page_title: Dawson City Nuggets
section_title: Background
hierarchical_section_title: Dawson City Nuggets / 1905 Stanley Cup challenge / Background
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Le club de hockey d’Ottawa, champion de la Coupe Stanley en 1905. Debout (de gauche à droite)&#160;: Harry «&#160; Rat » Westwick, M. McGilton, Hamilton «&#160; Billy » Gilmour, Frank McGee. Assis (de gauche à droite)&#160;: Dave Finnie, Harvey Pulford, Alf Smith, Arthur Moore. English: The Ottawa Hockey Club, nicknamed the "Silver Seven", were the Stanley Cup champions in 1905.Standing, left to right: Rat Westwick, Mac MacGilton, Billy Gilmour, Frank McGeeSitting, left to right: Dave Finnie, Harvey Pulford, Alf Smith, Arthur A. C. Moore
context_page_description: The Dawson City Nuggets were an ice hockey team from Dawson City, Yukon, that challenged the reigning champion Ottawa Hockey Club, aka "the Silver Seven", in January 1905, for the Stanley Cup. The Dawson City team was composed of hockey players from the city, most of whom did not have any elite hockey experience. The Nuggets made the 4,000 mile journey to Ottawa over several weeks, travelling by dog sled, bicycle, foot, train, and ship. They arrived in time to play the best-of-three game series. In the first game, Ottawa defeated Dawson City 9–2. In the second game, Ottawa defeated Dawson City 23–2 to win the series. The second game remains the most lopsided game in Stanley Cup playoff history. Ottawa's Frank McGee scored 14 goals alone in the second game, which is a record for a player in a Stanley Cup playoff game.
context_section_description: The Nuggets participated in perhaps the most famous Stanley Cup challenge ever, against the reigning champion Ottawa Hockey Club, aka "The Silver Seven" in 1905. The Dawson City team was sponsored and managed by the Klondike entrepreneur Joseph W. Boyle, and it was composed of men from the mining camps during the tail-end of the Yukon gold rush. Dawson City had two former elite hockey players, Weldy Young who had played for Ottawa in the 1890s and Randy McLennan who had played for Queen's College against the Montreal Victorias in the challenge of 1895. Other players were selected from other Dawson City clubs.
  Dawson City's challenge was accepted in the summer of 1904 by the Stanley Cup trustees, scheduled (inauspiciously) to start on Friday, January 13, 1905. It was to be a best-of-three series. The date of the challenge meant that Young had to travel later, as he had to work in a federal election that December, and meet the club in Ottawa. Some historians have since questioned why Dawson City was even granted a chance at the Cup, as Dawson City had won no championships and did not belong to any recognized senior league. On the other hand, Ottawa had considerable championship experience, having defeated all challengers since winning the Stanley Cup in March 1903.
  To get to Ottawa, 4,000 miles (6,400 km) away, the Dawson City club would have to get to Whitehorse (which was approximately 600 km away) by road, catch a train from there to Skagway, Alaska, then catch a steamer to Vancouver, and a train from there to Ottawa. On December 18, 1904 several players set out by dog sled and the rest left the next day by bicycle for a 330-mile trek to Whitehorse. At first the team made good progress, but the weather turned warm enough to thaw the roads, meaning the players had to walk several hundred miles. The team spent the nights in police sheds along the road. At Whitehorse, the weather turned bad, causing the trains not to run for three days, causing the Nuggets to miss their steamer in Skagway. The next one could not dock for three days due to the ice buildup. The club found the sea journey treacherous, causing seasickness amongst the team. When the steamer reached Vancouver, the area was too fogged in to dock, and the steamer docked in Seattle. The team from there caught a train to Vancouver, and finally left Vancouver on January 6, 1905, arriving in Ottawa on January 11.
  Despite the difficult journey, the Ottawa squad refused to change the date of the first game, only two days away. Otherwise, Ottawa was hospitable. The Klondikers received a huge welcome at the train station, had a welcoming dinner, and used the Ottawa Amateur Athletic Club's rooms for the duration of their stay. Young would not arrive in time to play for Dawson.
caption: The Ottawa Hockey Club in 1905
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