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Authors: Stephen J. Harper
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may have been the captain of the Toronto Hockey Club in name, but it quickly became evident that the real skipper was the twenty-eight-year-old Miln. Aggressive and ambitious, the Scottish-born âAlexâ had been around Toronto sports circles for years. He was a noted cyclist, horseman and sailor, belonging to both the Toronto Hunt Club and the Royal Canadian Yacht Club.
Miln was most noted, however, for his involvement in hockey. He had been associated with a number of organizations, but by far the most important was the legendary Toronto Wellingtons. While it appears heplayed briefly with the club, his key role had been as manager of the squad in its heyday and, later, as its secretary-treasurer. After the menâs hockey team folded, he remained permanent secretary of the Wellington alumni and its ladiesâ organization.
A bookkeeper by profession, Miln became a full-time hockey executive in the fall of 1905. John J. Palmer of the Toronto Type Foundry had purchased the Mutual Street Rink from the Caledonian Curling Club for the princely sum of $25,000. Shortly thereafter, he named Miln its manager. The Toronto News noted that it was a popular choice: âMr. Miln has been connected with hockey clubs for many years, and a better man for the position could not have been secured by the new owners of the rink.â 8
There is no doubt Alexander Miln was the driving force behind the Toronto Professionals. He is shown here holding the Robertson Cup in his days as secretary of the Wellingtons.
It appears that Milnâs hockey ambitions from the outset were focused on the Stanley Cup, the very prize that Robertsonâs OHA so disparaged. It was Miln, after all, who had secured the Wellingtonsâ challenge against the Winnipeg Victorias in 1902, and he had acted as the teamâs spokesman in the Manitoba capital. A bitingly sarcastic letter in the Toronto papers the previous February had also betrayed a man not afraid to question the judgments of the association.
Although, like Robertson, a Conservative 9 in politics, Milnâs independence on hockey matters became even clearer almost as soon as he took over at Mutual. He was publicly associated with the pro practice squad of 1905â06. He was also immediately engaged in extensive renovations of the old rink that betrayed bigger plans. Although the Caledonian building had been the preferred location of Torontoâs top-rank shinny almost from the beginning, by the end of the nineteenth century it was also widely considered deficient for the national winter sport of a major Canadian city.
The first problem was the capacity of the building. On January 16, 1904, the facility managed to cram in 2,674 paying customers (and nodoubt a few others) to witness a showdown between the archrival Marlboros and St. Georges. This was a pittance compared with Montrealâs great Westmount Arena, which offered seating for 4,500 and standing room for hundreds more. The new Winnipeg Arena, opened in 1905, could take in 4,000. In Torontoâs much smaller venue, important games were often quick to sell out, leading to ticket scalping that could drive prices up tenfold.
The second problem was the size of the ice surface. This was linked to the first problem, because significant seating had been put in for hockey spectators only after the fact. Known to be jerry-built, these stands significantly reduced the width of the original, squarish skating area. âTo settle all disputes,â the Toronto Star measured Mutualâs surface. It was a mere 153 feet, 4 inches long and 73 feet, 5 inches wide. 10
This put the playing area well below the standard established in Montreal. The surface of its Victoria Skating Rink of 1875 had been 200 feet by 85 feet (the National Hockey League standard to this day). The ice of the contemporary Montreal Arena was even slightly larger. Mutualâs small surface could help against a visiting team of strong skaters, but it
Miln was most noted, however, for his involvement in hockey. He had been associated with a number of organizations, but by far the most important was the legendary Toronto Wellingtons. While it appears heplayed briefly with the club, his key role had been as manager of the squad in its heyday and, later, as its secretary-treasurer. After the menâs hockey team folded, he remained permanent secretary of the Wellington alumni and its ladiesâ organization.
A bookkeeper by profession, Miln became a full-time hockey executive in the fall of 1905. John J. Palmer of the Toronto Type Foundry had purchased the Mutual Street Rink from the Caledonian Curling Club for the princely sum of $25,000. Shortly thereafter, he named Miln its manager. The Toronto News noted that it was a popular choice: âMr. Miln has been connected with hockey clubs for many years, and a better man for the position could not have been secured by the new owners of the rink.â 8
There is no doubt Alexander Miln was the driving force behind the Toronto Professionals. He is shown here holding the Robertson Cup in his days as secretary of the Wellingtons.
It appears that Milnâs hockey ambitions from the outset were focused on the Stanley Cup, the very prize that Robertsonâs OHA so disparaged. It was Miln, after all, who had secured the Wellingtonsâ challenge against the Winnipeg Victorias in 1902, and he had acted as the teamâs spokesman in the Manitoba capital. A bitingly sarcastic letter in the Toronto papers the previous February had also betrayed a man not afraid to question the judgments of the association.
Although, like Robertson, a Conservative 9 in politics, Milnâs independence on hockey matters became even clearer almost as soon as he took over at Mutual. He was publicly associated with the pro practice squad of 1905â06. He was also immediately engaged in extensive renovations of the old rink that betrayed bigger plans. Although the Caledonian building had been the preferred location of Torontoâs top-rank shinny almost from the beginning, by the end of the nineteenth century it was also widely considered deficient for the national winter sport of a major Canadian city.
The first problem was the capacity of the building. On January 16, 1904, the facility managed to cram in 2,674 paying customers (and nodoubt a few others) to witness a showdown between the archrival Marlboros and St. Georges. This was a pittance compared with Montrealâs great Westmount Arena, which offered seating for 4,500 and standing room for hundreds more. The new Winnipeg Arena, opened in 1905, could take in 4,000. In Torontoâs much smaller venue, important games were often quick to sell out, leading to ticket scalping that could drive prices up tenfold.
The second problem was the size of the ice surface. This was linked to the first problem, because significant seating had been put in for hockey spectators only after the fact. Known to be jerry-built, these stands significantly reduced the width of the original, squarish skating area. âTo settle all disputes,â the Toronto Star measured Mutualâs surface. It was a mere 153 feet, 4 inches long and 73 feet, 5 inches wide. 10
This put the playing area well below the standard established in Montreal. The surface of its Victoria Skating Rink of 1875 had been 200 feet by 85 feet (the National Hockey League standard to this day). The ice of the contemporary Montreal Arena was even slightly larger. Mutualâs small surface could help against a visiting team of strong skaters, but it
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