Charles Connell
Month: October 2026
McCully Street
Yamato-hime and Britannia, 1902
Stampeders at Quakers, October 5, 1953
The 1953-54 Western Hockey League was made up of seven clubs: the Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Flyers, New Westminster Royals, Saskatoon Quakers, Seattle Bombers, Vancouver Canucks and Victoria Cougars. Each team played 70 games, plus as many as three playoff series.
The Quakers had their home ice at Saskatoon Arena, built in 1937 and demolished in 1989, with seating for 3,300. The Stampeders played at the 7,475-seat Stampede Corral which was built in 1950 and demolished in 2021. The Quakers were affiliated with the New York Rangers, the Stampeders with the Chicago Black Hawks.
During the 1953-54 season Saskatoon had two player-coaches: Alex Kaleta, formerly of the Black Hawks and New York Rangers, and Doug Bentley, the Black Hawks’ star left winger from 1939 till 1952 and a future Hall of Famer. The Stampeders’ head coach was Frank Currie. In the 1930s he played for Richmond Hawks and Earl’s Court Rangers of the British National League, for the Montreal Royals during the war, and the Edmonton Flyers after the war.
October 5th was opening night. Saskatoon hosted the Stampeders.
First period: goals by Kobussen (Saskatoon) and Scott (Calgary).
Second period: no scoring.
Third period: goals by Senick (Saskatoon) and Kobussen.
Final score: Saskatoon 3, Calgary 1.
Eldred Kobussen was born in Vanscoy, Saskatchewan. He played for various AHL clubs in the 1940s and early 1950s before moving to the WHL where he played for Seattle, Saskatoon and the Brandon Regals.
George Senick was from Saskatoon and played professionally from 1947 till 1966, including 13 games with the New York Rangers in 1952-53.
Archie Scott spent nearly his entire career with the Calgary Stampeders.
Sources: Saskatoon Star-Phoenix (October 6, 1953) at Google News Newspapers; and hockeydb.com.
HMS Ophir
Eduardo De Martino, HMS Ophir coaling in Halifax, 5th October, 1901, prior to her return home. Source.
In 1901 the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York (the future King George V and Queen Mary) made a tour of the British Empire, with Canada as the final leg. While the royals were travelling the country by rail Ophir was provisioned and polished up in Halifax.
2026-27 Scottish Cup, Round One
Buckie Thistle versus Brechin City in 2023. Source.
It’s the Scottish Cup, Round One, in which the ten survivors of the preliminary rounds join up with teams from the Highland League and Lowland Leagues East and West. Stonehaven and Penicuik Athletic have been in it since Preliminary Round One, making this the fourth match in the cup for each.
Of the thirty fixtures, twenty are between clubs from the same tier, five between clubs from the same league. Cumnock and Auchinleck Talbot played each other in last year’s cup. Largs Thistle and Troon appear for the first time.
Scottish Cup, Round 1:
Cumnock (LW) 2 – 0 Auchinleck Talbot (LW) (yesterday)
Beith (LW) [0 – 3] Huntly (HL)
Bo’ness United (LE) [3 – 2] Irvine Meadow XI (WoSPrem)
Bonnyton Thistle (WoS1) [2 – 0] East Stirlingshire (LE) Upset
Brechin City (LE) [2 – 2] Buckie Thistle (HL) [Brechin win on PK]
Caledonian Braves (LW) [4 – 0] Fraserburgh (HL)
Civil Service Strollers (LE) [0 – 2] Formartine United (HL)
Clachnacuddin (HL) [2 – 0] Bonnyrigg Rose (LE)
Cowdenbeath (LE) [4 – 0] Berwick Rangers (LE)
Deveronvale (HL) [2 – 3] Troon (LW)
Dunipace (LE) [5 – 2] Preston Athletic (EoSPrem)
Forres Mechanics (HL) [0 – 1] University of Stirling (LE)
Gala Fairydean Rovers (LE) [0 – 1] Largs Thistle (LW)
Haddington Athletic (EoSPrem) [0 – 2] Cumbernauld Colts (LW)
Hill of Beath Hawthorn (LE) [2 – 0] Glasgow University (WoS2)
Keith (HL) [2 – 1] Stonehaven (NoSPrem)
Kirkintilloch Rob Roy (WoSPrem) [1 – 1] Banks o’ Dee (HL) [Banks o’ Dee win on PK]
Linlithgow Rose (LE) [0 – 1] Clydebank (LW)
Lochee United (LE) [3 – 2] Inverurie Loco Works (HL)
Musselburgh Athletic (LE) [2 – 1] Lossiemouth (HL)
Nairn County (HL) [0 – 1] Gretna 2008 (LW)
Newton Stewart (LW) [1 – 3] Johnstone Burgh (LW)
Penicuik Athletic (EoSPrem) [3 – 1] Kilwinning Rangers (LW) Upset
Pollok (LW) [4 – 1] Albion Rovers (LW)
Renfrew (LW) [3 – 2] Broxburn Athletic (LE)
Rothes (HL) [0 – 9] Brora Rangers (HL)
Strathspey Thistle (HL) [3 – 2] Dalbeattie Star (LW)
Tayport (Mid) [3 – 0] Wick Academy (HL) Upset
Threave Rovers (WoS1) [3 – 2] Invergordon (HL) Upset
Tranent (LE) [3 – 1] Turriff United (HL)
Meanwhile in the Championship Morton host Raith Rovers. Raith are second in the division with 14 points. Morton are tenth with 1 point.
