NHL MONTREAL CANADIENS VS. PCHL VANCOUVER LIONS

APRIL 9, 1929 PROGRAM - SCORESHEET

This exhibition game was played between the 1928-29 Pacific Coast Hockey League Champion, Vancouver Lions and the NHL Montreal Canadiens at the conclusion of each league's season.

This unique program/scoresheet was discovered within the estate collection of Ken MacKenzie, GM for the 1920's WHL Edmonton Eskimos Hockey Club. This would most certainly have been his personal copy of the program. The scoresheet has a pencil notation of April 9, 1929. Also the score of 4-1 for Montreal is noted with goals attributed to Howie Morenz (2), Pit Lepine (1) and Armand Mondou (1). Bill Phillips (1) replied for Vancouver.

The program has the script " Canadian Professional Hockey Championship - Montreal Les Canadiens versus Vancouver Lions. Second game will be played Monday Night April 8th. If necessary, third game will be played Wednesday April 10th." This information is interesting in reference to the pencil notation of the game being April 9th. But this information also indicates that there were more games scheduled and played between the two teams.

Also included in this collection was a newspaper clipping from the Vancouver Sun Newspaper that had some quotes from Howie Morenz regarding the play of Vancouver Lions goaltender Percy Jackson and inferences that there were more games played. "That youngster will be the sensation of the hockey world in a year or two, mark my words. That baby beat us and he'll beat a lot of others". This indicates that the Lions may have beat the Canadiens in one of the games.

Very interesting to note that Hall of Fame Goaltender, Clint Benedict is in goal for the Montreal Canadiens. Benedict never played a single game for the Canadiens in his career other in than this exhibition contest. 

The article was also looking at the upcoming exhibition game between the NHL New York Americans and PCHL Vancouver Lions and the goaltending showdown between Percy Jackson of the Lions and Roy Worters of the Americans. 

Percy Jackson was born November 21, 1906 and died on September 16, 1972. He was a member of the 1926-28 WKSHL Trail Smoke Eaters before becoming the star goaltender of the PCHL Vancouver Lions who would win the PCHL Championship in each of the three seasons that the league existed (1928/29, 1929/30 and 1930-31). As a result he would become a part of the Boston Bruin organization with his contract being sold to the NHL team on April 19, 1931. He played 4 games with the Boston Bruins in the 1931-32 season compiling a very strong 2.07 goals against average. He spent the bulk of the 1931-32 season with the CAHL Boston Cubs affiliate. The following season, 1932-33 and 1934-35 he would lead the Boston Cubs to the Fontaine Cup CAHL Championship. He was loaned to the New York Americans on March 18, 1934 to replace an injured Roy Worters. He ended up leading the Americans over the Boston Bruins with a 9-5 victory. 

I do not believe another one of these programs has ever surfaced. An extremely rare and significant part of hockey history for the collectors specializing in Montreal Canadiens, Goalies, Howie Morenz and/or the Pacific Coast Hockey League.