1922-23 Regular Season: Second Half

There was some movement in the second half, but the league stayed static from the first half for the most part.

Finishing first in the West were the Toronto Lakers, who just continued rolling. If people thought the 1921-22 Bluebirds were good, this Lakers team blew them out of the water. Thanks to an absurd 23-2 record at home, and having the league’s 1st and 4th-highest scorers, the Lakers finished with a 39-11 record and were the favourites to win the Abbott Cup.

Holding on to the second playoff spot were the Pittsburgh Ints. It was close down to the wire, but they did well to hold on and retain their place. Their biggest player was Joseph Ocking, who put up decent numbers the past two years, but absolutely broke out in 22-23. His 47 goals led the league, and he was 2nd in points. Pittsburgh finished 29-21.

Finishing 3rd, and just outside of the playoffs for the second straight year were the Kingston Sentinels. Their second half was great, and they arguably could’ve passed the Ints if the season was just a few games longer. Kingston had the highest goal differential on all non-playoff teams, and despite the disappointment, this season was another step in the right direction. They finished 27-21-2.

Finishing 4th via a tiebreaker with Kingston were the Chicago Wildcats. Despite missing the playoffs once again, this was their best MHL season to date, and their first season finished above 0.500. What was impressive about this season was that they managed this best season without any of their players being over a point per game. Chicago finished 28-22.

The remaining 3 teams in the West were the Hamilton Steelers, Winnipeg Bison, and Peoria Foxes. Hamilton had a disappointing second half, which was unfortunately tarnished due to players not getting paid and therefore not being able to play. They finished at 25-25. Winnipeg saw improvement in the second half, but by the end of the season, the toll of all their travelling caught up to them, and they barely made it over the finish line. The Bison finished at 15-35. Finishing dead last were the Peoria Foxes. For any other team, a second-half record of 4-20-1 would be embarrassing and shameful. For them, however, it was great, and a huge improvement on their 1-23-1 first half. Peoria finished at 5-43-2, all-time futile numbers.

In the east, the New York Bluebirds were at the top once again. They weren’t quite the historic team that won the Abbott Cup the year prior, but they were still VERY good. Their play slightly dropped off, but even then, they finished comfortably in first. Their offence was the only one in the league that could keep up with Toronto, while their defensive numbers were the best in the league. New York finished at 34-15-1.

Sitting 2nd in the east were the Boston Harpers, who were really blossoming into a contender. The east had multiple teams battling for the second playoff spot, but they did a great job in the second half to clinch that coveted spot. They were led by wily vet Thomas Badie, who finished 7th in scoring at the ripe old age of 35. He helped Boston finish 32-18.

Finishing 3rd and 4th were the Montreal Greys and Barons. The Greys, who were tied with the Harpers at the halfway point, continued their pace in the second half. The one problem was that the Harpers’ pace was ever-so-slightly above theirs, leading to them missing the playoffs by 3 points. The Greys finished at 30-19-1. As for the Barons, their play declined in the second half, particularly defensively. Despite having the 4th-best offence in the league, their defence was subpar enough to lose them must-win games. They finished at 28-22. 

The Brooklyn Kings sputtered a little in the second half, and that put them out of playoff contention fairly quickly. There were definitely some positives though. Third-year player Alex Palmer broke out, scoring 41 goals and 57 points, finishing 3rd overall in both categories. This was also their best season to date, showing some promise for the future. Brooklyn finished at 26-23-1.

The bottom two teams in the East were the same two at the halfway point: The Ottawa Lumberjacks and the expansion Providence Spiders. The Lumberjacks’ disappointing season continued, and by the time their star forward Tom Robert returned from injury, the season was already lost, and players lacked motivation. Ottawa stumbled to a 15-35 record. In Providence, the Spiders did better, but it was still the typical expansion season for them, with their defence, in particular, being atrocious, as well as their record away from home, at 4-21. The Spiders finished at 13-36-1.



