Renfrew Millionaires

Lore & Background

The team's founder, Ambrose O'Brien, had played varsity hockey at the University of Toronto and continued his interest as a team founder and owner, financed by his father's great wealth from the Cobalt silver rush. In 1909, when O'Brien sought to join the new Canadian Hockey Association with his existing Renfrew team in the semi-pro Federal Hockey League, the application was rejected. With fellow rejectee Montreal Wanderers, O'Brien founded the NHA, along with franchises in Cobalt, Haileybury and Montreal. With O'Brien Silver Mine money backing the Creamery Kings—named after the creamery the town was best known for—Renfrew iced a powerful team during its first season, with players Frank Patrick and Lester Patrick commanding salaries of $3,000 each, and Cyclone Taylor receiving a record-setting $5,250 for a two-month season. In consequence, the team became widely nicknamed the 'Millionaires' for the over-the-top salaries. O'Brien also secured the services of Newsy Lalonde midseason from the Canadiens franchise, and Lalonde would wind up the season as NHA's first scoring champion. Coached by Ottawa Senators legend and future Hall of Famer Alf Smith, Renfrew finished in third place in the 1910 season with an 8-3-1 record. The team had been held as a favourite to win the Stanley Cup at the onset of the season, and at the end of the season Ottawa Senators player Bruce Stuart claimed lack of confidence played a role in the missed opportunity. Its second and final season, Renfrew lost Lalonde to the Montreal Canadiens, and finished with a less than stellar 8-8 record, with Don Smith and Odie Cleghorn being the leading scorers. Renfrew's final major professional game was a 7-6 victory on March 7, 1911, against the Wanderers. Thereafter, with it being apparent that small towns such as Renfrew, Cobalt and Haileybury could not support major senior hockey, O'Brien folded the franchise for good.

Reader's Guide

The Renfrew Millionaires are significant as a founding franchise of the National Hockey Association, the direct precursor to the National Hockey League. Their brief existence illustrates the early tensions between small-town and big-city hockey, as well as the impact of mining wealth on professional sports. The team's willingness to pay record salaries—most notably Cyclone Taylor's $5,250 for a two-month season—set a precedent for player compensation and earned them the 'Millionaires' nickname. Despite high expectations and a strong first season, the team failed to win the Stanley Cup, with Bruce Stuart attributing the shortfall to a lack of confidence. The franchise's demise after only two seasons underscored the economic challenges faced by small-market teams in the early days of professional hockey. The team's legacy is preserved through its Hall of Fame players—Newsy Lalonde, Lester Patrick, Frank Patrick, Didier Pitre, Alf Smith, Cyclone Taylor, and Sprague Cleghorn—and its role in the formation of the NHA.

Did You Know?

• The team was also known as the Creamery Kings, named after the creamery Renfrew was best known for.
• Cyclone Taylor received a record-setting salary of $5,250 for a two-month season.
• Newsy Lalonde, acquired midseason from the Canadiens, became the NHA's first scoring champion.
• The team's first arena was destroyed by fire in the late 1920s.