Hap Holmes

Harry George "Hap" Holmes (February 21, 1888 – June 27, 1941) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. A goaltender, Holmes won the Stanley Cup four times, with four teams. He tied the record of his 1914 Stanley Cup winning Toronto Blueshirts teammate Jack Marshall, who also won Cups with four teams. No other player has duplicated this record.

Holmes played as an amateur for three seasons with the Parkdale Canoe Club of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1908 to 1911, before joining the professional Toronto Blueshirts of the National Hockey Association (NHA) in 1912–13. Holmes won the first of his four Stanley Cups in 1914. Although being under contract to the Blueshirts, Holmes joined the Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) for the 1915–16 season, winning his second Stanley Cup (1917) in his second season with the Metropolitans. For the 1917–18 season, Holmes ended up playing for the Torontos (the following year renamed as the Toronto Arenas) of the National Hockey League (NHL) through a series of loans by other teams. Holmes won his third Stanley Cup in his only full season with the Torontos. After playing two games in the 1918–19 season for the Toronto Arenas, Holmes was recalled by the Metropolitans. Holmes played for the Metropolitans for the next six seasons, until the team folded.

In the 1924–25 season, Holmes joined the Victoria Cougars of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL/WHL). Holmes played for the Cougars for two seasons, winning the Stanley Cup for his fourth and last time. After the WCHL/WHL folded, Holmes joined the Detroit Cougars of the NHL, playing with the Cougars for two seasons before retiring.

Holmes was a stand-up style goaltender; later on in his career, Holmes wore a cap in goal to protect his head from objects thrown by spectators. Holmes coached minor-league teams after his retirement, notably the Toronto Millionaires of the Canadian Professional Hockey League (CPHL) and the Cleveland Indians of the International Hockey League (IHL). Holmes died in 1941, near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and was inducted posthumously into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.

Amateur career Harry "Hap" Holmes, alternatively nicknamed "Happy", started playing ice hockey as an amateur with the Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club in the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) in the 1908–09 season. He played with Parkdale for three seasons, for 11 regular season games and two playoff games. In his first season with the Parkdale Canoe Club, Holmes lost all three games in which he appeared, giving up 22 goals over that stretch.

The following season, Holmes appeared in four games, winning and losing two games apiece. Over the 1909–10 season, Holmes gave up 26 goals. In 1910–11, his last season with the Parkdale Canoe Club, he appeared in four regular season games once more, winning three and losing one, while giving up only 12 goals over those games. In the playoffs, Holmes played two games, losing one and tying the other, surrendering nine goals.

In the 1911–12 season, Holmes appeared in only one exhibition game, as the Toronto Blueshirts were unable to play due to the slow completion of their artificial ice. Holmes played a game for the Toronto Tecumsehs, conceding three goals in a victory.

Professional career

Toronto Blueshirts

Holmes began his professional career playing for the Toronto Blueshirts of the National Hockey Association (NHA) in 1912–13. Holmes played with the Blueshirts for three seasons. Canadiens player Joe Hall died on April 5, 1919, five days after the end of the series, in a Seattle hospital. The only draw of the series was a scoreless affair; after playing 20 minutes of overtime, referee Mickey Ion called the game off. It was Holmes' fourth and last Stanley Cup victory.

The following season, Holmes had a 15–11–4 regular season record, with four shutouts and a 1.68 goals-against average. In the WHL playoffs, Holmes nearly duplicated his results from the previous season, posting a 2–0–2 record, with one shutout and a 1.45 goals-against average. In the 1926 Stanley Cup Final, the Cougars lost the series 3–1 against the Montreal Maroons. It was Holmes' seventh and last Stanley Cup Final appearance.

Detroit Cougars A new NHL franchise in Detroit bought the rights to the Victoria Cougars players, and named the team the Cougars. Holmes played his last two professional seasons with the Detroit Cougars. Holmes, playing for Detroit, posted 17 shutouts in 85 appearances. Detroit failed to make the playoffs in both of Holmes' seasons with them, as Holmes only won 30 of his 85 appearances. In Holmes' first season with Detroit, he posted an 11–26–4 record, over 41 games played. Holmes had six shutouts and overall, his goals-against average that season was 2.23. In the 1927–28 season, Holmes' final one as a professional player, he appeared in all 44 of Detroit's games. He posted a 19–19–6 record, with 11 shutouts and a 1.73 goals-against average. Holmes played a stand-up style, and relied on proper positioning to stop the puck. Holmes' play was consistent, and he was relaxed and nonchalant in the nets, leading some to describe his play as almost lazy. He coached the Toronto Millionaires of the Canadian Professional Hockey League (CPHL) to a 19–6–7 record in the 1928–29 season, and the Cleveland Indians of the International Hockey League (IHL) to a 24–18–6 record in the 1930–31 season. During this period, his son Bill played with the Miami Clippers of the abortive Tropical Hockey League. The elder Holmes had the intention of eventually starting a hockey league in Australia, but the farm went under and nothing came of the idea.