League Leaders:

Goals: 
Joseph Ocking (PIT/CAN) (47)
Jacques Barbe (NYB/CAN) (42)
Alexander Palmer (BRK/CAN) (41)
Christopher Paquet (TOR/CAN) (41)

Assists:
Lewis Urban (NYB/CAN) (31)
Rod Jensen (TOR/CAN) (27)
Sylvain Ermengille (TOR/CAN) (24)
Kevin Bishop (CHI/CAN) (24)

Points:
Sylvain Ermengille (TOR/CAN) (61)
Joseph Ocking (PIT/CAN) (58)
Alexander Palmer (BRK/CAN) (57)

Save Percentage:
Alan Clercius (MTG/CAN) (0.911)
Alex Graham (BOS/CAN) (0.906)
Jerome Bouchard (TOR/CAN) (0.906)

Goals Against Average:
Moses Addison (NYB/USA) (2.5)
Alan Clercius (MTG/CAN) (2.51)
Jerome Bouchard (TOR/CAN) (2.6)

Playoff Preview:

W1 - Toronto Lakers vs W2 - Pittsburgh Internationals
Previous Meeting: 1922 Western Division Final
Result: Pittsburgh 3-2 Toronto

For the second consecutive year, these two teams meet to determine which Western team will advance to the Abbott Cup Final. Pittsburgh had the upper hand last year, winning the series in 5 before losing to the Bluebirds.

In head-to-head, Toronto won 3 of the 5 matchups between the two. 3 of the games were determined by 1 goal, one of which was in overtime. Each team also won a game by 3. In the end, these two teams are evenly matched, but the Lakers should end up on top.

My pick: Toronto escapes with a berth to the Abbott Cup final, winning in 3.

E1 - New York Bluebirds vs E2 - Boston Harpers
Previous Meeting: N/A
Result: N/A

These two teams meet for the first time in the playoffs. They already have quite a dislike of each other, so this series could be the catalyst for something bigger down the line. The Bluebirds are the heavy favourites here.

The Bluebirds dominated the season series, winning 4 of 5 between the two teams. The most notable of these was a dominant 9-3 victory by the host Bluebirds in the final days of the season. The game got out of hand late with multiple scuffles and fights. This is the Bluebirds' series to lose.

My pick: New York takes it, winning comfortably in 2.

1922-23 MHL Playoffs - Division Finals

(W1) Toronto Lakers (39-11) vs (W2) Pittsburgh Internationals (29-21)

The Lakers and Ints faced off in what Toronto was hoping to be revenge for the previous year, when the Ints knocked them out in heartbreaking fashion.

In game 1, the teams played evenly to start. There were lots of shots at both ends, but no goals through the first 20 minutes. In the second, Toronto’s Jack Warren capitalized on a wrist shot, giving the Lakers a 1-0 lead. In the dying minutes of the period, Pittsburgh’s Greg MacDonald tied the game, finishing a nice passing play. In the third, a hooking penalty by Francois Girard gave the Ints a pivotal power play, on which Bobby Gamble converted. Pittsburgh held on, and shocked the regular season champs at home, with a game 1 win. They now had a shot to finish them off at home.

In game 2, Pittsburgh showed they weren’t playing around, getting 2 quick goals to start off. In the second, a power play goal from George Butler put them up 3. Toronto needed to respond, and they did, getting goals from Christophe Paquet and Greg Mullins, cutting the lead to 1 heading into the third. Early in the final frame, Jack Warren slotted a rebound home, tying the game at 3. However, Bobby Gamble would put the hosts back on top with 6 minutes to play. Paquet would score his second with 3:28 left, tying the score once again. The teams headed to an extra frame, where Paquet completed the hat trick to tie the series at 1, sending it to a game 3 in Toronto.

In game 3, the Lakers took an early penalty, which the Ints capitalized on, jumping out to quick 1-0 lead. They dominated the first frame, getting a second goal late in the frame courtesy of Joseph Ocking. The Toronto crowd was in shock. In the second, the Lakers dominated the shot count and possession, but Denis Jones stood his ground. After 2, the Lakers were outshooting Pittsburgh 15-13, but the score was still 2-0 Ints. In the third, Jack Warren finally broke through for Toronto, with a quick top-shelf snap shot. Under 3 minutes later, Christophe Paquet tied it up. The Lakers once again dominated the period, but after 60 minutes of play, the score was still knotted up at 2. In overtime, the teams played evenly and got chances, but nothing could be solved after one period. In the second extra frame, Francois Girard’s long shot snuck past Jones, sending Toronto into a frenzy. The Lakers were headed back to the Abbott Cup Final, looking for their second title.

(E1) New York Bluebirds (34-15-1) vs (E2) Boston Harpers (32-18)

New York and Boston would face off in the first of what could be countless playoff battles in the future. The Bluebirds are looking to head back to the Abbott Cup for the second straight year, while Boston is looking for their first berth to the championship series.

