The1927 Stanley Cup Final was played by theOttawa Senators and theBoston Bruins. It was the first time the Cup was solely contested byNational Hockey League teams, owing to the demise of theWestern Hockey Leaguethe previous year. It was won by the Ottawa Senators, coached byDave Gill, over the Boston Bruins, coached byArt Ross. This was the Senators' fourth win since 1920, and eleventh overall, but it marked the end of the dynasty. The original Senators would not win another.^[1]

It would be the last time a team from Ottawa would play in the Finals until the2007 Stanley Cup Finals, and the first Stanley Cup Finals to have games played in both Canada and the United States.

The Stanley Cup Finals was originally intended to be a best-of-three series. After the first game was declared a draw, NHL presidentFrank Calder ruled that the series would go no more than five games, with overtimes limited to 20 minutes. If the teams were tied after five games, the teams would share the championship.^[2][3] In the end, the series went four games because of two ties. These were the last ties in Stanley Cup history, notwithstanding the unfinished 3–3 Stanley Cup Finals match between Edmonton and Boston on May 24, 1988. Ottawa'sFrank Nighbor was playing in his sixth Stanley Cup series, while Boston'sSprague Cleghorn andBilly Coutu were playing in their fifth Stanley Cup series.^[4]

Rough play marred the series: in the final game,Lionel Hitchman andGeorge Boucher were ejected for a wild fight which Ottawa police had to break up.Hooley Smith butt-ended Boston'sHarry Oliver, andEddie Shore fought with Smith in retaliation; both Smith and Shore were ejected. After the game,Billy Coutu assaulted referee Jerry Laflamme, tackled refereeBilly Bell and started a bench-clearing brawl.^[5] Coutu was barred from the league for life, Smith was given a one-month suspension effective in the 1927–28 season, while Boucher, Hitchman andJimmy Herbert were all fined.^[6]

The April 13, 1927, game at theOttawa Auditorium was the last Stanley Cup Finals game in Ottawa until the June 2, 2007, game played atScotiabank Place between thecurrent Senators and theAnaheim Ducks. It is known that one fan, Russell Williams, attended both games, 80 years apart, both games won by Ottawa.^[7]

The first game ended in a scoreless draw after two ten-minute overtime periods. In the overtime, the condition of the ice became unplayable and NHL PresidentFrank Calder called the game. There were two disallowed goals, one by each team, and both disallowed by off-sides.^[8]

Before the next game, Calder decided that the series would play to five games if necessary. If after the five games, the teams were tied, that the teams would share the Stanley Cup honours. Calder also ruled that overtimes would be limited to 20 minutes.^[2]

In the second game, the Senators changed their tactics, going on the offensive.King Clancy andCy Denneny scored in the first period for Ottawa. The Senators played a defensive game in the second period. In the third period,Harry Oliver scored for the Bruins on a goal-mouth scramble to bring the Bruins within one. In the final minute, with the Bruins pressing, Denneny scored again to put the game beyond doubt.^[9]

The series switched to Ottawa. The Bruins took the early lead.Jimmy "Sailor" Herbert broke in on a pass from Harry Oliver and beat Alex Connell in the Ottawa net at 7:14 of the first period. In the second, the Senators picked up the pace and Denneny scored at 15:15 on a pass from Clancy to tie the score. Neither team could break the tie in the third period or the two overtimes. The result meant that Ottawa could win the series with a win in game four, making game five unnecessary.^[10]

The Senators decided to start two players who had been substitutes in the previous games,Frank Finnigan andHec Kilrea and the moves were a success. The Senators came out on the offensive and took a 2–0 lead in the first period on goals by Finnigan and Denneny. Denneny scored again in the third period to put the Senators ahead 3–0. The game degenerated after that.Lionel Hitchman andGeorge Boucher fought, withEddie Shore jumping in. Ottawa police jumped onto the ice to help the referees and Hitchman and Boucher were ejected. Oliver scored with six minutes to play. Ottawa'sHooley Smith butt-ended Oliver in the face with a minute to play. Shore jumped in to fight Smith and the two were ejected. After the game Coutu attacked referee Laflamme on his way to the dressing room.^[5]

The 1927 Stanley Cup was presented to Senators captain George Boucher byNHL PresidentFrank Calder following the Senators 3–1 win over the Bruins in game four.

The following Senators players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup

With the win Hooley Smith became the fourth player to have won Olympic gold and the Stanley Cup. Smith had won the gold medal at the1924 Olympics with theToronto Granites.^[11]

1926–27 Ottawa Senators

• 1926–27 NHL season

• NHL (2000).Total Stanley Cup. Dan Diamond & Associates.
• Podnieks, Andrew; Hockey Hall of Fame (2004).Lord Stanley's Cup. Triumph Books.ISBN 978-1-55168-261-7.
• Zweig, Eric (2012).Stanley Cup: 120 years of hockey supremacy. Firefly Books.ISBN 978-1-77085-104-7.

Notes

• 1926–27 NHL season
• Stanley Cup Finals
• Boston Bruins games
• Ottawa Senators (original) games
• 1927 Stanley Cup
• April 1927 sports events in the United States
• Ice hockey competitions in Ottawa
• Ice hockey competitions in Boston
• 1927 in sports in Massachusetts
• 1927 in Ontario
• 1920s in Boston
• 1920s in Ottawa
• April 1927 sports events in Canada

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use mdy dates from August 2023