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Harry (Hap) Holmes

NHL, the National Hockey League is a premier professional North American Sports League played in indoor stadiums. It’s divided into two conferences, each comprising of three divisions of ice hockey teams. Every outstanding player is honored with his nomination at the NHL Hall of Fame amongst which Harry Holmes is one. He was inducted to the hall of fame in the year 1972.

Nicknamed as Hap, Harry Holmes was born in 1889 at Aurora, Ontario and passed away in 1940. Harry excelled in all five of the top pro leagues from 1912 to 1928. He made an impact in the National Hockey Association, Pacific Coast Hockey Association, Western Canada Hockey League, Western Hockey League and National Hockey League. He played 16 professional seasons from 1912 to 1928. He debuted with the Toronto Blueshirts in the 1912 to 1913 season and enjoyed an outstanding sophomore year by leading the league in wins and helping the club become the first Toronto team to win the Stanley Cup.

Harry was a sterling playoff performer who backstopped two Stanley Cup wins in Toronto and one each in Seattle and Victoria. He was the leading goalie six times in the Pacific Coast Hockey Association and Western Canada Hockey League when such rivals as Hugh Lehman and George Hainsworth were still on the ice. In Stanley Cup play, he out-dueled such legends as Georges Vezina and Clint Benedict. Harry ventured east again with Seattle in 1920 to challenge Ottawa for the Stanley Cup. Despite his brilliance, the westerners lost a close series to the powerhouse Senators. He led the PCHA, Pacific Coast Hockey Association in shutouts four times and in wins on two occasions. He enjoyed two successful years with the Victoria Cougars from 1924 to 1926, leading the WCHL, Western Canada Hockey League in his goals against average.

Following the dissolution of the Western Hockey League in 1926, players headed to the enlarged NHL. The expansion Detroit Cougars were the benefactors of Harry’s last two years as an active player. He compiled 17 shutouts in two seasons and proved to be a veteran workhorse who helped give the young NHL side some confidence. He is still remembered as a potential and dominating player with a versatile playing skill that made him unique.

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