In game 1, it was apparent that the Bluebirds came to play. Just two minutes in, Jacques Barbe put the hosts on top. 4 minutes later, Robert Willis scored as well. The Bluebird domination wouldn’t last the whole period, as Boston got some good chances toward the end of the frame. In the second, it was all New York. They outshot the Harpers 15-4 in the frame, but only managed to get one goal from John Youngman out of it. The shots wer 30-13 Bluebirds after 2. In the third, the shots were more even, but New York capitalized on theirs. Barbe scored two quick goals to complete his hattrick, and make it 5-0. Lewis Urban would add another, and Willis’ 2nd of the game would complete New York’s scoring for the game. Andrew Pierce scored a late consolation goal for Boston. New York took game 1 7-1.

For game 2 in Boston, the Harpers started much better, getting the first few shots. Their defense was solid as well, limiting New York’s chances. The effort paid off the final minutes of the period, when Andrew Pierce opened the scoring on the power play. Boston led 1-0 after 1. In the second, the Bluebird machine awoke. 24 seconds in, Lewis Urban scored to tie the game. The Bluebird defense was suffocating, lot letting the Harpers get anything. Jacques Barbe gave New York the lead, which they held through 2. In the third, Barbe’s second made it 3-1, and with the Bluebird defense continuing to frustrate, that was the final nail in the coffin. Michael Paquin scored late for extra insurance. New York won game 2 4-1, and advanced easily to their second consecutive Abbott Cup final.



Abbott Cup Final Preview:

W1 - Toronto Lakers vs E1 - New York Bluebirds
Previous Meeting: N/A
Result: N/A

It’s pretty surprising that the league’s top two teams haven’t met in the postseason yet. However, there’s a first time for everything, and this is it for this matchup. The winner of this will win bragging rights until they inevtiably face off again in the future.

New York handily won the first regular season meeting 6-2. The Lakers would win the two other meetings, though both were overtime wins. Although the Lakers did incredibly well in clutch situations, their 3-game series against Pittsburgh and suspect record against the Bluebirds mean that this won’t be a walk in the park for them.

My Pick: New York wins their second consecutive Abbott Cup, defeating Toronto in 3 games.

Nice work Bluebirds, let's get this repeat!

Congrats to the Lakers on another title and another one-sided final in the books.

1923 MHL Offseason: Off the Ice

Like all previous offseasons, the 1923 break saw teams leave and join the league.

First, the Winnipeg Bisons announced that after one year in the league, they were going back to being an amateur team. The cost of travel proved too much for them, despite posting great attendance numbers. James Burris promised that whenever they could manage the cost of travel, they’d be welcomed back to the MHL.

Soon after this announcement, the MHL announced the addition of two more teams. This brought the number of teams in the 1923-24 season to 15, but Burris promised the league would work its away around an odd number of teams. 

Cornwall Loyalists

The first expansion team for the 23-24 season was the Cornwall Loyalists, based in the small town of Cornwall, ON. Burris told reporters that the team’s management submitted a very impressive document outlining how professional hockey would work in the city of 10,000. The team’s name comes from the fact that a lot of the city’s early population were American who were loyal to the British Crown after independence. The logo is a British crown in a shield, while the jerseys are red with a black stripe outlined in white.



Nassau Lynx

The other expansion team for the 23-24 was Long Island’s third team, the Nassau Lynx. Based in Hempstead, the Lynx represent Nassau County, hence the geographical identifier. Burris hoped that a third NY team would create a big three-way rivalry with the Bluebirds and Kings, leading to more media attention from Americans. The team’s logo is a side view of a gold Lynx, while the jerseys are orange with two large navy stripes on the arms and hem.



Other Changes
Disclaimer: Not all jersey or logo changes are meant to be improvements. To keep this league realistic, there will be some dud redesigns as the years go by, simply to keep the graphic design aspect of it realistic.

Montreal Barons

The Barons added pinstripes to the cuffs and hem, adding some more elements to their current set. This moves their design away from the Lumberjacks, who use the same striping template as them.

New York Bluebirds

The Bluebirds switched all instances of orange and white on their jerseys, apart from the logos. Their socks are now orange. Some reporters wondered if this was done as a statement to the Lynx, who also use orange and blue, albeit different shades. This was not confirmed nor denied by New York.

Chicago Wildcats

The Wildcats made a tiny tweak to their set, adding more thin navy stripes to their already-busy socks.

Brooklyn Kings

After one season with a different logo on the front, the Kings switched back to their original logo. They also added stripes for the first time, a thick white stripe on either arm, the hem, and socks.

Boston Harpers

The Harpers changed their logo to a new harp design, one that fit better with their jersey design. Reception was largely positive, with many people saying that it meshed perfectly.