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Source: http://www.canada.com/Hall+death+reminder+1919+outbreak/1943346/story.html
Hall's death a sad reminder of 1919 flu outbreak
By Ken Warren, Canwest News ServiceAugust 29, 2009
OTTAWA - The name ``Bad'' Joe Hall should provide a tragic reminder to the National Hockey League about the possible implications of a global flu outbreak.
Back in 1919, during the formative years of the NHL, Hall was a skilled and rugged defenceman with the Montreal Canadiens. He was in the twilight of an impressive career which had already seen him win three Stanley Cup titles.
By all accounts, Hall never gave an inch on the ice and if he was playing today, he might favourably be compared to Chris Pronger of the Philadelphia Flyers or Dion Phaneuf of the Calgary Flames, considering that he could dominate games with both skill and physical play.
All that from a player who had a unique rise in hockey. He was born in Staffordshire, England, in 1882, but moved to Manitoba as a child and fell in love with the Canadian game, developing his skills in outdoor rinks in Winnipeg, Brandon and Portage Lake.
During the 1905-06 International Hockey League season, Hall scored 33 goals and amassed 98 penalty minutes in only 20 games - earning him the `Bad' handle.
Hall went on to win the Stanley Cup with the Kenora Thistles in 1907 and then joined the Quebec Bulldogs of the National Hockey Association - the forerunner to the NHL - where he again won the Cup in 1912 and 1913.
In 1917, Hall joined the Canadiens. The club was successful, knocking off the Ottawa Senators to win the NHL title in 1919, and then advancing to play the Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association for the right to lay claim to the Stanley Cup.
The cross-continent train trek to Seattle was devastating, however.
The Canadiens' lineup was ravaged by the Spanish flu pandemic, which had already killed millions worldwide. Despite the illnesses, the games went on and the Canadiens battled the Metropolitans to a draw through five games - each team had two wins and a tie - leading up to what was supposed to be a decisive sixth game.
By then, however, Hall, fellow players Louis Berlinquette, Billy Coutu, Jack McDonald and manager George Kennedy were in the hospital, weakened by the virus. The Canadiens were unable to compete in the final game.
Kennedy forfeited the Cup to Seattle, but Metropolitans coach Pete Muldoon refused to accept, and the Stanley Cup was never awarded. (It was the only year the trophy wasn't awarded, until the 2004-05 lockout wiped out the entire season).
Hall never made it home again. Five days after the final game was to be played, Hall died in the Seattle Sanatorium. For many of the Canadiens, the trip home from the West Coast was effectively a long funeral procession, marked by a stopover for Hall's funeral in Brandon.
In 1961, Hall was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Kennedy, who was responsible for giving the Canadiens their current colour scheme and logo, also never fully recovered from the virus. He died in 1921.
The Stanley Cup itself provides only a hint of the tragedy that took place. Between the listing for the 1918 winners, the Toronto Arenas, and the 1920 winners, the Ottawa Senators, the engraving on the Cup states: ``1919: Montreal Canadiens, Seattle Metropolitans. Series Not Completed.''
Ottawa Citizen
Hall's death a sad reminder of 1919 flu outbreak
By Ken Warren, Canwest News ServiceAugust 29, 2009
OTTAWA - The name ``Bad'' Joe Hall should provide a tragic reminder to the National Hockey League about the possible implications of a global flu outbreak.
Back in 1919, during the formative years of the NHL, Hall was a skilled and rugged defenceman with the Montreal Canadiens. He was in the twilight of an impressive career which had already seen him win three Stanley Cup titles.
By all accounts, Hall never gave an inch on the ice and if he was playing today, he might favourably be compared to Chris Pronger of the Philadelphia Flyers or Dion Phaneuf of the Calgary Flames, considering that he could dominate games with both skill and physical play.
All that from a player who had a unique rise in hockey. He was born in Staffordshire, England, in 1882, but moved to Manitoba as a child and fell in love with the Canadian game, developing his skills in outdoor rinks in Winnipeg, Brandon and Portage Lake.
During the 1905-06 International Hockey League season, Hall scored 33 goals and amassed 98 penalty minutes in only 20 games - earning him the `Bad' handle.
Hall went on to win the Stanley Cup with the Kenora Thistles in 1907 and then joined the Quebec Bulldogs of the National Hockey Association - the forerunner to the NHL - where he again won the Cup in 1912 and 1913.
In 1917, Hall joined the Canadiens. The club was successful, knocking off the Ottawa Senators to win the NHL title in 1919, and then advancing to play the Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association for the right to lay claim to the Stanley Cup.
The cross-continent train trek to Seattle was devastating, however.
The Canadiens' lineup was ravaged by the Spanish flu pandemic, which had already killed millions worldwide. Despite the illnesses, the games went on and the Canadiens battled the Metropolitans to a draw through five games - each team had two wins and a tie - leading up to what was supposed to be a decisive sixth game.
By then, however, Hall, fellow players Louis Berlinquette, Billy Coutu, Jack McDonald and manager George Kennedy were in the hospital, weakened by the virus. The Canadiens were unable to compete in the final game.
Kennedy forfeited the Cup to Seattle, but Metropolitans coach Pete Muldoon refused to accept, and the Stanley Cup was never awarded. (It was the only year the trophy wasn't awarded, until the 2004-05 lockout wiped out the entire season).
Hall never made it home again. Five days after the final game was to be played, Hall died in the Seattle Sanatorium. For many of the Canadiens, the trip home from the West Coast was effectively a long funeral procession, marked by a stopover for Hall's funeral in Brandon.
In 1961, Hall was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Kennedy, who was responsible for giving the Canadiens their current colour scheme and logo, also never fully recovered from the virus. He died in 1921.
The Stanley Cup itself provides only a hint of the tragedy that took place. Between the listing for the 1918 winners, the Toronto Arenas, and the 1920 winners, the Ottawa Senators, the engraving on the Cup states: ``1919: Montreal Canadiens, Seattle Metropolitans. Series Not Completed.''
Ottawa Citizen