Ian Murray has been sacked, about two months too late. Michael O’Halloran and Gary Miller will run the bench today.
The last Morton player to score against Raith Rovers was Nathan Shaw, April 11th.
[Morton 1 – 2 Raith Rovers. Garrity scored for the Ton.]
The other Championship matches:
Livingston (3rd) [1 – 2] Ayr United (8th)
Partick Thistle (4th) [3 – 0] Arbroath (6th)
This is the first ever A Ton of Snow Championship Super Cup, between the winners of the 2025-26 Championship League Cup (Partick Thistle) and Consolation Cup (Arbroath).
Dunfermline Athletic [1 – 4] Aberdeen (friendly)
Other matches:
Ti-Cats 34 – 16 Ottawa (yesterday)
Vonds Ichihara [1 – 0] Grulla Morioka
Dumbarton [2 – 1] Forfar Athletic
Greenock Juniors [0 – 1] Knightswood
Carluke Rovers vs Vale of Leven [postponed]
St Andrews United [3 – 4] Jeanfield Swifts
Forge [3 – 3] HFX Wanderers [Halifax goals by Pierre, Mackenzie and Ciccarelli.]
Halifax Tides [0 – 0] Calgary Wild
Elfen Saitama [2 – 1] JEF United Chiba (WE League Cup) (tomorrow)
Maruyasu Okazaki [1 – 2] ReinMeer Aomori (tomorrow)
Inverness CT [0 – 3] Morton Women (League Cup) (tomorrow)
West of Scotland League Cup, R2 (selected):
Port Glasgow [1 – 0] Forth Wanderers
Women’s Canadian Championship QF (tomorrow):
AFC Toronto [2 – 1] Vancouver Rise
UEFA Nations League:
Scotland 0 – 3 Switzerland (September 29)
North Macedonia [0 – 2] Scotland (today)
J League Cup, R2 (September 29):
Fukushima United 0 – 7 Mito HollyHock
Historical matches:
Scottish Alliance, October 3, 1891:
Linthouse 6 – 0 Morton
Northern 0 – 1 Thistle
Partick Thistle 5 – 0 Cathcart (Glasgow Cup R1 replay)
East Stirlingshire 7 – 2 King’s Park (Sc Cup PR2 replay)
21st Royal Scots Fusiliers 1 – 2 Ayr (Sc Cup PR2 replay)
Scottish Federation, October 3, 1891:
Albion Rovers 7 – 5 Clydebank
Burnbank Swifts 5 – 2 Pollokshaws
Falkirk 2 – 4 Arthurlie
Hurlford 6 – 0 Motherwell
Wishaw Thistle 3 – 1 Glasgow Wanderers
Cowlairs 4 – 4 Royal Albert (Sc Cup PR2 replay) (both advanced)
Kilmarnock Athletic 2 – 2 Stevenston Thistle (Sc Cup PR2 replay) (both advanced)*
Ayrshire League, October 3, 1891:
Beith 2 – 1 Ayr Parkhouse
Mauchline 1 – 3 Monkcastle
Newmilns 14 – 1 Irvine
Kilmarnock Athletic 2 – 2 Stevenston Thistle (Sc Cup PR2 replay) (both advanced)*
*same match
Gildy Whyte
Autumn Colour (1920)
By J.E.H. MacDonald. Source.
