA | SO | Avg. |
| Hutton, John Bouse | Ottawa | 8 | 30 | 0 | 3.80 |

### Scoring Leaders

| Name | GP | G |
| McGee, Frank | 6 | 14 |
| Gilmour, Billy | 7 | 10 |
| Gilmour, Dave | 4 | 7 |
| Gilmour, Suddy | 7 | 7 |

## Playoffs

Ottawa and Victorias played a two-game total-goals series.

### Game one

March 7 :
| Ottawa | 1 | at | Victorias | 1 |
| John Hutton | | G | Archie Lockerby | |
| Harvey Pulford | | P | Billy Strachan | |
| Arthur Moore | | CP | George Fairbank | |
| Harry Westwick | | R | Russell Bowie | |
| Frank McGee | | C | Bert Strachan | 1 |
| Billy Gilmour | | RW | Charles Allan | |
| Suddy Gilmour | 1 | LW | Blair Russell | |
| Dave Gilmour | | C-Sub | | |
| Referee – Harry Trihey |||||

### Game two

March 10 :
| March 10 Victorias 0 at Ottawa 8 Archie LockerbyGJohn Hutton Billy StrachanPHarvey Pulford George FairbankCPArthur Moore Bert StrachanCFrank McGee3 Russell BowieRDave Gilmour2 Blair RussellLWBilly Gilmour1 Charles AllanRWSuddy Gilmour2 Referee – Percy Quinn Source: Ottawa Citizen | The game was played at Dey's Arena on ice that was covered in water. |

## Stanley Cup challenges
### Rat Portage vs. Ottawa

Ottawa defeated the Rat Portage Thistles 6–2, 4–2 (10–4) in a two-game, total goals series in Ottawa, March 12–14, 1903.
As the new CAHL and Cup champions, the Ottawas accepted a challenge from the Rat Portage Thistles of the Manitoba & Northwestern Hockey Association (MNWHA). Entering the best-of-three challenge series, the Thistles were younger and quicker than Ottawa; only one player on the Thistles was over the age of 20. Any chance that those factors could have helped the team was negated by soft ice conditions. Ottawa swept the series with scores of 6–2 and 4–2.
| Date | Winning Team | Score | Losing Team | Location |
| March 12, 1903 | Ottawa | 6–2 | Rat Portage Thistles | Dey's Arena |
| March 14, 1903 | Ottawa | 4–2 | Rat Portage Thistles | Dey's Arena |
| Ottawa wins best-of-three series 2 games to 0 |||||

#### Game one

March 12 :
| March 12 Rat Portage 2 at Ottawa 6 Fred DulmageGJohn Hutton Mat BrownPHarvey Pulford Tom HooperCPArthur Moore Si GriffisRDave Gilmour1 Billy McGimsie2CFrank McGee2 Bill MartinLWBilly Gilmour3 Roxy BeaudroRWSuddy Gilmour Referee- Harry Trihey Source: Ottawa Citizen | All of the goals were scored in the first half. Fred Westwick did not play due to his wife's illness. |
March 14 :
| Rat Portage | 2 | at | Ottawa | 4 |
| Fred Dulmage | | G | John Hutton | |
| Mat Brown | | P | Harvey Pulford | |
| Tom Hooper | | CP | Dave Gilmour | 1 |
| Si Griffis | | R | Frank McGee | 2 |
| Billy McGimsie | 1 | C | Percy Sims | 1 |
| Bill Martin | | RW | Billy Gilmour | |
| Roxy Beaudro | 1 | LW | Suddy Gilmour | |
| Referee- Chauncy Kirby |||||
For their win, the Ottawa players would each receive a silver nugget. From that point on the team would also be known as the Silver Seven.

## Ottawa Hockey Club March 1903 Stanley Cup champions
### Players
#### Forwards

* Hamilton Billy Gilmour
* Suddy Gilmour
* Harry Westwick (also played rover)
* Percy Sims
* Charles Spittal (played one game of regular season)
* Jack Smith (did not play)
* Frank McGee(also played rover)
* Dave Gilmour(also played cover point)

#### Defencemen

* Harvey Pulford (point-Captain)
* Arthur Fraser (point-cover point)
* Arthur Moore(cover point)
* Frank Wood (point-cover point)

#### Goaltenders

* John "Bouse" Hutton

### Coaching and administrative staff

* Placy Mituttler (President), Robert Shillington (manager)
* Alf Smith (coach), A. Mutchamor (treasurer)
* W. Halton (Secretary), Halder Kirby (club doctor)
* Llewellyn Bates, Chauncy Kirby, Martin Rosenthal, Charles Sparks (directors),
* Mac McGilton (Ass't Trainer), Pete Green (trainer)
* Alf Smith did not play for Ottawa in 1903. However he was playing-coach for Ottawa Silver Sevens next 3 Stanley Cup winning seasons.