Seattle Metropolitans

Lore & Background

The Metropolitans were formed in 1915 as an expansion team by Frank and Lester Patrick, owners of the PCHA. The team's name came from the Metropolitan Building Company, which built the Seattle Ice Arena on the University of Washington's Metropolitan Tract. In 1915, the Patricks raided the Toronto Blueshirts—winners of the 1914 Stanley Cup—signing Eddie Carpenter, Frank Foyston, Hap Holmes, Jack Walker, and Cully Wilson, giving Seattle an immediate competitive squad. Pete Muldoon signed Bobby Rowe and Bernie Morris, who became a five-time PCHA All-Star. The roster remained stable: seven players spent seven or more seasons in Seattle, with Foyston, Walker, and Rowe playing all nine campaigns. The Metropolitans won the 1917 Stanley Cup by defeating the Montreal Canadiens three games to one, outscoring them 23–11. Bernie Morris scored 14 of Seattle's goals, including six in Game 4. The 1919 Stanley Cup Final was cancelled after five games due to the Spanish flu pandemic, with the series tied 2–2–1; Montreal's Joe Hall died from the flu. The 1920 final saw Seattle lose to the Ottawa Senators in five games. The Metropolitans folded in 1924 when a replacement for the Seattle Ice Arena could not be found.

Reader's Guide

The Seattle Metropolitans hold a unique place in hockey history as the first American team to win the Stanley Cup, achieving this in 1917, eleven years before the New York Rangers became the NHL's first U.S. franchise to do so in 1928. Their 1917 championship was chronicled in the book When It Mattered Most. The team's success came during the PCHA's rivalry with the NHA, and their roster stability in an era of one-year contracts was notable. The 1919 final cancellation due to the Spanish flu pandemic remains a tragic footnote, with the Metropolitans' refusal to accept a forfeited Cup reflecting the era's sportsmanship. After the franchise folded, its core joined the Victoria Cougars. The NHL uses the abbreviation SMT to distinguish the Metropolitans from the later Seattle Kraken (SEA) in Stanley Cup records. The Kraken have honored the Metropolitans by raising a 1917 championship banner and designing their 'S' logo as an homage. The Seattle Thunderbirds held a centennial celebration in 2015, wearing replica Metropolitans jerseys.

Did You Know?

• Bernie Morris scored 14 of Seattle's 23 goals in the 1917 Stanley Cup Final, including six in Game 4.
• The NHL uses the abbreviation SMT to distinguish the Seattle Metropolitans from the Seattle Kraken (SEA) in Stanley Cup records.