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Thomas N. (Tommy) Phillips

NHL, the National Hockey League is a premier professional North American Sports League played in indoor stadiums. It is divided into two conferences, each comprising of three divisions of ice hockey teams. Thomas N. Phillips was born on 22 May 1880, in Kenora, Ontario. He had played eight pre-NHL seasons from 1902 to 1912. His full name is Thomas Nibs Phillips and is nicknamed as Tommy.

He had learned his hockey as a schoolboy in his native Rat Portage, located in the far west corner of Northern Ontario. It was not until he traveled east to Montreal, in 1901 that he would participate in any organized hockey of note, suiting up for the Montreal Shamrocks of the old City League. He showed himself over there to be a speed merchant on the blades and had no peer as a back checker. These talents soon earned him a spot with the MAAA, Montreal Amateur Athletic Association where he won his first Stanley Cup in 1903.

He returned home to play for the Rat Portage Thistles in the season from 1904 to 1905 and led the Manitoba Pro League with eighteen goals in a six-game schedule in the season from 1906 to 1907. At Ottawa, where Alf Smith was firmly entrenched as the team's starting left winger and refused to vacate the post, he had played right wing, thereby becoming one of the first players to routinely cut in on goal from his off-wing. After a season with Ottawa, he moved out to western Canada, eventually making his way to British Columbia where he played a year in the PCHA, Pacific Coast Hockey Association with the Vancouver Millionaires while working in the lumber business. The season from 1911 to 1912 was to be his one and only year in the PCHA but he still managed to score 17 goals in as many games.

Thomas N. Phillips was a player who was totally dedicated in his play. Unfortunately he died on 30th of November 1923. Later he was inducted into the Hockey hall of fame in the year 1945.

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