The 1913 Bulldogs, with "Phantom Joe" Malone in the center.
Notice how much smaller the Stanley Cup was then.
March 13, 1912: For the 1st time, the trustees of the Stanley Cup award it as a result of a true championship, not as a challenge trophy. They award it to the Quebec Bulldogs.
The team, from Quebec City, the capital of the Province of Quebec, won the championship of the National Hockey Association. Then they faced the Moncton Victorias, of Moncton, New Brunswick, the champions of the Maritime Professional Hockey League, in a best-2-out-of-3 series, and won it in 2 games, 9-3 on March 11 and 8-0 on March 13, with both games played at the Quebec Skating Rink.
Led by "Phantom" Joe Malone, the best scorer of the 1910s, the Bulldogs won the NHA Championship again in 1913. This time, their Maritime opponents were the Sydney Millionaires of Sydney, Nova Scotia. Malone scored 9 goals in the 1st game, on March 8, leading the Bulldogs to a 14-3 win. Malone didn't even play in the 2nd game, no March 10. The Bulldogs didn't need him: They won, 6-2.
The Bulldogs were invited to enter the NHL when it was founded in 1917, but the manpower drain of World War I meant that they were unable to field a team for the 1917-18 and 1918-19 seasons. They were admitted for 1919-20, but they finished last and lost a lot of money. For 1920-21, they were moved to Ontario, and became the Hamilton Tigers. In 1925, they were moved to America, becoming the New York Americans, lasting until 1942.
The Quebec Aces began play in 1928. In 1944, they won the Allan Cup, Canada's amateur championship. In 1952, led by future Montreal Canadiens stars Jean Béliveau and Jacques Plante, they won the Alexander Cup, the championship of Canadian senior hockey. In 1971, led by future Canadiens star Guy Lafleur, the Quebec Remparts won the Memorial Cup.
In 1972, the World Hockey Association was founded, and with it, the Quebec Nordiques. They reached the Finals in 1975, and won the league title in 1977. In 1979, they were 1 of the 4 WHA teams admitted to the NHL. They reached the Conference Finals in 1982 and 1985, but lost money, and were moved to Denver in 1995, becoming the Colorado Avalanche -- and then won the Stanley Cup in their 1st season away. To their credit, the Avs players took the Cup back to Quebec City, and let their former fans celebrate.
A new Quebec Remparts won the Memorial Cup in 2006, but, as yet, Quebec City has not returned to the NHL. The 1912 and 1913 Bulldogs remain their only Stanley Cup winners; the 1977 Nordiques, their last title winners in what could be called a major hockey league.
The Quebec Skating Rink, the 4th in a series of buildings with that name, was built in 1891, and lasted until it burned down 1918. In 1913, it was replaced by the Quebec Arena, which burned down in 1942, and was replaced by the Colisée de Québec, which burned down in 1948, and was replaced by a new Colisée in 1949, which still stands, although it's been replaced by the Centre Vidéotron in 2015.
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March 13, 1912 was a Wednesday. Baseball was in Spring Training. Football was out of season. And professional basketball barely existed. So there were no other scores on this historic day.