Holmes died on June 27, 1941, of a cerebral hemorrhage, after years of declining health. He was inducted posthumously into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA 1908–09 Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club OHA-Sr. 3 0 3 0 180 22 0 7.33 — — — — — — — — 1909–10 Parkdale Canoe Club OHA-Sr. 4 2 2 0 240 26 0 6.50 — — — — — — — — 1910–11 Parkdale Canoe Club OHA-Sr. 4 3 1 0 240 12 0 3.00 2 0 1 1 120 9 0 4.50 1911–12 Toronto Tecumsehs Exhib. 1 1 0 0 60 3 0 3.00 — — — — — — — — 1912–13 Toronto Blueshirts NHA 15 6 7 0 779 58 1 4.47 — — — — — — — — 1913–14 Toronto Blueshirts NHA 20 13 7 0 1204 65 1 3.24 2 1 1 0 120 2 1 1.00 1913–14 Toronto Blueshirts St-Cup — — — — — — — — 3 3 0 0 195 8 0 2.46 1914–15 Toronto Blueshirts NHA 20 8 12 0 1218 84 0 4.18 — — — — — — — — 1915–16 Seattle Metropolitans PCHA 18 9 9 0 1080 66 0 3.67 — — — — — — — — 1916–17 Seattle Metropolitans PCHA 24 16 8 0 1465 80 2 3.28 — — — — — — — — 1916–17 Seattle Metropolitans St-Cup — — — — — — — — 4 3 1 0 240 11 0 2.75 1917–18 Toronto Arenas NHL 16 9 7 0 965 76 0 4.73 2 1 1 0 120 7 0 3.50 1917–18 Toronto Arenas St-Cup — — — — — — — — 5 3 2 0 300 21 0 4.20 1918–19 Toronto Arenas NHL 2 0 2 0 120 9 0 4.50 — — — — — — — — 1918–19 Seattle Metropolitans PCHA 20 11 9 0 1225 46 0 2.25 2 1 1 0 120 5 0 2.50 1918–19 Seattle Metropolitans St-Cup — — — — — — — — 5 2 2 1 336 10 2 1.79 1919–20 Seattle Metropolitans PCHA 22 12 10 0 1340 55 4 2.46 2 1 1 0 120 3 1 1.501919–20 Seattle Metropolitans St-Cup — — — — — — — — 5 2 3 0 300 15 0 3.00 1920–21 Seattle Metropolitans PCHA 24 12 11 1 1551 68 0 2.63 2 0 2 0 120 13 0 6.50 1921–22 Seattle Metropolitans PCHA 24 12 11 1 1479 64 4 2.60 2 0 2 0 120 2 0 1.00 1922–23 Seattle Metropolitans PCHA 30 15 15 0 1844 106 2 3.45 — — — — — — — — 1923–24 Seattle Metropolitans PCHA 30 14 16 0 1824 99 2 3.26 2 0 1 1 134 4 0 1.79 1924–25 Victoria Cougars WCHL 28 16 12 0 1683 63 3 2.25 4 2 0 2 240 5 1 1.25 1924–25 Victoria Cougars St-Cup — — — — — — — — 4 3 1 0 240 8 0 2.00 1925–26 Victoria Cougars WHL 30 15 11 4 1894 53 4 1.68 4 2 0 2 249 6 1 1.45 1925–26 Victoria Cougars St-Cup — — — — — — — — 4 1 3 0 240 10 0 2.50 1926–27 Detroit Cougars NHL 41 11 26 4 2685 100 6 2.23 — — — — — — — — 1927–28 Detroit Cougars NHL 44 19 19 6 2740 79 11 1.73 — — — — — — — — NHA totals 55 27 26 0 3201 207 2 3.88 2 1 1 0 120 2 1 1.00 PCHA totals 192 101 89 2 11,808 584 14 2.97 10 2 7 1 614 27 1 2.64 St-Cup totals — — — — — — — — 30 17 12 1 1851 83 2 2.69 NHL totals 103 39 54 10 6510 264 17 2.43 2 1 1 0 120 7 0 3.50