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Senators at Detroit, February 8, 1931
The Ottawa Senators visited the Detroit Falcons at the Olympia on this date in 1931.
Detroit entered the NHL in 1925 stocked with Victoria Cougars from the defunct WCHL. They played their first season at the Border Cities Arena in Windsor, Ontario while the Olympia was being built. They called themselves the Cougars for the first four seasons, then rebranded as the Falcons in 1930, and the Red Wings in 1932.
Which Victoria Cougars were still with Detroit in 1930-31? Only Winnipegger Frank Frederikson, and he was returning from spells with Boston and Pittsburgh.
There were several Ottawa players on the Falcons roster. Ebbie Goodfellow was a former Montagnard. Bert McInenly had played for the Rideaus, Shamrocks and Gunners. Stan McCabe was a Gunner and a Rideau in the Ottawa city junior league. Hal Hicks played for pretty nearly all the Ottawa teams between 1916 and 1926. John Newman was a junior Shamrock. Harvey Rockburn was a Tiger, a Gunner and a Shamrock.
The Senators’ goalie Bill Beveridge was a Detroit Falcon in 1929-30. He began as an Ottaa Shamrock in 1924-25 and finished off his career as an Ottawa Commando in 1944-45.
First period: goal by Herbie Lewis (Detroit).
Second period: no scoring.
Third period: goal by Goodfellow (Detroit).
Final score: Detroit 2, Ottawa 0.
Montreal Senior Group:
Game 29, February 9: Columbus vs Victoria
Game 30, February 9: Canadiens vs Montreal AAA
These last two games were not played, as the three playoff teams were already decided and because McGill wanted to fit in an exhibition game against Harvard. In pursuit of that potentially huge box office McGill agreed to waive their claim to first place and with it a bye through to the final. So the final standings were:
Semi-final game 1: Columbus 2 – 1 McGill
100 Year Vision League
The J League is in the midst of switching from summer to winter football. The 2025 season ended in December. The next season, 2026-27, will begin in August. That leaves a seven-month gap, which will be filled by a one-off tournament called the 100 Year Vision League. The name comes from the JFA’s 100 Year Plan, promulgated in 1992, to build toward 100 professional clubs and a World Cup championship by 2092.
For the purposes of this tournament the J1 League is divided into two ten-team sections, East and West. Each section will play a double round robin and the two first-place finishers will meet in a playoff for the overall championship and a place in the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Elite.
Mito HollyHock are in the East section. By happy chance all ten East teams are located in the Kanto region, making this a kind of super Kanto League. (The next Kanto league down is in tier five.) The East section is loaded with powerhouses: Kashima Antlers, Kashiwa Reysol, Machida Zelvia, Urawa Red Diamonds, Kawasaki Frontale, FC Tokyo, Yokohama F Marinos, Tokyo Verdy, Mito HollyHock and JEF United Chiba. If Mito finish better than ninth or tenth it’ll be a notable accomplishment. But it doesn’t matter — there will be no relegation at the end of the tournament.
J1 East, matchday 1:
Yokohama F Marinos 2 – 3 Machida Zelvia (yesterday)
JEF United [0 – 2] Urawa Red Diamonds
FC Tokyo [2 – 1] Kashima Antlers
Kawasaki Frontale [5 – 3] Kashiwa Reysol (tomorrow)
Tokyo Verdy [3 – 1] Mito HollyHock (tomorrow)
J2 and J3 also have a tournament going on. Their clubs have been lumped together and divided into four ten-team sections. And the JFL will have a thing called the JFL Cup, but it doesn’t start till March.
Meanwhile, it’s the Scottish Cup, Round Five:
Airdrieonians 1 – 2 St Mirren (yesterday)
Dundee United vs The Spartans [postponed]
Dunfermline Athletic [2 – 0] Kelty Hearts
Elgin City [2 – 3] Partick Thistle
Celtic [2 – 1] Dundee
These two met in the Scottish Cup, round three, on January 19th, 1895, and Dundee won 1 – 0.
Aberdeen vs Motherwell [postponed]
Rangers [8 – 0] Stranraer Queen’s Park (tomorrow)
These two met in the Scottish Cup, round six, March 22nd, 1879, and Rangers won 1 – 0.
Stenhousemuir [0 – 2] Falkirk (tomorrow)
These two met in the Scottish Cup, round two, on September 29th, 1883, and Falkirk won 9 – 1.
There was one Championship match midweek:
Queen’s Park 0 – 1 Ross County (February 3)
Morton have signed 20-year-old centre-back Reuben Lopata-White on loan from Leeds United. Dylan Corr has left the club for Kelty Hearts. Morton have also signed 33-year-old striker Curtis Main, formerly of Darlington, Middlesbrough, Shrewsbury Town, Doncaster Rovers, Oldham Athletic, Portsmouth, Motherwell, Aberdeen, St Mirren, Bengaluru, Dundee and Ayr United. And Kerr Robertson has been loaned out to East Kilbride.
