The 1919 PCHA season was the eighth season of the professional men's ice hockey Pacific Coast Hockey Association league. Season play ran from January 1 to March 10. The season was increased to 20 games per team.
The Vancouver Millionaires club were the regular season PCHA champions, but lost the playoff to Seattle Metropolitans. The Mets then played in the 1919 Stanley Cup Finals against the National Hockey League champion Montreal Canadiens. Due to the ongoing Spanish flu pandemic, the series was not completed; a number of players had to be hospitalized, including Canadiens defenceman Joe Hall, who died four days after the cancellation.[1]
The Portland Rosebuds were suspended for the season. With World War I having ended in November 1918, the Canadian military returned Victoria's Patrick Arena to its normal use before the January 1919 start of the season; having gone dormant for the 1917–18 season, the Victoria Aristocrats were re-activated and took over the contracts of the Rosebud players.
Hap Holmes returned to the PCHA to Seattle from Toronto. Vancouver got Art Duncan back from World War I, and picked up Fred Harris from Portland. Seattle's Cully Wilson was suspended from the league for breaking Mickey MacKay's jaw in a fight, using his stick to cross-check MacKay in the face.[2] While Cyclone Taylor won the goal-scoring title with 23 goals, the second-place Bernie Morris scored five goals against Victoria on February 14.[3] Third-place Smokey Harris scored five goals against Victoria on March 10.[4]
Note: W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF= Goals For, GA = Goals against
Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold
In a reversal of the previous year's playoffs, the second-place Metropolitans defeated the first-place Vancouver Millionaires. Vancouver was missing Mickey MacKay due to injury and coaxed Si Griffis out of retirement for the last two games of the season and the playoffs.[4]
Frank Foyston was the star of the first game, scoring three goals for Seattle. The 6–1 win was enough to hold the series, as they dropped the return game in Vancouver, where Harris scored two in a losing cause.[5]
Seattle Metropolitans vs. Vancouver Millionaires
Seattle wins two-game total-goals series 7 to 5
The Mets then played against the NHL champions Montreal Canadiens. Due to the outbreak of flu at the time, players from both teams were hospitalized, and the series was not completed.
Montreal Canadiens vs. Seattle Metropolitans
Series ended 2–2–1 and no winner awarded – playoffs were curtailed due to the influenza epidemic
All games were actually played in Seattle, but Seattle is listed as the home team for games played under PCHA rules, and Montreal is the "home" team for games played under NHL rules.
Source: Coleman[6]
Source: Coleman[6]