Ernie Russell

Lore & Background

Russell started his senior hockey career with the Montreal Hockey Club, an off-shoot of the Montreal Amateur Athletic Association, in the CAHL in 1904–05. He also played football with the Montreal Football Club as a half back. He moved to the Montreal Wanderers of the ECAHA for the 1906 season alongside teammate Ernie 'Moose' Johnson. In his first season with the Wanderers, they defeated the Ottawa Senators 12-10 (9–1, 3–9) on March 14 and 17, 1906, with Russell scoring four goals in the first game.

The Wanderers repeated as Stanley Cup champions in 1906–07, defeating the Kenora Thistles 12-9 (7–2, 5–6) in Winnipeg on March 23 and 25, with Russell scoring five of his team's goals. During the regular season he led the ECAHA in scoring with 43 goals in nine games. Prior to the 1907–08 season, talks of Russell rejoining the Montreal Hockey Club led to his expulsion from the M.A.A.A. organization when he stayed with the Wanderers, ending his football career. He won his third consecutive Stanley Cup in 1908, scoring 11 of his team's 26 goals in the playoff series. After missing the 1908–09 season, he returned to win a fourth Stanley Cup in 1910, scoring four goals in the deciding game against the Berlin Dutchmen. Russell played four seasons in the NHA with the Wanderers and retired after the 1913–14 season.

Reader's Guide

Ernie Russell is notable as the offensive star of the Montreal Wanderers dynasty that won four Stanley Cups in five years (1906, 1907, 1908, 1910). The article emphasizes his scoring prowess: he once scored a hat-trick in five consecutive games, and in the 1906–07 season he led the ECAHA with 43 goals in nine games. His clutch performances in Stanley Cup finals—scoring four goals in the 1906 first game, five in the 1907 series, eleven total in the 1908 series, and four in the 1910 decider—underscore his importance. The Ottawa Citizen in March 1908 described him as a centre forward whose primary task was scoring, noting that 'right in front of the nets there is scarcely a more dangerous forward in the game' and praising his 'good eye' and 'strong wrist.' His career also intersected with football, as he played half back for the Montreal Football Club until his expulsion from the M.A.A.A. for refusing to rejoin the Montreal Hockey Club. Russell was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1965, two years after his death, cementing his legacy as one of the early game's great goal-scorers.

Did You Know?

• He led the ECAHA in scoring in 1906–07 with 43 goals in nine games.
• He also played football as a half back for the Montreal Football Club.
• Russell was expelled from the M.A.A.A. organization for staying with the Wanderers instead of rejoining the Montreal Hockey Club.