Scottish Challenge Cup, QF:
Arbroath 2 – 2 Airdrieonians (Airdrie win on PK) (February 3)
St Johnstone vs Ayr United [postponed]
Other matches: Lipno Stęszew [0 – 3] Sroda (sparring match)
Karlsruher SC [1 – 1] Fortuna Düsseldorf (tomorrow)
Wick Academy vs Forres Mechanics (February 4) (postponed)
Nairn County [1 – 1] Wick Academy
Berwick Rangers vs Clydebank (postponed)
Johnstone Burgh [3 – 1] Largs Thistle
Blantyre Victoria [2 – 0] Greenock
Port Glasgow [1 – 0] Craigmark Burtonians
Harthill Royal [2 – 4] Coldstream
Golspie Sutherland [2 – 2] Alness United
Renfrew [6 – 0] Morton Women (tomorrow)
Lowland League Cup, R1:
Bo’ness United 2 – 3 Tranent (February 3)
West of Scotland League Cup, R4:
Shotts Bon Accord [2 – 4] Muirkirk
Scottish Junior Cup, R5:
Fraserburgh United vs Largs Thistle (postponed)
Dundee Violet vs Johnstone Burgh (postponed)
Scottish Junior Cup, QF:
Auchinleck Talbot [2 – 0] Kirkintilloch Rob Roy
Pollok [1 – 1] Buchanhaven Hearts [Buchanhaven win on PK]
Concacaf Champions Cup, R1, leg 1:
Forge 0 – 0 UANL (February 3)
Vancouver FC 0 – 3 Cruz Azul (February 4)
Historical matches:
1891/2/7 Morton 1 – 1 Thistle
1931/2/7 Morton 0 – 1 Celtic
1953/2/7 Cowdenbeath 0 – 1 Morton (Sc Cup R2)
1981/2/7 Aberdeen 0 – 1 Morton
SFL results 1890-91:
1891/2/7 Celtic 3 2 St Mirren
1891/2/7 Vale of Leven 2 – 1 Cowlairs
1891/2/7 Abercorn 1 – 1 Rangers
1891/2/7 Dumbarton 0 – 1 Hearts (Sc Cup final)
Germany’s Children Are Starving (1923)
By Käthe Kollwitz. At the Museum Brot Und Kunst in Ulm, Germany. Source.
2026 Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey
It’s the Winter Olympics. Let’s follow the Japan women’s team, who are ranked 8th in the world. They’ll play in Group B against Germany, Sweden, Italy and France.
Group stage:
2026/2/6 France [2 – 3] Japan
2026/2/7 Germany [5 – 2] Japan
2026/2/9 Japan [2 – 3] Italy
2026/2/10 Japan [0 – 4] Sweden
The five Group A and top three Group B teams advance to the quarter-finals.
The Japanese team has seven players from the Daishin roster, six from Peregrine, three from Seibu Princess Rabbits, three from Toyota Cygnus, two who play for Linköping, one for Luleå, and one for Järnbrotts HK.
[Japan finishes fourth in Group B, ninth overall, and misses the quarter-finals.]
Evangeline Brandt and Acoustical Engineering
Americans at Senators, February 3, 1931
They were raising the Empire State Building during the 1930-31 NHL season. Source.
The New York Americans visited Ottawa on February 3rd, 1931. The Amerks were fourth in the Canadian Division with 29 points, Ottawa fifth with 12.
The NHL had been divided into Canadian and American divisions in 1926 and from the start the New York Americans were part of the Canadian Division. You would hope that Dorothy Parker or Alexander Woollcott made some kind of remark about it. Why put the Amerks in the Canadian Division and not, say, Detroit? What was the strategy behind having teams from both divisions in Madison Square Gardens but two Canadian Division teams in the Montreal Forum?
A Madison Square program of the time advertises “Games every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday night”. Saturday has never been hockey night in the USA. But Saturday was not hockey night in Ottawa either. In 1930-31 the Senators played thirteen home games on Thursday, six on Tuesday and only two on Saturday.
Yip Radley was the only Ottawan on the 1930-31 Amerks roster, and he only appeared in one game (not tonight’s). He spent the rest of the season with the Can-Am League New Haven Eagles. He had played for the Rideaus and Montagnards in the Ottawa City Hockey League. He later played 17 games for the Montreal Maroons in 1936-37.
The Senators’ Harry Connor played for the Amerks in 1928-29.
