AAA JUNIOR HOCKEY

Stanley Cup winners four consecutive years, 1903-1906. The star player was Frank McGee; he scored an average of more than three goals a game during his four seasons with the Silver Seven as a young man in his early twenties. On 16 September 1916 while serving in the 21st Battalion CEF Lt McGee was killed in action during the fierce fighting at Courcelette. His body was not recovered and he is remembered on Canada's Vimy Memorial. Francis Clarence McGee was among the first inductees in the Hockey Hall of Fame, 1945.

Another star player was Hamilton Livingstone 'Billy' Gilmour; he too fought for Canada in the Great War but Gilmour was fortunate, he lived to skate another day though not long enough to see himself inducted in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Gilmour died in 1959, three years before his induction.

This image of the 1903 Ottawa Silver Seven is card #5 in the 1991-92 Highliner Centennial Collectors Series. The card back lists the players as follows [L-R]: Bottom Row: P. Smith, A. Mutchmor, L. Bate, M. Rosenthal, C. Kirby; Second Row: J. Smith, W. Halton, R. Shillington, N. Sparks, H.Kirby, C. Spittall; Third Row: F. Wood, P. Butler, A. Fraser; Fourth Row: Frank McGee, H.L. Gilmore; Top Row: Alf Smith {team coach}, M. McGilton, S. Gilmore, Arthur Moore, Harry Pulford, Bouse Hutton, D. Gilmore, Harry Westwick, P, Green.

A little office silliness to mark what everyone in the Metro Vancouver region is talking about today. For my European flickr friends: Vancouver's hockey team - the Canucks - have made it to the finals against the Boston Bruins for the coveted Stanley Cup. Hockey is almost a religion in this country and the thought that the cup might return to Canada has Vancouver in a tizzy. Fist team to win four of the seven games gets the ultimate trophy.

And Vancouver won the first game tonight 1 - 0 with the game winning goal scored with less than 20 seconds left.