Sylvio Mantha

Joseph Sylvio Theobald Mantha (April 14, 1902 August 7, 1974) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played fourteen seasons in the National Hockey League for the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins.

Sylvio Mantha
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1960
Born (1902-04-14)April 14, 1902
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Died August 7, 1974(1974-08-07) (aged 72)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 173 lb (78 kg; 12 st 5 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Right
Played for Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
Playing career 19231937

Playing career

Born in Montreal, Mantha was a three-time Stanley Cup winner - 1924, 1930 (Captain), 1931 (Captain). He played fourteen NHL seasons from 1923–24 to 1936–37, with all but four games as a Montreal Canadiens player. He was the captain of the Montreal Canadiens from 1926–27 to 1931–32 and from 1933–34 to 1935–36.

Mantha started as a right-winger for the Notre Dame de Grace Juniors in 1918–19 season, before playing for Verdun in the Intermediate Mount Royal Hockey League, Montreal Imperial Tobacco, and Montreal Northern Electric in the Montreal industrial league. He played briefly for the Montreal Nationales in the Quebec league. After scoring four goals in nine games with the Nationales, he was signed by the Montreal Canadiens. The Canadiens started Mantha as a forward, then moved him to right defence, because veterans Sprague Cleghorn and Billy Coutu were aging.

When Cleghorn was traded just before the 1925–26 NHL season, Mantha gained a more prominent role. He scored the first-ever goal in Boston Garden on November 20, 1928, leading the Canadiens to a 1–0 win over the Boston Bruins. Mantha was named to the NHL Second All-Star Team in both the 1929–30 and 1930–31 seasons.

In the 1935–36 NHL season, Mantha became the Canadiens' player coach. After a dismal season, the Canadiens fired him. The Boston Bruins were involved in a contract dispute with Eddie Shore so they signed Mantha at the start of the 1936–37 NHL season—and gave him Shore's number 2 jersey. Four games into the season, Mantha admitted he could no longer play at a competitive level and retired.

Mantha then worked as a linesman and referee for the AHL and NHL. He then coached the junior league Montreal Concordias, Laval Nationales (1943 to 1945), Verdun Maple Leafs (1945 to 1947), and St. Jerome Eagles (1947 to 1948).

He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1960, and died in Montreal, in August 1974.

The Georges and Sylvio Mantha Arenas are part of the Complexe Récréatif Gadbois in Montreal and named for him and his brother, Georges Mantha, who also played in the National Hockey League.

Career statistics

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1922–23 Montreal Nationale MCBHL 9 4 0 4
1923–24 Montreal Canadiens NHL 24 1 3 4 11 2 0 0 0 0
1923–24* Montreal Canadiens St-Cup 4 0 0 0 0
1924–25 Montreal Canadiens NHL 30 2 3 5 18 2 0 1 1 0
1924–25 Montreal Canadiens St-Cup 4 0 0 0 2
1925–26 Montreal Canadiens NHL 34 2 1 3 66
1926–27 Montreal Canadiens NHL 43 10 5 15 77 4 1 0 1 0
1927–28 Montreal Canadiens NHL 43 4 11 15 61 2 0 0 0 6
1928–29 Montreal Canadiens NHL 44 9 4 13 56 3 0 0 0 0
1929–30* Montreal Canadiens NHL 44 13 11 24 108 6 2 1 3 18
1930–31* Montreal Canadiens NHL 44 4 7 11 75 10 2 1 3 26
1931–32 Montreal Canadiens NHL 47 5 5 10 62 4 0 1 1 8
1932–33 Montreal Canadiens NHL 48 4 7 11 50 2 0 1 1 2
1933–34 Montreal Canadiens NHL 48 4 6 10 24 2 0 0 0 2
1934–35 Montreal Canadiens NHL 47 3 11 14 36 2 0 0 0 2
1935–36 Montreal Canadiens NHL 42 2 4 6 25
1936–37 Boston Bruins NHL 4 0 0 0 2
NHL totals 542 63 78 141 671 39 5 5 10 64
St-Cup totals 8 0 0 0 2

* Stanley Cup Champion.

NHL coaching record

TeamYearRegular seasonPost season
GWLTPtsDivision rankResult
Montreal Canadiens1935–36 48112611334th in CanadianMissed playoffs

See also

Preceded by
Newsy Lalonde
Head coach of the Montreal Canadiens
1935–36
Succeeded by
Cecil Hart
Preceded by
Billy Coutu
Montreal Canadiens captain
192632
Succeeded by
George Hainsworth
Preceded by
George Hainsworth
Montreal Canadiens captain
193336
Succeeded by
Albert Babe Siebert
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