Brooklyn Crescents

Lore & Background

The Brooklyn Crescents played in the American Amateur Hockey League during its inaugural 1896–97 season and again from 1899 to 1918, winning nine championship titles—the most in league history. The team featured several Canadian players, including Bob Wall, Bill Dobby, and Arthur Liffiton from Montreal, Jimmy Shirreff from Brockville, and James Sarsfield Kennedy from Barrie. Wall, Dobby, and Kennedy joined the Crescents from the rivaling Brooklyn SC before the 1899–1900 season, while Liffiton joined from the same club for the 1901–02 season. Before moving to New York City, both Bob Wall and Bill Dobby had played on the Montreal Shamrocks.

The Crescents played their home games at the Clermont Avenue Skating Rink in Brooklyn from 1896 until 1906, sharing it with fellow AAHL team the Brooklyn Skating Club. From 1906 to 1916 they played at the St. Nicholas Rink in Manhattan. In January 1917 the team moved its operations to the Brooklyn Ice Palace at the corner of Atlantic Avenue and Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn.

Reader's Guide

The Brooklyn Crescents were a dominant force in the American Amateur Hockey League, winning nine championships—the most of any team in the league's history. Their success was bolstered by several Canadian players, many of whom transferred from the rival Brooklyn SC. The team's home venues shifted over time, from the Clermont Avenue Skating Rink in Brooklyn to the St. Nicholas Rink in Manhattan, and finally to the Brooklyn Ice Palace in 1917. The Crescents' affiliation with the Crescent Athletic Club and their long tenure in the AAHL from 1896 to 1918 mark them as a significant amateur team in early New York City hockey. Their legacy is tied to the league's inaugural season and their record number of titles, which no other AAHL team matched.

Did You Know?

• The Brooklyn Crescents won nine AAHL championship titles, the most in league history.
• The team shared the Clermont Avenue Skating Rink with the Brooklyn Skating Club from 1896 to 1906.
• In January 1917, the Crescents moved to the Brooklyn Ice Palace at Atlantic Avenue and Bedford Avenue.