First period: goals by Kilrea (Ottawa), Cox (Ottawa), Ayres (Amerks) and Carson (Amerks).
Second period: goals by Burch (Amerks) and Sheppard (Amerks).
Third period: no scoring.
Final score: New York Americans 4, Ottawa Senators 2.
Montreal Senior Group:
Game 25, January 26: Columbus 1 – 1 Montreal AAA
Game 26, January 26: McGill 4 – 1 Canadiens
Game 27, February 2: Columbus 3 – 0 Canadiens
Game 28, February 2: McGill 2 – 2 Victorias
A New Bechdel
Snow Bleaching
As they do in Niigata Prefecture. Read.
Port Glasgow Juniors
Port Glasgow Juniors play at Parklea in the West of Scotland League Third Division. Source.
Ross County visit Cappielow. Morton hold seventh place with 23 points, and Ross County are ninth with 19. Morton have a win and a draw against the Staggies so far this season.
Stewart Kettlewell has been Ross County manager for a month. This is his second spell at the job, the first time having been from 2018 to 2020.
Ross County managed to climb out of automatic relegation last weekend. They have not been in tier III since 2007-08.
The last Morton player to score against Ross County was Michael Garrity, November 15th.
Half of Morton’s league matches have ended in draws, which puts them on track for 18 in 2025-26. The club record for draws in a season is 17, but that was in a 44-game schedule (1993-94).
[Morton win 2 – 1 on goals by Brophy and O’Halloran.]
The other Championship matches:
St Johnstone (1st) 2 – 2 Partick Thistle (2nd) (yesterday)
Ayr United (5th) [2 – 1] Raith Rovers (6th)
Dunfermline Athletic (4th) [0 – 2] Airdrieonians (8th)
Queen’s Park (10th) [2 – 1] Arbroath (3rd)
Other matches:
[Unia Swarzędz 1 – 1 KS Lipno Stęszew (sparring match)]
Fortuna Düsseldorf [2 – 1] SC Paderborn [tomorrow]
Rothes [1 – 1] Wick Academy
Largs Thistle [2 – 1] Shotts Bon Accord
Port Glasgow [8 – 1] St Anthony’s
Inverness CT [7 – 3] Morton Women (tomorrow)
A US consortium has bought Kelty Hearts. Story.
UEFA Europa League, league phase, matchday 8 (January 29):
Celtic 4 – 2 Utrecht
Porto 3 – 1 Rangers
Celtic advance. Rangers are out.
Scottish Challenge Cup, QF (January 27):
Arbroath vs Airdrieonians (postponed)
Inverness CT 1 – 0 Stenhousemuir
Queen’s Park 1 – 1 Raith Rovers (Raith win on PK)
St Johnstone vs Ayr United (postponed)
Scottish Junior Cup, R5:
Dundee Violet vs Johnstone Burgh (postponed)
South Challenge Cup, QF:
Muirkirk (W1) [3 – 0] Haddington Athletic (EP) Upset
Tranent (LL) [0 – 1] Cumnock (WP) Upset
Vale of Clyde (W1) [5 – 4] Greenock (W2)
University of Stirling (LL) [2 – 2] Cumbernauld United (W1) [U of Stirling win on PK] (tomorrow)
Lowland League Cup, R1:
East Stirlingshire 1 – 3 Clydebank (yesterday)
Berwick Rangers vs Bonnyrigg Rose [postponed]
Caledonian Braves [1 – 1] Civil Service Strollers [CSS win on PK]
Cumbernauld Colts [1 – 0] Albion Rovers
Gala Fairydean Rovers [2 – 1] Gretna 2008
Linlithgow Rose [4 – 0] Cowdenbeath
Football Times Cup, QF:
Clachnacuddin “A” [5 – 4] Golspie Sutherland
Video: Port Glasgow versus Greenock.
HFX Wanderers have signed 18-year-old fullback Francesco Troisi, and also 28-year-old defender Marcus Godinho formerly of Toronto FC II, Heart of Midlothian, FSV Zwickau, Vancouver Whitecaps, Korona Kielce in Poland and Degerfors IF in Sweden.
Historical matches:
1891/1/31 Ayr FC 2 – 2 Morton
1931/1/26 Morton 2 – 0 Raith Rovers (Sc Cup R1 2nd replay)
1931/1/31 Queen’s Park 0 – 1 Morton (Sc Cup R2)
1953/1/31 Morton 1 – 4 Kilmarnock
1981/1/28 Hearts 1 – 3 Morton (Sc Cup R3 replay)
1981/1/31 Morton 1 – 0 Kilmarnock
Cup games of the 1890-91 SFL clubs:
Third Lanark 1 – 4 Hearts (Sc Cup SF)
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