Fort Pitt Hornets

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Fort Pitt Hornets-Panthers
CityPittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
LeagueUSAHA
DivisionEastern Division
Founded1924
Operated1924-1925
Home arenaDuquesne Gardens
ColorsBlack, gold[1]
   
General managerH.N. Forner
Head coachDinny Manners
Championships
Division Championships1924-25

The Pittsburgh Fort Pitt, also simultaneously known as the Fort Pitt Hornets and the Fort Pitt Panthers, was a semi-professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team played primarily in the United States Amateur Hockey Association (USAHA), which was technically a semi-pro league by 1924.[2]

History[]

The Hornets were a spin-off of another USAHA club from Pittsburgh, the Yellow Jackets, and played in the league's Eastern Division.[3] During the 1924-25 season, the Hornets finished their season with a 17-7-0 record, for first place in the Eastern Division. However the club was defeated in the USAHA championship series by their cross-town rivals, the Yellow Jackets, four games to none.[4] Former Yellow Jackets player-coach Dinny Manners served as a player-coach for the Hornets.[2][5][6]

Rough-play allegations[]

The USAHA teams were known, at this time, for known for their rough play. During the Hornets' first round of the 1924-25 playoffs, which was against the Boston Athletic Association, Pittsburgh player, Joe Sills reportedly butt-ended Leo Hughes in the face, requiring the removal of one Hughes' eyes, and nearly the other. The Boston AA’s player was a fan favourite and the team's supporters protested the hit. Boston then threatened to quit the league because of the "Unnecessary and willful roughing."[2] However, Pittsburgh's manager, H.N. Forner, contended that injuries that were inflicted to his players, such as the case with the Hornets' Lorne Armstrong, could have been just as serious. During the series, Armstrong was cut in the back of the neck by the skate of a Boston player. The following night, Armstrong received a cut between his eyes which could have taken one of his eyes, if the cut was an inch away in either direction. As for Joe Sills, he was reportedly kneed by a Boston player and unable to play for an entire week.[7] After Leo Hughes had lost his eye against the Hornets, the USAHA's president stated that "Hockey, you know, is not a parlour game."[2]

Prominent players[]

The Hornets-Panthers team featured several future-NHL players such as:

Notes[]

  1. ^ "Hornets Capture Eastern Hockey Title". The Gazette Times. Pittsburgh. March 22, 1925. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b c d Spence, Ron (September 10, 2008). "USAHA Hockey: Not a Palour Game". Crashing the Goalie. Archived from the original on February 23, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  3. ^ Bouchette, Ed (May 2, 1999). "Ice Age". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
  4. ^ Clark, Donald M. (2010). "St. Paul Athletic Club". Vintage Minnesota Hockey. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  5. ^ "Pittsburgh to Be Represented by Two First Class Hockey Teams". The Pittsburgh Post. November 21, 1924. p. 12.
  6. ^ "Hornets Oppose Maples". The Pittsburgh Press. December 29, 1924. p. 23.
  7. ^ "Manager Forner Defends Accused Fort Pitt Hockey Players". Pittsburgh Press. January 21, 1925. p. 23.
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