Eddie Oatman

Edward Cole "Eddie" Oatman (June 10, 1889 – November 5, 1973) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was among the elite goal scorers of his era. Among his 32 years (1907–39) playing professional ice hockey, Oatman was named an all-star for ten consecutive seasons by the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA). He was a star with the Quebec Bulldogs when it won the 1912 Stanley Cup. Oatman played with clubs that won five league championships, and he was a successful coach and captain of five different hockey teams. His brother Russell also played professional ice hockey.

Eddie Oatman
Oatman with the Quebec Bulldogs on a 1911 Sweet Caporal Cigarettes postcard.
Born (1889-06-10)June 10, 1889
Springford, Ontario
Died November 5, 1973(1973-11-05) (aged 84)
Height 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight 155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
Position Right Wing
Shot Right
Played for Galt Professionals
Waterloo Colts
Quebec Bulldogs
New Westminster Royals
Portland Rosebuds
Toronto 228th Battalion
Victoria Aristocrats
Calgary Tigers
Minneapolis Millers
Boston Tigers
Buffalo Americans
Buffalo Majors
Duluth Zephyrs
Playing career 19071939
Eddie Oatman, at far right in the front row, with the Calgary Tigers in Montreal for the 1924 Stanley Cup finals.

Personal life

Born and raised in Springford, Ontario, Eddie Oatman began playing organized hockey at age ten and continued for the next eight years in youth leagues in his hometown. He moved away to play hockey for a career, and he coached hockey before returning home and becoming a barber. He married Helen Durning in 1921 and had one son, Ted, born in 1922.[1] He died on November 11, 1973, and was interred at the Springford Cemetery, Oxford County, Ontario, where he is buried next to his brother Russell. He was the subject of a Ripley's "Believe It Or Not" article for playing 30 years in professional hockey and is featured on at least two trading cards.

Playing career

Oatman played in 1907 with the Tillsonburg (Ontario) Junior Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) club. The next year he played with the Simcoe Intermediate OHA and, in 1909, he turned professional with the Cleveland, Ohio, club of the International League. The next season, he played on a line with Joe Malone and Jack McDonald for Waterloo of the Ontario Professional Hockey League. In 1911, when Quebec was admitted into the NHA, the three played with the Bulldogs and helped win the 1912 Stanley Cup.

Because of that championship, he and every member of the Bulldogs were offered a contract by PCHA teams. Oatman signed with New Westminster Royals. In the 1914–15 season, he was named to the PCHA All-Star team.[2] The Royals became the Portland Rosebuds and Oatman became the team captain. The following year, he was also its coach and was an All-Star again when the club won the league championship. However, in 1916 the Montreal Canadiens won their first Stanley Cup title, beating Portland three games to two in a best of five playoff series.[3] With Portland's near victory over Montreal, expectations grew for their chances in the 1916–1917 season, but these hopes ended when Oatman enlisted in the Canadian armed forces as part of the 228th Battalion.

When the 228th Battalion secured a franchise in the NHA for the 1916–17 season, Oatman joined the roster. But when the 228th was sent to Europe for military action in the First World War, Oatman was discharged "for special circumstances." The following season Oatman went back to Portland, again as its coach and captain. When the Rosebuds suspended operations, Oatman joined the Victoria Aristocrats as their captain and remained with the team for the next five years. As result of another player's injury, he saw action with the Vancouver Millionaires when they lost the Stanley Cup to the Toronto St. Pats in 1922.

Oatman was traded to the Calgary Tigers in 1923–24.[4] He helped the team win the Western Canada Hockey League title, but were denied a Stanley Cup championship when they again lost to the Montreal Canadiens. From 1924 to 1926, he was the Tigers' coach and captain, leading them to back-to-back championships in 1924 and 1925. Unfortunately, pro hockey collapsed in the West after the 1925–26 season, but he continued to play minor-league hockey. Oatman was the team captain of the Minneapolis, Minnesota, club in the American Hockey Association (AHA) in 1927. Then, for the next three years, he played for the Boston Tigers in the Canadian-American Hockey League (1928–1930), and as their captain led them to the league championship in the 1929. In 1931, he played as captain for the Buffalo Majors in the AHA.[5] He later served as a player-coach in Yorkton, Prince Albert and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, until his hockey-playing career ended when he was 50.

Statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GPGAPtsPIM GPGAPtsPIM
1910Galt ProfessionalsOPHL222
Waterloo ColtsOPHL121901911
1910–11Quebec BulldogsNHA16851361
1911–12Quebec BulldogsNHA181942340
Stanley Cup10000
1912–13New Westminster RoyalsPCHA13951446
1913–14New Westminster RoyalsPCHA162252718
1914–15Portland RosebudsPCHA182283023
1915–16Portland RosebudsPCHA1811102124
Stanley Cup531416
1916–17Toronto 228th BattalionNHA121752220
1917–18Portland RosebudsPCHA1811102116
1919Victoria AristocratsPCHA181151613
1919–20Victoria AristocratsPCHA2211142538
1920–21Victoria AristocratsPCHA226111711
1921–22Victoria AristocratsPCHA21961528
Vancouver MillionairesStanley Cup510114
1922–23Victoria CougarsPCHA29127194921124
1923–24Calgary TigersWCHL233142220000
West-P21014
Stanley Cup2000
1924–25Calgary TigersWCHL2665112020110
1925–26Calgary TigersWHL1600016
1926–27Minneapolis MillersAHA222024360004
1927–28Boston TigersCAHL361031354
1928–29Boston TigersCAHL383365540118
1929–30Boston TigersCAHL3955103050002
1930–31Buffalo MajorsAHA45641063
1931–32Buffalo MajorsAHA1510115
1932–33St. Paul SaintsCHL3433626
1938–39Duluth ZephyrsIASHL70002
TBSHL30224
NHA totals 46 44 14 58 121
PCHA totals 195 124 81 205 266 2 1 1 2 4
Stanley Cup totals 13 4 1 5 30

Statistics from SIHR at sihrhockey.org, and EliteProspects at eliteprospects.com

References

Notes

  1. "Picture of Oatman family in Boston". Archived from the original on January 18, 2004. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
  2. Two Portland men on All-Star coast hockey team Oregon Daily Journal. Feb. 28, 1915 . Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  3. Stanley Cup Annual Record 1916 NHL (nhl.com). Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  4. "Tigers Getting 60-Minute Player in Eddie Oatman" Calgary Daily Herald. October 18, 1923.
  5. "Defies father time" Border Cities Star (Windsor). Jan. 2, 1932. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
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