1940: Hockey, Ice

Now boasting a major ranking, hockey shares the glamour of top indoor and outdoor winter attractions in the Northern States and in many of the Central States, where artificial ice spreads its glistening surface, and in Canada. In the United States it is estimated that nearly 5,000,000 persons saw the game in 1940, in both professional and amateur contests, and that a total of nearly $8,000,000 was spent for admissions, salaries and new equipment. Such is an indication that the flashing steel blades have turned to gold. In this flourishing game Canada also shared its prosperity, for in the Dominion it rates first, as baseball does in the United States. More colleges and schools are playing hockey than ever before.

In big-time professional circles, the New York Rangers are the world's champions, capturing four of the seven principal trophies offered for various 'bests' in the National Hockey League at the end of the 1939-1940 season. Now in possession of the Rangers, either as a team or with individual players, are the Stanley Cup, the William MacBeth Trophy, the Calder Trophy and the Georges Vezina Trophy. The Prince of Wales Trophy was captured by the Boston Bruins as first place winner in the National Hockey League.

In the minor (professional) leagues, the Providence team won in the Eastern Division and the Indianapolis team captured the Western Division of the International American Hockey League; St. Louis won in the American Hockey Association; Vancouver took the title in the Pacific Coast Hockey League.

The Eastern Amateur Hockey League's Baltimore Orioles captured the championship and won the James J. Walker Trophy; the New York Rovers won both the Atlantic City Boardwalk Trophy and the Hershey Challenge Trophy; the Hamilton B. Wills International Trophy was won by the United States team from the Canadian team, in a closely contested series, 12 games won and 11 lost, 26 points for the U.S. team and 24 for the Canadians. The Metropolitan Amateur Hockey League (N. Y.) title went to the Exchange Brokers team, and in the Lester Patrick playoff series the Sands Point Tigers won the trophy. The New York Amateur Hockey Association title was won by the St. Nicholas Hockey Club.

In collegiate circles, Yale captured the Quadrangular Hockey League title from Princeton, Harvard and Dartmouth. The University of Toronto won the International Intercollegiate Hockey League title, one point behind McGill, with Yale third. Toronto also took the Canadian intercollegiate crown. The Allen Cup, emblematic of the amateur championship of Canada, was won by the Blue Devils of Kirkland Lake, Ont., when they defeated the Calgary Stampeders in three straight games in the final round.

The Amateur Athletic Union national ice hockey championship was won by the University of Minnesota, defeating the Brock-Hall Hockey Club in the finals, held at Lake Placid, N.Y.