The race to the Memorial Cup has begun, in earnest, and once again, the Sudbury Wolves fell short (though in complete fairness, even the most zealous of Wolves’ fans did not necessarily see the 2024-2025 Sudbury crew as legitimate contenders to an OHL title).

Still, we’re sure to hear much lamenting of the fact that it has now been 17 years since the local juniors have won a second round playoff series. If only we had all been around in the thirties.
(and yes, I am referring to the 1930s, of course)

Those were the days.

In a span of just six years, the Sudbury Cub Wolves captured the Memorial Cup, defeating the Winnipeg Monarchs two games to one in 1932. That was just the start.

The nickel city was also home, at that time, to Allan Cup champions (Canadian senior hockey victors) in both 1936 (Sudbury Falcons – two straight over the Kimberley Dynamites) and 1937 (Sudbury Frood Tigers – three games to two over the North Battleford Beavers).

While some of the above is certainly familiar to Sudbury hockey oldtimers, many do not recall that this region came awfully close of adding a second Memorial Cup title to the mix courtesy of the Copper Cliff Redmen.

With the junior hockey “Kid Line” of “Red” Hamill, Pat McReavy and Roy Heximer showing the way offensively, the Cliffites rambled over the Timmins juniors, St Michael’s College and the Montreal Victorias en route to a match-up with the Monarchs in the spring of 1937.

Though the Winnipeggers would ultimately prevail in four games, this series was as good as any that had been witnessed in quite some time, at least through the first three encounters.

Contesting the tête a tête in Toronto, the favoured Manitobans were in control, with the game one winding down. Scoring sensation Johnny McCreedy (who would play a pair of years with the Leafs) opened the scoring in the first and later increased the Monarchs advantage to 3-0 when he and Alf Pike tallied 11 seconds apart early in the third.

Out of nowhere stormed the Copper Cliff side, with Heximer scoring twice and McReavy adding one of his own, all in a span of 1:37 – and this from 17:39 to 19:16 of the third. With momentum on their side, Red Hamill managed to bulge the twine with his team short-handed in overtime, allowing the Redmen to draw first blood.

Game two was no less dramatic.

Up 2-0 on a pair of markers from Alf Webster, Copper Cliff went toe to toe with Winnipeg, the encounter ebbing to and fro throughout much of the night, heading to overtime (again) tied at five thanks to the goal scoring exploits of Walter Zuke, Roy Heximer and Red Hamill, as well as a strong performance on the back end from Redmen goaltender Mel Albright.

The top local defense pairing of Jack Shewchuck and “Slip” Perry were doing their best to slow down the fleet-footed Winnipeg forwards, to no avail as the game wore on. By the second period of overtime, this series was deadlocked at a game apiece.

In many ways, game three captured the essence of this titanic battle.

Lucien Martel would break the ice for the Westerners before Alf Webster drew the northern gents even in the middle stanza. Before the frame would end, Alf Pike restored the Monarchs lead, forcing Copper Cliff to up the tempo in the third. No less than four pucks drilled off the goal posts stymied the Redmen efforts to draw equal, prompting the following account in the Sudbury Star of that day:

“In this respect, they were very unfortunate as all four of their tries came from smart efforts. But taken on the whole, the winners were the better team of the two.”

A 2-1 Winnipeg win took much of the wind out of the sails of the Smelter boys, as they were dubbed at times in the local press, though head coach Max Silverman was not about to give any ground.

“We’re not out yet by a long shot,” he hollered at the game reporter. “You tell ‘em that up north. We can’t hit the post all the time – and Saturday is another day.”

But with Johnny McCreedy raising his game another notch or two, burying four goals past Albright, the 11,455 fans who took in game four at Maple Leaf Gardens left disappointed that the finale would not live up to the previous three games, the Monarchs full measure for a 7-0 win, with all of the scoring coming in the final forty minutes.

Rounding out the Copper Cliff roster were back-up netminder Warren Thompson, blueliners Johnny Godfrey and John Frenette, and forwards Eddie Tobin, Wilf Lemieux and John Faught.