Hap Holmes
Won four Stanley Cups with four different teams.
Harry George "Hap" Holmes (February 21, 1888 – June 27, 1941) was a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He won the Stanley Cup four times, each time with a different team. This tied the record set by his 1914 Toronto Blueshirts teammate Jack Marshall, and no other player has matched the feat.
Holmes began his senior amateur career with the Toronto Parkdale Canoe Club in the Ontario Hockey Association, playing three seasons from 1908 to 1911. He turned professional with the Toronto Blueshirts of the National Hockey Association in 1912–13. In his second season with the Blueshirts, he won his first Stanley Cup in 1914. Though still under contract to Toronto, Holmes joined the Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association for the 1915–16 season. In his second year with Seattle, he won his second Stanley Cup in 1917, making the Metropolitans the first American-based team to claim the trophy.
For the 1917–18 season, a series of loans landed Holmes with the Torontos (renamed the Toronto Arenas the following year) of the newly formed National Hockey League. In his only full season with the club, he won his third Stanley Cup. After two games with the Arenas in 1918–19, he was recalled by Seattle and played there for six more seasons until the team folded.
In 1924–25, Holmes joined the Victoria Cougars of the Western Canada Hockey League. He played two seasons with the Cougars, winning his fourth and final Stanley Cup. When the WCHL/WHL dissolved, Holmes moved to the NHL's Detroit Cougars, playing two seasons before retiring.
A stand-up goaltender, Holmes later wore a cap in net to shield his head from objects thrown by spectators. After retiring, he coached minor-league teams, including the Toronto Millionaires of the Canadian Professional Hockey League and the Cleveland Indians of the International Hockey League. Holmes died near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1941, and was posthumously inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.
Quick Facts
- Birth Date
- 1888-02-21
- Birth Place
- Aurora, Ontario, Canada
- Death Date
- 1941-06-27
- Death Place
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
- Height Ft
- 5
- Height In
- 10
- Weight Lb
- 170
- Position
- Goaltender
- Catches
- Left
- Played For
- Toronto Blueshirts / Seattle Metropolitans / Toronto Arenas / Victoria Cougars / Detroit Cougars
- Career Start
- 1912
- Career End
- 1928
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Holmes began his amateur career with the Parkdale Canoe Club of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) from 1908 to 1911. He turned professional with the Toronto Blueshirts of the National Hockey Association (NHA) in 1912–13, winning his first Stanley Cup in 1914. Despite being under contract to the Blueshirts, he joined the Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA) for the 1915–16 season, winning his second Cup in 1917. He then played for the Torontos (later Toronto Arenas) of the newly formed NHL in 1917–18, winning his third Cup. After a second stint with the Metropolitans, he joined the Victoria Cougars of the Western Canada Hockey League (WCHL/WHL) in 1924–25, winning his fourth and final Stanley Cup. Holmes was a stand-up style goaltender and later wore a cap in goal to protect his head from objects thrown by spectators. After retiring, he coached minor-league teams including the Toronto Millionaires and Cleveland Indians.
Reader's Guide
Holmes' significance lies in his unique achievement of winning the Stanley Cup with four different teams: the Toronto Blueshirts (1914), Seattle Metropolitans (1917), Torontos/Toronto Arenas (1918), and Victoria Cougars (1925). This tied the record of his 1914 teammate Jack Marshall, and no other player has duplicated it. He was the first goaltender to win the Cup with both an NHA and an NHL team, and his 1917 win with Seattle made the Metropolitans the first American-based team to win the Stanley Cup. His career spanned multiple leagues—NHA, PCHA, NHL, and WCHL/WHL—reflecting the era's fluid hockey landscape. Holmes was inducted posthumously into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.
Did You Know?
- Holmes won the Stanley Cup with four different teams: Toronto Blueshirts, Seattle Metropolitans, Torontos/Toronto Arenas, and Victoria Cougars.
- He tied the record of his 1914 teammate Jack Marshall for most teams with a Stanley Cup win; no other player has duplicated this.
- Holmes was the goaltender for the Seattle Metropolitans when they became the first American-based team to win the Stanley Cup in 1917.
- He wore a cap in goal later in his career to protect his head from objects thrown by spectators.
More in Hockey Hall of Fame Goaltenders 1-24
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