Tommy Dunderdale

Thomas Dunderdale (6 May 1887 – 15 December 1960) was an Australian-Canadian professional ice hockey player, most often at the centre forward position. Born in the Colony of Victoria (now part of Australia), he moved to England with his family in 1894, then to Canada in 1904. He played in Winnipeg for three seasons, from 1906 to 1910. In 1910, he joined the Montreal Shamrocks of the Canadian Hockey Association and the National Hockey Association (NHA), before moving on to the Quebec Bulldogs the following season. In 1911–12, he joined the Victoria Aristocrats of the newly formed Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA), playing nine seasons in total in Victoria. He split his seasons in Victoria with a three-season stint with the Portland Rosebuds between 1915 and 1918. After the PCHA folded in 1923, Dunderdale played one season in the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL), splitting the season between the Saskatoon Crescents and the Edmonton Eskimos.

In 1974, Dunderdale became the only Australian-born player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He is credited with scoring the first penalty shot goal in ice hockey history.

Early life Dunderdale was born in Benalla in the Colony of Victoria (now part of Australia) on 6 May 1887. His parents were originally from England and returned to Lancashire in 1894 but in 1904, they resettled to Ottawa, Ontario. Tommy first played organised ice hockey at the age of 17 with his Waller Street School team. In 1905 he moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba and played the 1905–06 season with the amateur Winnipeg Ramblers.

Playing career Dunderdale turned professional in 1906–07 with the Winnipeg Strathconas. He played three seasons for the franchise, which was also known as the Winnipeg Maple Leafs and the Winnipeg Shamrocks, scoring on average more than two points per game, with the majority of the points being goals. In 1909–10, Dunderdale moved east, and played with the Montreal Shamrocks, first with the Canadian Hockey Association, and later with the National Hockey Association (NHA). That season, he appeared in 15 games overall, and scored 21 goals. He played the 1910–11 season for the Quebec Bulldogs of the NHA, finishing second on the team in scoring, with 13 goals, even though he played only nine out of 16 games, and receiving 25 penalty minutes. Scoring 24 goals in 16 games, Dunderdale received his first out of six First All-Star team selections in the PCHA, as well as his first of four consecutive. In the next two seasons, Dunderdale recorded similar statistics to his first season in the PCHA, again scoring 24 goals in both seasons, and he was named to the First All-Star team in both seasons. The 1912–13 season saw the Victoria Aristocrats challenge the Quebec Bulldogs for the Stanley Cup. Although the Aristocrats won the series, their challenge was not accepted by the Stanley Cup trustees. The 1914–15 season saw Dunderdale named to the First All-Star team for his fourth consecutive time, as he scored 17 goals and assisted on 10 others, for 27 points in 17 games. The 1917–18 season was his last in Portland, as he scored 14 goals in 18 games.

Dunderdale retired at the end of the 1923–24 season. He retired as the PCHA's leading goal scorer, with 194 goals in total. He was a six-time PCHA First Team All-Star, and led the league in goals in three seasons, and in points in two.

Playing style

Dunderdale, who most often held down the centre forward position on his team, but sometimes also played at wing or as a rover, was noted as being an excellent stickhandler and a fast skater, and prone to dangerous zig zag rushes down the ice. He also had a hard and accurate shot, which helped him score many goals wherever he played. The Vancouver Daily World made the same observation during the 1917–18 season, when Dunderdale went a game without a penalty, and pointed out that if the forward "would cut out the rough stuff and keep on the ice instead of the bench, he would be one of the most effective players in the league."

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1905–06 Winnipeg Ramblers MIHA — — — — — — — — — — 1906–07 Winnipeg Strathconas MHL 10 8 0 8 — — — — — — 1907–08 Winnipeg Maple Leafs MHL 3 1 0 1 — — — — — — 1907–08 Strathcona MHL 5 11 1 12 17 3 6 1 7 3 1908–09 Winnipeg Shamrocks MHL 9 17 7 24 9 3 3 0 3 6 1909–10 Montreal Shamrocks CHA 3 7 0 7 5 — — — — — 1910 Montreal Shamrocks NHA 12 14 0 14 19 — — — — — 1910–11 Quebec Bulldogs NHA 9 13 0 13 25 — — — — — 1911–12 Victoria Senators PCHA 16 24 0 24 25 — — — — — 1912–13 Victoria Senators PCHA 15 24 5 29 36 — — — — — 1913–14 Victoria Aristocrats PCHA 16 24 4 28 34 — — — — — 1914 Victoria Aristocrats Stanley Cup — — — — — 3 3 0 3 11 1914–15 Victoria Aristocrats PCHA 17 17 10 27 22 6 4 4 8 6 1915–16 Portland Rosebuds PCHA 18 14 3 17 45 5 1 1 2 9 1916–17 Portland Rosebuds PCHA 24 22 4 26 141 — — — — — 1917–18 Portland Rosebuds PCHA 18 14 6 20 57 — — — — — 1918–19 Victoria Aristocrats PCHA 20 5 4 9 28 — — — — — 1919–20 Victoria Aristocrats PCHA 22 26 7 33 35 — — — — — 1920–21 Victoria Aristocrats PCHA 24 9 11 20 18 — — — — — 1921–22 Victoria Cougars PCHA 24 13 6 19 37 — — — — — 1922–23 Victoria Cougars PCHA 27 2 0 2 16 2 0 1 1 0 1923–24 Saskatoon Crescents WCHL 6 1 0 1 4 — — — — — 1923–24 Edmonton Eskimos WCHL 11 1 1 2 5 — — — — — PCHA Totals 231 194 60 254 494 13 5 6 11 15