Cobalt Silver Kings
Founding NHA member from a small mining town.
The Cobalt Silver Kings were a professional ice hockey team from Cobalt, Ontario, founded in 1906. They are best known as one of the original members of the National Hockey Association (NHA), the league that preceded the National Hockey League. The club was created to take advantage of the mining boom in northern Ontario, but the town proved too small to sustain top-level professional hockey, and the team left the NHA after just one season. The franchise was owned by Ambrose O'Brien, a mine operator from Renfrew, Ontario.
The team began play in 1906 in the Timiskaming Professional Hockey League (TPHL). In 1909, the Silver Kings won the O'Brien Cup as TPHL champions. That same year, the club joined the newly formed NHA alongside the Haileybury Comets (another TPHL team), the Renfrew Creamery Kings from the Federal League, and Montreal's Les Canadiens and Wanderers. Ambrose O'Brien founded the NHA to rival the Canadian Hockey Association (CHA) and to give his Renfrew team a chance at the Stanley Cup. The CHA soon dissolved, and two of its teams—the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Shamrocks—joined the NHA. After the NHA's first season, the Silver Kings returned to the TPHL, and their NHA franchise was taken over by the Quebec Bulldogs, who had previously played in the CHA. The team played its home games in an arena that could hold 3,500 spectators.
The head coach for the 1909–10 season was Tom Hare. Notable players included Ed Decarie (1906–07), Howard McNamara (1909–10), and Bruce Ridpath (1906–07, 1908–09). Several players from the club are in the Hockey Hall of Fame: Newsy Lalonde (1906–07), Hugh Lehman (1906–07), George McNamara (1906–07), Didier Pitre (1906–07), and Art Ross (1908–09).
- Founded
- 1906
- Location
- Cobalt, Ontario
- League
- National Hockey Association (NHA), Timiskaming Professional Hockey League (TPHL)
- Arena capacity
- 3,500
- Owner
- Ambrose O'Brien
- Head coach (1909–1910)
- Tom Hare
- Championship
- O'Brien Cup (TPHL) in 1909
Lore & Background
The club was founded in 1906 in the Timiskaming Professional Hockey League, an early professional league. In 1909, the Cobalt Silver Kings won the O'Brien Cup as champions of the TPHL. That same year, the club became part of the new National Hockey Association, along with the Haileybury Comets, Renfrew Creamery Kings, and Les Canadiens and Wanderers of Montreal. The NHA was founded by owner Ambrose O'Brien to rival the Canadian Hockey Association and to provide a league for his Renfrew team to win the Stanley Cup. The CHA dissolved, and two of its teams—the Senators of Ottawa and the Shamrocks of Montreal—joined the NHA.
The team was established to capitalize on the then-current mining boom in northern Ontario, but it became clear that the town was too small to support major professional hockey. After the initial NHA season, the club returned to play in the TPHL, and its NHA franchise was taken over by the Quebec Bulldogs. The team played in an arena with a capacity for 3,500 spectators.
Reader's Guide
The Cobalt Silver Kings are significant as a founding member of the National Hockey Association, the direct predecessor of the National Hockey League. Their brief tenure in the NHA—only one season—illustrates the challenges faced by small-market teams in early professional hockey. The club's existence was tied to the mining boom in northern Ontario, but the town of Cobalt proved too small to sustain a major professional team. After leaving the NHA, the franchise was taken over by the Quebec Bulldogs, who had previously played in the Canadian Hockey Association. The team's legacy includes several notable players who later entered the Hockey Hall of Fame, such as Newsy Lalonde, Hugh Lehman, George McNamara, Didier Pitre, and Art Ross. The Silver Kings' story reflects the fluid and competitive nature of early professional hockey leagues in Canada.
Did You Know?
- The Cobalt Silver Kings were a founding member of the National Hockey Association in 1909.
- The team won the O'Brien Cup as champions of the Timiskaming Professional Hockey League in 1909.
- The club was owned by Renfrew mine operator Ambrose O'Brien.
- After one NHA season, the team's franchise was taken over by the Quebec Bulldogs.
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