On this day (April 4th) in 1921 the Ottawa Senators won the Stanley Cup beating the Vancouver Millionaires 2-1 on the night and 3-2 in the series. It was back to back wins for the Senators who had beaten the Seattle Metropolitans the previous year.
The game set a new world record attendance for a Hockey game with an estimated 12,000 cramming into the Denman Arena in Vancouver where all five games took place. This before the time of each team getting home ice, instead it was played with differing rules due to the teams coming from opposite associations, the Senators representing the NHL and the Millionaires representing the Pacific Coast Hockey Association.
The NHL ran with six players on the ice at one time, the rules still in place today, while the PCHA ran with seven players on the ice, the current six of three forwards, two defensemen and a goaltender along with a seventh position called a rover. Unlike all the others, the rover did not have a set position, and roamed the ice at will, going where needed.
Games 1, 3 and 5 were played under the PCHA Western rules while games 2 and 4 were played under the NHL’s Eastern rules.
Vancouver took game one 3-1 but lost the next two 4-3 and 3-2 respectively before winning game four 3-2 and setting up a nail biting game five.
Alf Skinner opened the scoring for the Millionaires in the first period with his fourth goal of the finals before Jack Darragh equalized for the Senators in the second period and minutes later scored his fifth goal of the finals to put the Senators ahead.
As time ticked away in the third and final period things got heated. Lloyd Cook of the Millionaires was body-checked by Eddie Gerard of the Senators and retaliated. Sprague Cleghorn took exception to this and punched Cook in the jaw leading to a free-for-all that ended with police on the ice separating the teams.
All three players were ejected from the game leaving the Millionaires with a man advantage for the final minutes. The Senators hung on though to become the first NHL team to win back to back Stanley Cups.
