Paul's talk covered the time between those early days of hockey in Ottawa until the loss of the first Ottawa Senators NHL team in 1934. The end came when the larger cities became seriously interested and were able to outbid Ottawa for the better players.
The Ottawa teams had several firsts or near firsts for a hockey team. In addition to the first radio broadcast Ottawa played in the first season the Stanley Cup was challenged in 1893, and won. They were the second team to travel to an out of town game on a train.
The Ottawa Hockey Club and the first Senators were a very good team. Canadian sports editors selected The Senators were selected by Canadian sports editors to be Canada's greatest team in the first half of the 20th century.
One of the most notable reminders of the differences in hockey between then and now were the pictures of the early teams. A team consisted of only 7 members. No, the seventh wasn't a spare. There were 7 players on the ice for each team. The seventh player was called a "rover" and he apparently chased the puck on defence and tried to get in the clear anywhere on offence. He did not have a specific position to play.
This Dey Brothers rink was one of two or three arenas the family built in Ottawa on the banks of the canal. The Dey family was prominent in Ottawa at the time, with a boat works serving the lumber business. Member of the family also played hockey, so the interest in rinks was not surprising.
Paul's book "Win, Tie, or Wrangle" is expected to be published in late 2008.
The talk was really interesting and we all left the building that night with our heads a little higher because of the knowledge of our excellent Ottawa hockey history.